Hello all
i've playing for a couple of year, rhythm guitar only. In the last months I devoted myself mainly to heavy metal and thanks to Troy Stetina rhythm guitar book (vol . I), I learnt the basics to play some real metal tunes
As you may imagine to play heavy metal requires quite a good technique since in a typical metal song there's a lot of different riffs, you may alternate between single notes and chords, muted and unmuted notes, a lot of syncopation and anticipated chord changes etc.
Anyway if I'm quite satisified by my learning, there is something that is missing: the ability of playing decent hammer-ons and pull-off, a technique that, poor me, is widely included in heavy metal riffs!
I have to say that they've been something that I always found difficult to learn even when I approached most of the easy songs for beginners lessons. What it seems me quite strange is that our Master David Hodge in his lessons always said that hammer-ons and pull-offs are quite easy tricks to embellish guitar parts. Well at least for me they're not easy and what I found difficult is mainly playing pull-offs and alternate between hammer-ons and pull-offs
Of course I must devote some specific training to learn them properly but for sure I've not really understood the basics (i.e. how to alternate between hammer-ons and pull-offs)
thanks for any help and tips
cheers
Matteo
Like anything, "easy" is a relative term (kind of like "master" - and for the record, I'm as far from being a "master" as I am from being a professional basketball player! :wink: ) and unless you've spent time specifically working on a particular technique, it's rare that it's going to be easy from the word go. Since you're going to work on that, you're already most of the way there...
Fact is that most people have a hard time with hammers and pull off because it does require finger strength that often the fingers don't have just starting out. So you're going to have to build up both strength and control. Best to start easy and simply. Did you ever do the "one finger / one fret" warm up exercise? That's the one where you play an open string and then play the next note with your finger on the first fret, the middle finger on the second fret, the ring finger on the third fret and the pinky on the fourth fret. You can use this same exercise to get you going on hammers. Instead of picking each note as you place your finger on the fret, pick the open string and then hammer with the index finger. Then pick the open string again and hammer with the middle finger, etc.,
Don't be afraid to exaggerate the hammers at the early stage. You want to hear them cleanly and clearly. Another obstacle many beginners (especially self taught) have to overcome is that they don't have good finger positioning and don't use the very tips of their fingers to fret. Hitting hard and square on the fingertips make for good hammers. The other temptation is to get good with the index and middle fingers and slack off with the ring and pinky. But you'll end up doing mcuh of your hammering with the ring finger and pinky.
If there's any trick to pull off, it's getting your fingers used to pulling off. Many start just by lifting their fingers strraight off the fretboard, not realizing that the sound is actually produced by the finger tugging the string slightly downward as you pull off. You can use the same "one finger / one fret" exercise, only in reverse (starting with a finger on the fretboard) to get started. Before long, you should be able to do this exercise in combination of hammer and pull off - striking the open string and then hammering and pulling off with each successive finger.
Again, I can't stress enough that exaggerating the whole procedure at the beginning will help you get a good feel for it. The names of the techniques give you the directions you need. Initially your hammering will be wildly inconsistent from finger to finger, but you'll start developing muscle memory and your fingers will apply the pressure necessary to get a clean tone. You'll then start to work on multiple hammers. Likewise with pull offs. The thing is not to start getting ahead of yourself and making yourself more frustrated. Take it step by step and you'll make progress faster than you imagine.
And this has been a bit of a quick "primer" on the topic. I'll see about taking some time to put up a more detailed description on the Guitar Noise Blog later today or tomorrow.
And again, like all things, some people develop their fingers quicker than others. But some concentrated practice usually gets everyone to the point where it just becomes second nature after a while.
I'm surprised this didn't come up in the rhythm book. In most styles of guitar hammer-ons and pull-offs are also essential rhythm techniques and really spice up one's playing. Using them only for lead work is just part of the fun! You're going to find that all styles of music use them to distraction - from metal to classical to jazz to pop - so it's important for every guitarist to add them to his or her repertoire of techniques.
Peace
yes. finger strength is key.
grab your guitar by the neck near the nut.
one hand. wrap it around the fret board.
using your ring finger select a string and begin hammering.
then try pulling right after the hammer.
then do that until you can't hold the guitar any longer.
remember. you are holding the guitar with one hand while doing this. you are using that same hand.
good exercise.
Can I add something to your question?
I'm able to do pull-off and hammer-on, but my big difficulty is to do 2 pull-off in a row (something like that: G string: 13p12p10-13p12p10-13p12p10)
Any advice for that kind of pull-off?
" First time I heard the music
I thought it was my own
I could feel it in my heartbeat
I could feel it in my bones
... Blame it on the love of Rock'n'Roll! "
hi thanks for the kind answer and suggestions
for the record: the Stetina book did include some riffs involving hammer-ons and pull-offs but it did not suggested any specific excercise to develop a good technique (like the one David Hodge suggested above). Of course seeing that it was difficult for me to play such riffs after a few times i simply avoid them and go ahead with the book (shame on me :-)!)
cheers
Matteo
when I pull off I make sure the edge of my callous grabs the string. sometimes it takes a bit of digging in. not much.
...but my big difficulty is to do 2 pull-off in a row...
Any advice for that kind of pull-off?
At the risk of sounding like a pain in the you-know-what, I'd give you the same advice. Start simple but also slowly and cleanly. If there's a key to performing "double" or "triple" pull off, it's (a) have all the fingers in place at the start and (b) make certain each finger does "pull" off and not "lift" off.
You can even use variations of the exercise I gave earlier, but use two fingers instead of one. Then try triples when you feel you're ready. Be patient with yourself and your progress and you'll be fine.
Because a major point (but far from the only one) of hammers and pull off is to get speed into one's playing, the guitarist usually doesn't take the time to get the technique down and clean. His or her focus is on the speed and that's only one part. A good pull off can be performed at almost any speed. So slow down and take it really easy. Make certain you can hear each note clean and clear before notching up your speed a bit.
Most techniques like this, you can create your own excercises in order to get better. Personally (and there are thousands of other ways), I practiced my hammers and pull offs exclusively on the acoustic guitar when I was starting out on them. It was amazing how easy they were on the electric when I switched over after being confident with them.
Peace
