Slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs are common left hand techniques that create “slurred notes” -- the pitch of the note on a string changes by the action of the left hand instead of striking the string with your right hand. Below are some examples. Each example is designed as a short exercise that can be played over and over again. Each of the midi files repeats the 2-measure exercise eight times.

Slides

A Slide raises or lowers the pitch of an original note. In the example below, use your left hand middle finger to slide from the 2nd to the 3rd fret on the 3rd string. The first note (3rd string 2nd fret) will be played with your thumb, but the second note (3rd string 3rd fret) will be result of sliding your middle finger to the 3rd fret. Be sure to hold enough pressure on the string with your left hand so that both notes can be heard.

Hammer-Ons

A hammer-on always raises the pitch of the note that is being played. As with all slurred notes, only the first note in the pair is actually played with the right hand. Notes are usually played by fretting at a certain position and then playing a string, but with the hammer-on the procedure is reversed. First you play the open string, then you hammer down on a fret to produce a second tone. You can also begin with a fretted string, and then hammer down on a higher fret of the same string with your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th finger.

In the exercise that follows, hold your index finger down on the 2nd string 2nd fret, then use the middle finger of your left hand to hammer down on the 2nd string 3rd fret.

Pull-Offs

A pull-off always lowers the pitch of the note that is played, so it is basically the opposite of a hammer-on. To produce the pull-off you must play a fretted string, then forcefully pull your left hand finger down off the string in such a way as to produce a second note. Most people find this technique a little more difficult than the previous two, so it might take some extra practice to get used to it.