Slurred Notes
Slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs are common left hand techniques that create slurred notes -- the pitch of the string changes by the action
of the left hand instead of striking the string with your right hand.
Slide -- A slide raises or lowers the pitch of an original note that is played, depending on which direction your sliding finger is moving. In this
example use your middle finger to slide from the 2nd fret to the 4th fret on the 3rd string. The first note is played with your right hand, but the
second note results from sliding to the 4th fret with your left hand.
Hammer-On -- The 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. Ordinarily notes are played by fretting a note with your left hand then playing the note with your right
hand, 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 play a fretted string, and then hammer down on a higher fret of the same string with your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th finger. In the example on the left you
play the 3rd string open then hammer down on the 3rd string 2nd fret.
Pull-Off -- The 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 finger down off
the string. This causes a second note to be played. In the example on the left you should hold down the 3rd string 2nd fret and play the note,
then pluck that same note with your left hand, thus producing the sound of the 3rd string open.
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