How to Play Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs
Hammer-ons and pull-offs sound a note using only the fretting hand, with no pick strike. They're the foundation of legato playing: notes connect smoothly instead of each one getting its own separate pluck, something a plain one-note-one-strike technique can't physically do.
Hammer-on: a sharp strike onto the fret
A hammer-on is a sharp, fast strike of the fingertip onto the string, already sounding from an earlier pick strike (on this note or a neighboring one) - the finger literally 'hits' the fret rather than just pressing down. It's the sharpness of the strike, not the pressing force, that gives enough volume without a new pick stroke.
Pull-off: not lifting off, but a small pluck
A pull-off is the reverse move: the finger already holding the higher note comes off the string not straight up, but with a slight sideways tug, like a tiny pick pluck. Just lifting the finger straight off produces almost no sound - it's that tugging motion that sets the string vibrating and makes the lower note audible.
The anchor finger stays put
A pull-off needs a lower note to 'land' on - the finger for that lower note needs to already be fretted before the upper finger releases, not placed afterward. Prepare the lower finger ahead of time and the transition sounds continuous; place it after and the sound gets a noticeable dip in it.
Drilling on the pentatonic scale
Take two neighboring notes of one pentatonic shape (see the article on getting started improvising) on the same string and play the transition first as a hammer-on going up, then as a pull-off going down - slowly, listening for whether the unpicked note sounds as loud as one played with the pick.
Why this actually matters
Legato lets you play more notes than the picking hand's raw speed alone allows - which is exactly why fast passages are often half hammer-ons and pull-offs, not all pick strikes. Beyond speed, it gives a smoother, more flowing feel to a phrase that's physically out of reach with pick-only playing.
Try it in practice
Open exercises