Technique Tip : Left Hand Slurs

Pull-offs and Hammer-ons on Guitar (Slurs)

Pull-offs and Hammer-ons, also known as slurs, are an integral part of classical guitar music. And they sound great when executed well. They can make a difficult passage easier to play, and they add expression to melodic lines. In this guide we’ll look at how to play pull-offs and hammer-ons, terminology, notation, and pitfalls to avoid.

Pull-offs

Universally known as “pull-offs” in other styles of guitar, on classical guitar we call these “descending slurs.” While the pull-off does communicate the slur action, we can get in trouble simply by pulling off our finger. In fact, a well-executed descending slur uses a downward motion with the “slurring” finger. At the same time the “slurred” finger applies countermotion, holding the string in place.

Pull off or down?

If we just “pull off” the string, we might get a very quiet second (or slurred) note. To counter that problem, we can use a downward motion with the slurring finger to activate the string. You can think of this like the slurring finger making a rest stroke pulling down and resting into the next adjacent string.

Rock n’ roll slur?

However, there’s a common problem with these kinds of pulloffs. Many beginners begin to pull down on the string and get a pitch bend, like a rock n’ roll bend. This occurs when we pull down on the string without supporting the string with the slurred finger. To prevent the rock-‘n-roll-like bend, we need to provide some counterpressure with the slurred finger. You can either push slightly upward with that finger or even think of holding the string in place, like a tack holding a string to a cork board.

Try this tip:

Let’s play a pull-off

So let’s try a descending slur, or pull-off, together. Place your second finger on the third string at the seventh fret with your first finger on the fifth fret of the same string. It’s a good idea with descending slurs to place both fingers down at the same time before you begin playing the slur. Next, play the third string with a right-hand finger, wait a moment, and then pull downward with the second finger while applying slight counter-pressure with the first finger. That’s it!

Hammer-ons

A hammer-on, known as an “ascending slur” in classical guitar music, is just the reverse of the descending slur. Here we “hammer on” from one note to another. And, again, the name “hammer-on” can be a bit deceptive for what we want to do on the guitar. There is a tendency to wind up the finger by pulling it back some distance and then unleashing onto the string. This is to avoid a weak second note. But this is not the most efficient way to do an ascending slur.

The one-inch punch

If you haven’t heard of the legend of Bruce Lee’s “one-inch punch,” it’s the idea that all of the power that is needed for a powerful punch is one inch of distance. The same is true of the guitar hammer-on. It’s not about how much you wind up the finger; it’s about how quickly and accurately you place the finger onto the fret. So to work on your ascending slurs, have your “slurring” finger hovering just over the string so that you will land close to the fretwire. You want to rapidly move the finger down to the string snug up against the fretwire. This will help you produce a clear second note.

Let’s play a hammer-on

Again, let’s try an ascending slur together. Place your first finger on the third string at the fifth fret and hover your second finger just over the sixth fret. Play the note on the fifth fret and then rapidly hammer-on with the second finger to the sixth fret. The goal should be to make the second note almost equal to the first note in volume.

Musical vs. Technical Slurs

There are different kinds of slurs in guitar music. For instance, in the passage from Fernando Sor‘s Study in D minor (Op.6, No.9) below, some of these slurs may seem impossible to play. That’s because they are indications of musical slurs and tell you how to phrase the two notes, rather than being technical slurs executed in the left hand.

A “musical” slur will have a strong-weak relationship between the notes being slurred. So we can mimic the effect in the passage above by playing strong-weak pairs of notes where slurs are indicated.

A technical slur makes a passage easier for the left hand. The downside of these slurs is they can add in accents where we may not want them so we still have to be very controlled with the way we play the slurs to make even sounding notes in these cases.

Slurs in Notation

Slurs appear in notation as curved lines above or below noteheads, like in the Sor example above. These lines should not be confused with ties, phrase marks, or sustain lines, however.