The slur is used to produce two or more distinct yet smoothly connected notes from only one strike of the string. The slur can be ascending, which is commonly known as a hammer-on, or descending, which is called a pull-off. It will be indicated on the music by a curved line that connects the two notes.
Learn the hammer-on first by using an open string as the first note. Play an open G (3rd string), and then forcibly place the second finger of your left hand on the 2nd fret on the same string, producing the note “A”. Practice slowly, until you can hear each note distinctly. Don’t rush the hammer-on. You will achieve the desired sound not from the rapidity with which you hit the second note, but from sufficient force and accurate placement of the left-hand finger that “hammers.”
Once you are able to produce two sounds on the 3rd string, try starting on different strings and using different fingers to hammer-on and then try a hammer-on that starts with a fretted note. The principle is the same and you will hear the same “slur” between the notes.
Two common mistakes to watch for are not “hammering” hard enough and not placing the finger on the optimum place on the fret. Be sure to place your finger close to the fretwire, but not touching it. It is also common to rush the hammer, which results in imprecise timing. You can avoid or remedy this problem by practicing with a metronome.
Here is an exercise to help you perfect the hammer-on:
In order to execute a pull-off, strike the string you are fretting and then pull the left-hand fretting finger away from the string, allowing the lower note to sound. Merely lifting your finger will not give you an adequate sound on the second note – you will need to actually give the string a little downward yank as you come off of it.
Begin learning to execute a pull-off by pulling off from a fretted note to an open string. When you are able to consistently make the second (lower) note sound clear, try pulling off from one fretted note to another. Use fingers 1 and 3 for exercise #2 and fingers 2 and 4 for exercise #3. Remember to press on both frets before pulling the first note off! If the finger that is fretting the lower note is not in place before pulling off, the result will be something that sounds like a pull-off to an open string, quickly followed by a weak hammer-on. Here is an exercise that will help you learn the descending slur:
Finally, put the hammer-on and pull-off together to make a longer slur – three notes for the price of one!
