Hammer-On Guitar Technique
When you play two or more notes on the same string you can use hammer-ons to make your guitar playing sound more fluid and musical and can also play very fast passages. The hammer on technique requires you only pick the first note in the phrase with your right hand. The other notes are sounded by the left hand. The hammer on is executed easily and with great effect on electric guitars, but is equally at home on the acoustic guitar.
The Hammer On
Consider the following very simple exercise:
--5--7-----------------------------------
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To execute a hammer on, fret the A note (5th fret, 1st string) with your index finger. Pick the note (its an A) with your right hand. Then, with your 3rd finger (ring finger) on left hand forcely land directly on the 7th fret. You have played two notes with a single pick stroke. Also, the musical phrasing created by the hammer on technique is called legato, which means smooth both because there is no silence between the sounding of the two notes, and because there is no pick attack on the second note.
Repetition is the key to success in music. There are no short cuts. So try the simple hammer on lesson again. In fact, you should do it 20 times, then stop. Make sure you hear two distinct and clear pitches. Your hammer on finger must land in the correctly, not in the 6th fret, and must land strongly. Each time you do the exercise make sure you pick the first note and hammer on the second note. Most adult guitar players can reach from the 5th to 7th frets on the first string without too much difficulty, but if the span is too wide simply try the exercise higher on the fingerboard where the frets are closer together, say using the 8th and 10th frets, for example.
Now comes, guess what, variation. Take the hammer on lesson and try other possibilities. Use different fingers. Try hammering on with your 2nd finger. Typically your 2nd finger would hammer on a note only one fret higher than your index finger.
Hammering On with 2nd Finger
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Then try your pinky! Typically the pinky would hammer on a note that is 3 frets away from the index finger.
Hammering On with 4th (pinky) Finger
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Now you can try hammering on a different string. Also, over time, try hammering on frets closer to the nut where they are further apart. This will help you increase your finger stretch. Then finally comes the possibility of hammering on more than one note! In the next exercise, pick only the first note, which is fretted by your index finger. Then, hammer on with your 3rd finger on the 7th fret, then your 4th finger in the 8th fret.
Hammering On Multiple Notes
--5--7--8--------------------------------
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Now what if you did the same thing in reverse? Then you would be executing a pull off.
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