Advanced Guitar Techniques

This section will describe the five advanced guitar techniques: Hammer Ons, Pull offs, Palm Muting, Vibrato and Trills.   

Looking to advance your guitar playing skills, ask your guitar teacher to teach you how to play these advanced guitar techniques.  

Hammer On - Advanced Guitar Techniques:  

Ÿ  This technique is performed by slamming your finger down on the required fret.   

Ÿ  It is also described as playing a note and playing another note on a higher string without repicking.  This should be done with enough force that both notes on both frets should sound at the same time.   

Pull off - Advanced Guitar Techniques:  

Ÿ  This technique is a reverse Hammer On.  This is performed by picking your finger up off the second note while leaving your finger down and forecfully pulling back your previous finger. As you do this, make a downward strumming motion.    The trick is to do this quickly so it does not muffle string vibration.   

Palm Muting - Advanced Guitar Techniques 

Ÿ   Palm Muting is simply touching the strings with the palm of your hand while strumming or picking up the strings.  This should produce a flat thumping sound.    

Vibrato - Advanced Guitar Techniques 

Ÿ  Vibrato is performed by rapidly wiggling your finger on any note or fret.  Wiggle your finger up down and sideways. This is easy to perform and many famous guitar players, like B.B.King, have created their own trademark vibrato.  You have the creative freedom to try your own technique on this one.   

Side Note: Some tablatures mark hammer ons and pull offs with arcs linking the frets. High arcs above the numbers usually represent hammer ons, while arcs underneath numbers will generally represent pull offs.    

Trills - Advanced Guitar Techniques: 

·         Trills are combinations of hammer ons and pull pffs and can be linked several times in a row.