How to Play Hammer-ons | Guitar Lesson

This video is a guitar lesson on a simple yet essential guitar-playing technique: the
hammer-on. And, as its name suggests, the technique involves sounding a note by
hammering onto the string with a fretboard-hand finger instead of picking. So,
you pick a note and then hammer-on another one higher up on the same string
without picking again. By doing this, you get two notes for the price of one
pick — a bargain! And it sounds cool, too — a little smoother and more flowing
than picking it. The fancy, music-theory name for the resulting smoothness? As
mentioned in the accompanying video — it’s legato.

The Four Hammer-on Rules

Use your fingertip when hammeringHammer-on just behind the fretIt’s all about speed, not powerIt’s also all about timing — don’t be tempted to
rush!

The notation for a hammer-on is simple. As shown in the three
licks below, it’s merely a curved line above the two notes involved — the note
that’s picked and the note that is hammered-on after it. This curved line goes
from left to right, starting above the picked note and ending above the note
that’s hammered-on. Simple, right?!

As promised, here are the three simple A minor pentatonic hammer-on licks taught in the video. As always, start slowly — don’t be tempted to run before you can walk!

Practice this trio, and you’ll not only master this vital
technique, but you’ll build up strength and dexterity in your pinky, too. See
you in another lesson soon. Hammer away and have fun!
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