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 hammering
- Hammer-on just behind the fret
- It’s all about speed, not power
- It’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!