Advanced Guitar Techniques: How to Do Bends, Hammer-Ons, and Pull-Offs

Once you’re comfortable with basic guitar chords and guitar scales, you’re ready to add some flair to your playing. Advanced techniques like bends, hammer-ons, and pull-offs are essential for creating dynamic, expressive solos and riffs. They add a human touch to your playing that a simple strum cannot replicate.

This guide will explain what each of these techniques is and give you simple instructions on how to do them.

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1. Bends

A bend is when you push or pull a string to raise the pitch of a note. Bends are a hallmark of blues and rock solos and can make your guitar “sing.”

• How to Do It:
  1. Place your finger on a fret and play a note.
  2. Using the strength of your finger and wrist, push the string upwards (or pull it downwards on the low E, A, and D strings) while the note is still ringing out.
  3. Practice bending the note to a half-step (one fret higher) or a whole-step (two frets higher). You can use a tuner or your ear to make sure you’re hitting the correct pitch.

Tip for Beginners: Use two or three fingers behind the one on the fretboard to give you more strength and control.

2. Hammer-Ons

A hammer-on is a technique where you sound a note by “hammering” a finger down onto a fret without picking or strumming the string.

• How to Do It:
  1. Play a note on a string by picking it with your right hand.
  2. While the note is still ringing, quickly and firmly hammer down another finger on a higher fret on the same string.
  3. The second note will sound without a second pick.

Example: Pick the 5th fret on the G string with your index finger. Then, without picking again, quickly and firmly hammer your ring finger down onto the 7th fret of the same string.

3. Pull-Offs

A pull-off is the opposite of a hammer-on. You sound a second, lower note by “pulling off” your finger from a higher fret.

• How to Do It:
  1. Place two fingers on the same string, one behind the other (e.g., index finger on the 5th fret, ring finger on the 7th).
  2. Pick the higher note (the one on the 7th fret).
  3. Without picking again, quickly and firmly pull your ring finger off the string. Your index finger will be left on the 5th fret, and its note will sound.

Tip for Beginners: The “pull-off” motion should be more of a downward flicking motion with your finger than just lifting it. This will help the second note ring out clearly.

Mastering these techniques will add an expressive, professional touch to your playing and make your solos sound much more fluid and dynamic.