Hammer-ons
Let’s dig deep into the hammer-on technique! This is one of the most important techniques you must learn. I use hammer-ons a lot, and it’s one of the major reasons for my speed and control. Pull-offs is of course another one – it’s basically the opposite of hammer-ons.
The benefits with hammer-ons and pull-offs:
- Control – less issues with synchronization between your two hands
- Speed – it’s easier to play fast lines
- You get stronger fingers
- Smoothness – pleasing sound and less choppy compared to picked notes
Drawbacks:
- You need some gain or compression/sustain to get enough “oomph” for the note to ring with enough energy
- It’s hard at first to control exactly where the finger lands
- It can be tiring for the fretting hand
However, I believe the benefits by far outweighs the drawbacks.
Let’s focus on hammer-ons and go through some useful exercises:
Hammer-ons Course