Basic Legato Technique

So next, I'd like to discuss with you a little bit of basic legato technique.

What is Legato?

Legato technique is simply hammer-ons and pull-offs. These are the two main types of legato technique we have on guitar.

Demonstration of G Major Scale

I'm going to play for you now a G major scale descending down.

1. All Picked: First, I'm going to pick it all.
2. Legato: Then, I'm going to play it legato so you can hear the difference.

The meaning of legato is smooth. Hopefully, it will come across that when I pick it, although it sounds kind of clean, it doesn't necessarily sound smooth. When I play it legato, you'll agree that it sounds smoother with hammer-ons and pull-offs than it does when I play it all picked.

G Major Scale - Legato Example

Here's the G major scale played legato:

• As I cross the strings, I'm picking the first new note on each new string.
• Other than that, all the power from the notes is generated from my left hand.

That was me descending the G major scale using pull-offs.

• Pull-offs are when you're moving down a legato phrase.
• Hammer-ons are when you're moving up.

Hammer-On Demonstration

Let me just demonstrate hammer-ons real quick, and then we'll do some finer examples.

Here's the G major scale performed ascending using hammer-ons:

• Again, it sounds nice and smooth on the way up.

Practicing Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

There are a few ways of practicing the hammer-ons and the pull-offs.

Isolated Practice

Let's pick a string. We'll use the D string.

1. Pick the Open D Note:

   • With any finger on your left hand (I'll use my second finger), I'm going to hammer on to the second fret.

   When I say "hammer on," it means I'm physically hammering onto the fretboard with my left hand.

• My right hand (picking hand) isn't going to touch the string after I've played that first note.

• Slow Example:

  • I'm going to pick, then hammer on.
  • You can see that my right hand is well out of the way.

If I'm not putting enough energy into the string, I'll get a really quiet hammer-on. That's not what we want; we want the hammer-on to sound the same volume as the picked note, if possible.

Practicing Pull-Offs

Now, let's reverse that and practice pull-offs.

1. Pick the Second Fret:

   • First, I'm going to pick the second fret.
   • Then, I won't do anything with my right hand.
   • I'll pull off to the open D string without picking it.

   When pulling off, treat the string like an elastic band. Flick back on itself and come off the side of the string for a nice powerful pull-off.

Combining Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

If we put them together, we can get a hammer-on and a pull-off:

1. Pick the Open D String:

   • Hammer on and then pull off.

   We get this. If we add lots of those together, we'll achieve a trill if we do it fast enough.

Trill Example

Here's a trill with the first finger.

• This is something you can practice on any open string and any fretted note.
• You could also do it on two fretted notes if you wanted to.

For example, let's say the second fret on the G string, hammering on and pulling off from the fourth fret on the B string gives us this:

• It requires a little more strength from your left hand because you have to constantly keep the back end note fretted.

The first finger stays nice and solid, while the third finger generates the energy for the hammer-on and the elastic pull-off from the side of the string.

Application to Scales and Melodies

As soon as you're comfortable with it on one string, you can start applying it to scales or melodies you may have learned.

Applying to the G Major Scale

Let's go back to our good old G major scale:

• Start at the bottom and pick the first note on each new string.

Steps:

1. Pick
2. Pick
3. Hammer-on
4. Hammer-on
5. Pick
6. Hammer-on
7. Hammer-on
8. Pick

When you go back down, you'll do the opposite:

• Pick the first note on each string and pull off in the opposite direction.

You achieve that really smooth sound.

In contrast, all picks sound much less smooth.

This technique is something you can apply to your everyday playing. Once you've got a reasonable grounding in it, it's a cool addition to songs that you may have learned.