Legato Playing Techniques

Okay, then let's take a look at another technique, or perhaps I should say a series of techniques. We are going to focus on legato playing now.

What is Legato?

If you ever hear the term legato, it refers to a smooth way of playing. For guitar players, this means that instead of picking all the notes of a phrase, we will use hammer-ons and pull-offs to achieve a smooth sound.

Exercise Overview

The exercise I'm going to show you is just on one string. This is a great exercise not only for building good legato technique but also for building strength and independence in your left hand.

This is actually a Paul Gilbert lick. He is more known for his alternate picking techniques than his legato, although he is phenomenal at both. This is a lick I know he uses a lot, so we have him to thank for this.

Starting Position

• Location: We can play this anywhere on the guitar, but let's choose A minor.
• String: We will start on the E string, with the little finger on the eighth fret.
• Picking: The only time we will pick a note is to start this lick off once we've played the C note.

The right hand doesn't do anything other than ensure the other strings stay nice and quiet while we execute our legato technique with the left hand.

The Lick

1. Pick the C note.
2. Pull off to the first finger on A (fifth fret).
3. Hammer on to B (seventh fret).
4. Go back up to the original note.
5. Pull off down those three notes.

The whole phrase is there. If you watch my right hand, it starts the phrase off and does not do anything else at all.

Legato Technique

Using my legato technique, here's what to keep in mind:

• Focus on the accuracy of the hammer-on and the elastic band effects of the pull-off.
• For example, between my little finger and my third finger, I will pull off down the side to release the fretted note (which is the B note) where my third finger resides.

This is a fantastic lick that you can build up speed with quite quickly.

Practicing the Lick

What you'll find if you loop this around is that you will really start to feel this area work, especially between your little finger and your third finger. It can be quite demanding on those two fingers.

Tip: Initially, if you are new to legato playing, you might find yourself putting a lot of energy into the strings. Concentrate on relaxing your left hand as you speed up, and the speed will come.

Let's gradually start off with that lick and increase the speed as we go.

Helpful Hints

• It is important to keep the lower strings nice and quiet with the palm of your right hand.
• Set up with quite a lot of gain to get the sound you want.

Speed Building

As you practice, you will be able to create impressive speed by only picking the very first note. All the other notes in the phrase come from the legato technique in your left hand.

Variations

You can change the order of the notes around, potentially working your second finger a bit more. For example, replace with a B flat or alternate between different notes.

This lick is a great one to practice and can easily be incorporated into your phrases. Although it seems flashy, it isn't that challenging once you develop the fundamental hammer-on and pull-off technique.

Next Steps

The next step is to incorporate odd picked notes so you can cross through strings. Practice scales you already know, but play them in a legato style.

Example:

1. Pick the notes on the string cross.
2. Pick, hammer-on.
3. Pick, hammer-on.
4. Hammer-on, pick.
5. Hammer-on, pick.

This creates a completely different tone. You can practice the same on the way back down, and these little variations will help you develop your techniques further.

Conclusion

Legato is one of the most essential techniques on guitar, often symbolized by the little bracket between two notes in the tab. If the numbers are ascending, you're doing a hammer-on. If the numbers are descending, you're doing a pull-off.

Have a go at that practice lick; it's a great one to work on. Let's have a look at the next technique!