Learn Guitar Technique

So far in our previous guitar lessons online, you have worked on proper right hand alternating picking style, and proper left hand placement so you learn to play guitar optimized for speed and endurance. In this next series of beginner guitar lessons we’ll look at left hand articulation, commonly referred to as slurs.

Guitar Technique: Hammer on

Up to this point, all of our free guitar lessons focus on the left hand fingering note, and the right hand provides the articulation: actually sounding the notes. The next series of these guitar lessons will use the left hand to provide the articulation.

We’ll start with striking a note, and then fingering another note on the same string without picking it.This second note is called a hammer on, as the quick application of the finger causes the note to sound: It is hammered on.

With these guitar lessons for beginners, and when learning how to play electric guitar with these techniques, the slurs are played in time. So, with the exercises, we’ll play eighth notes, and the hammer on will occur on the “and” or “upbeat” of each beat.

But let’s first, let’s just try a hammer on.

Starting with an A:

First finger, first string, fifth fret (down stroke)

Then:

Fourth finger, first string, eighth fret (hammer on)

The hammer on should sound nearly identical to the picked note. Now, let’s try an entire measure of a alternating between a picked note and a note hammer on.

Again, starting with an A:

First finger, first string, fifth fret (down stroke)
Fourth finger, first string, eighth fret (hammer on)

And repeating that pattern four beats to a bar practicing so every note sounds as a regular eighth note pulse.

The space between each note, regardless off whether picked or hammer on, should sound equal, as well as the volume of the note.

Learn Guitar: Hammer on all six strings 1

Next, we’ll take the hammer on technique from the previous electric guitar lessons and apply it to all six string of the guitar.

A: First finger, first string, fifth fret (down stroke)
C: Fourth finger, first string, eighth fret (hammer on)

E: First finger, second string, fifth fret (down stroke)
G: Fourth finger, second string, eighth fret (hammer on)

And so on, working down through all six strings.

Learn Guitar: Hammer on all six strings 2

This next exercise will play all six strings descending and ascending.

Of course, you can use the hammer on technique as taught in these guitar lessons with any finger, but your fourth finger is inherently weaker than your other fingers. So in these guitar lessons, we choose to help strengthen your little finger while learn guitar technique.