Guitar Slurs: Pull Offs
What is a pull off?
The pull off is a common left hand guitar technique that can really make you sound fast and add interest to your playing.
A pull off is just the opposite of a hammer on. You pluck a note, then lift the playing finger off of the note to let another note ring that is being pressed by another finger on your playing hand. To get good, clear tone you should pull slightly down as you pull off to get the string to kind of snap. It's more difficult than it sounds, especially when you get into the double exercises and combination exercises.
| Pull Off 1 | Pull Off 2 |
More Pull Off Drills
Pull off tabs: exercise 1
|---------------------6p5-7p5-----------------------------------------| |-----------------6p5---------7p5---------------------------------8p5-| |-------------6p5-----------------7p5-------------------------8p5-----| |---------6p5-------------------------7p5-----------------8p5---------| |-----6p5---------------------------------7p5---------8p5-------------| |-6p5-----------------------------------------7p5-8p5-----------------| |-8p5-6p5-----------------------------------------7p5-8p5---------------| |---------6p5---------------------------------7p5---------8p5-----------| |-------------6p5-------------------------7p5-----------------8p5-------| |-----------------6p5-----------------7p5-------------------------8p5---| |---------------------6p5---------7p5---------------------------------8-| |-------------------------6p5-7p5---------------------------------------|
- Pull off from your middle to your index (m to i)... then
- Pull off from your ring to your index (a to i)... then
- Pull off from your pinky to your index (x to i)
Pull off tabs: exercise 2
|---------------------2p1---------------------3p2---------------------| |-----------------2p1---------------------3p2---------------------4p3-| |-------------2p1---------------------3p2---------------------4p3-----| |---------2p1---------------------3p2---------------------4p3---------| |-----2p1---------------------3p2---------------------4p3-------------| |-2p1---------------------3p2---------------------4p3-----------------|
- Pull off from your middle to your index (m to i)... then
- Pull off from your ring to your middle (a to m)
Pull off tabs: exercise 3
|---------------------3p1---------------------4p2---------------------| |-----------------3p1---------------------4p2---------------------4p1-| |-------------3p1---------------------4p2---------------------4p1-----| |---------3p1---------------------4p2---------------------4p1---------| |-----3p1---------------------4p2---------------------4p1-------------| |-3p1---------------------4p2---------------------4p1-----------------|
- Pull off from your ring to your index (a to i)... then
- Pull off from your pinky to your middle (x to m)... then
- Pull off from your pinky to your index (x to i)
Pull off tabs: exercise 4
|-------------------------------8p7p5--------------------------------| |-------------------------8p7p5-------8p6p5--------------------------| |-------------------8p7p5-------------------8p6p5--------------------| |-------------8p7p5-------------------------------8p6p5--------------| |-------8p7p5-------------------------------------------8p6p5--------| |-8p7p5-------------------------------------------------------8p6p5--|
- Pull off from your pinky to ring to your index (x to a to i)... then
- Pull off from your pinky to middle to your index (x to m to i)
Pull off tabs: exercise 5
|-------------------------------9p7p5--------------------------------| |-------------------------9p7p5-------9p7p5--------------------------| |-------------------9p7p5-------------------9p7p5--------------------| |-------------9p7p5-------------------------------9p7p5--------------| |-------9p7p5-------------------------------------------9p7p5--------| |-9p7p5-------------------------------------------------------9p7p5--|
- Pull off from your pinky to ring to your index (x to a to i)