27. Guitar Techniques

Percussion

• The guitar can be used as a percussive instrument.
• Instead of plucking the strings, tap the body of the guitar to create a drum-like sound.
• Use your thumb to smack the low E string for a snare drum effect.

Hammer-On

• Press a note firmly with your finger without strumming, and it will ring out.
• Allows you to play notes quicker, making it useful for solos.
• You can hammer on multiple notes, but typically one or two at a time.

Hammer-Off

• Pull off the string slightly when releasing your finger to produce a sound.
• Allows for additional notes without additional picking.
• Can be used in combination with hammer-ons on the same string.

Bending

• Use three fingers to bend a string upwards.
• The further up that you bend a string, you start to play higher pitch notes.
• You can bend the string up one note, two notes or three notes.

Sliding

• Slide between notes using any finger for smooth transitions.
• There are different ways that you can slide; for example:
  • Immediate Slide (One Note) – Pluck a note and immediately slide to another note without pausing.
  • Delayed Slide (Two Notes) – Pluck a note, hold it for a beat, then slide to the next note on the next beat.

Vibrato