List Of Guitar Techniques

On the guitar, the left hand is used to either sustain or mute the strings. The right hand is used to either attack the strings (cause them to vibrate), or to mute the strings.

Sustain Techniques for the Left Hand

hammer (on) - to sound a note by tapping the string firmly with a finger of the left hand -- implies going to a higher note

pull (off) - to sound a note by plucking the string as you pull your finger away from the string -- implies going to a lower note

string bend (up) - raise from a lower note to a higher note -- variables involve the 'shape' of the note as it rises in pitch

string release (down) - release from a higher note to a lower note -- variables involve the shape of the note as it lowers in pitch -- for some reason, notes tend to sound flat after a release -- try lowering to a pitch slightly sharp to the 'target' pitch

vibrato - rhythmic oscillation in pitch -- variables are rate (slow or fast) and width (narrow or wide)

slide up - (glissando) from lower note to higher note --variables involve the 'shape' of the note as it rises in pitch -- similar to the sound of a bend, but a 'slide' can cover a larger distance than a bend

slide down - (glissando) from higher note to lower note -- variables involve the 'shape' of the note as it lowers in pitch

Muting Techniques for the Left Hand

1 -- lifting your finger(s) off the frets

2 -- touching string(s) lightly; not pressing hard enough to make the string touch the frets

Attack Techniques for Right Hand

pick stroke down – use a flat pick (or thumb) to pick downward from the ‘top’ of the string

pick stroke up - use a flat pick (or finger) to pick upward from the ‘bottom’ of the string

alternate pick - alternate up and down pick strokes

rest stroke – the pick (or finger) rests on the string before the attack – this means that the pick doesn't change direction for the attack

free stroke – the pick (or finger) does not rest on the string before the attack – opposite of a rest stroke – the pick may change direction for the attack

sweep picking - an advanced technique for playing fast, single-line parts that produces a smoother sound than alternate picking -- a technique that uses rest strokes wherever possible to cut the number of times the pick changes direction

tapping notes – using fingers of the right hand (or the pick) to play hammers and pulls; either in front of the left hand, or behind the left – usually alternating with hammers and pulls in the left hand

Muting Techniques for Right Hand

The first three techniques are mostly for single lines

1 -- with the thumb - moving to a higher string

2 -- with the 'free' fingers - moving to lower string

3 -- with the pick - playing a note on the same string

4 -- with the side of the hand – this last technique is used in for muting both single lines and chords

© 2001 Greg Varhaug