This is a quick, but useful lesson on adding slurring (hammer-ons and pull-offs) into your practice routine.
The primary thing here is that we are attempting to make your slurred notes sound just like your picked notes – but you’ll never get there, and that’s okay.
Like many things in guitar-land, it’s simply the fact that we are attempting to achieve an ideal that makes the practice method work.
Download this video HERE if you want to 🙂
Got some good practice tips of your own to share? Let the people know below in the comments…
31 replies to "Picking Vs. Slurring In Practice"
A couple years ago I caught the documentary, “Electric Church; Jimi Hendrix At The Atlanta Pop Festival” (or something similar). I was amazed at what a small percentage of what he was doing involved his picking hand; as near as i could tell, well over 50% of his sounds were 100% fretting hand.
Lot of great and interesting thoughts. Not to mention Griff’s awesome explanation of things! Always makes it very understandable, clear, and true! But try to challenge yourself and figure it out on your own. You’ll be surprised! The Geetar is a creature!
Might I recommend Griff’s “Pentatonic Scales & Technique Mastery” course?
Brilliant little lesson
Many years ago I asked a teacher of mine, “do you pick every note when you are playing your gigs in the club?”. “Of course not”, he said. “I use hammer-ons and pull-offs and all combinations to make the solos much more interesting. Pick every note and you’re just some kind of dumb schmuck with no feel!” I always remember what he said, especially when listening to SOME shredders. I hasten to add NOT Paul Gilbert. Paul does not pick every note, and that could well be because he is grounded originally in The Blues and still plays the Blues really well.
Griff’s own solos with his band use slurs, slides, bends and hammers and pull-offs all the time. I think it’s what makes the guitar so expressive as opposed to what you can do on a keyboard for example. Having said that, listen to Teddy Wilson, the Swing era pianist or George Shearing. Man, those guys knew how to produce feeling on a piano .
this is such a cool lesson Griff, thank you. Something else that I have promised myself that I would do in my practice routine is practice bends. So, when practicing Box 1, bend the note under the ring finger on the third string up one step then play the same note under the first finger second string; bend the note under the pinky on the second string up one step, ditto pinky on first string. I’m hoping to “ingrain” the pitch of the bends by doing this. Slurs too. Same deal with other boxes as well. Chris G.
Great lesson again! I wish I lived near your area I would definitely would take lessons from you personally. I will put this in my practice when I play next time. Thank you
Alexander
This video just cleared up a issue I was having with my slurrs thank you
more mileage per pick. more speed is good but how do you use it in a blues . is more of a rock thing? i think that it will never be not used . at the end of a tune ,the trashing of all instruments at once . that`s where i would use that slurring .
Great little lesson Griff. Gonna make sure I incorporate this into my practice routine.
Thanks Griff, I like how you keep it simple as you bring us along in our skills. You are very valuable to all of us.
Thanks Griff
Griff, pick a little, slur a little, pick a little, slur a little, pick, pick, pick, pick a little….
Altered song from the musical, The Music Man. https://youtu.be/mvhFs2bdRpE
Song starts at the 52 second point in the video. Lol
Enjoy.
terrific example very much enjoyed. I should try to fit that in on a practice. Thanks for the memories.
Thanks Grff,,
I will practice these the way you suggest. MY timing is a mess with the pull offs.
Anything you blog tends to be a learning experience. Your courses have changed my life. No words can express my gratitude.
Good lesson. McCarty Burst is stunning!
I find it hard to do pull off’s on my acoustic breed love. Guess my finger srength is losing its loosesness.I’m 65 now and the artitis in my lfet Hand , i can only do it on light gaudge strings. like my electric guitar . who’s faster? Eddie van healen. I have seen him just fly acrrocss the strings with , slurs. Nice one, just need to parctice more.
I like this lesson and it should broaden my understanding that good strumming techniques
require more attention to details and a lot of players might not fully appreciate or have
never fully employed. This leaves me wondering about the overall quality and/or value it brings
to acoustic guitars. Knowing that a lot of value is covered by today’s technology thru very sophisticated
electronics. For obvious reasons I feel electric guitars are the main focus here and knowing your
equipment selection may play a significant role in this goal for better quality. I personally don’t have
any fancy amplifiers or sound shaping gadgets as of yet. This situation leaves me less inclined
to practice slurring techniques. Others may disagree. I do have two acoustic and two electric guitars.
Maybe this pushes me deeper into more advanced electronics …analog and digital ? Any suggestions what type of sound (gear) might be appropriate on a low dollar budget?
Thanks for another great bit of information! My slurs are really bad and you just encouraged me to practice them (correctly)!
I also noticed your thumb position (behind the neck) when you play. I believe this perfect, classical technique. So much to work on!
Wow Griff you are in another dimension. Another super lesson by a great professor.
I also use slides, slide up lo-to-hi, slide down hi-to-lo. That helps nail the correct movement to land right at the fret wire. That muscle memory is real helpful (to me at anyway, there’s no one size fits all) for accurately moving up and down the fret board. I like the PRS. I would love to see a lesson on all your love from the John Mayall Beano album with that one or an SC245.
Thanks again Griff. I have tried some if this before but was lost with how to do it right. You have presented it perfectly to practice on. Your videos are very helpful, thanks, keep it up,!
Hi Griff
Again thanks for this short but very interesting lesson. Much appeciated.
C.
Surring does not seem like a good name for Griff’s hammer on and hammer offs. They sound pretty clear and distinct to me, and if they do sound different from his picked notes I cant hear it! Another perfecctly presented lesson Griff.
Rod in Ottawa
Good stuff Griff! Very helpful.
Thanks!
Tim
great info on how to take what we know and kick it up a notch…thanks…later.
cowboy
Thank U so much, my dear teacher. I will practice this way to achieve my goals!!!
Best wishes.
Great video lesson Griff! Something else I need to work on. Thanks for spending the time to show this. GT
Cheers Griff
I start off my practice with this excercise but all five positions with a metronome plus I change the picking all down then all up
And alternate it’s good to string skip my playing as improved from it I do a lest 20 mins a day just on this sometimes loonger
Basic but excellent!
Thx Griff