Left Hand Techniques
Use first finger as a bar across strings
Apart from scale positions, almost everything you have learned up to this point has been mostly focused on the right hand. However, there are several important left hand techniques which can make your playing sound more interesting and expressive, as well as enabling you to play things which are not possible without these techniques.
The first of these involves flattening the first finger across several strings and pressing down behind a fret as shown in the following photo. This is called making a bar with the finger (similar to a guitarist playing bar chords). When playing the following example, keep the first finger bar down to play all notes at the 5th fret.
The Hammer-on (H)
A "hammer-on" refers to the technique of sounding a note without actually playing the string with the right hand. The sound is produced by striking the string with one of the left hand fingers. In the following example, only the D note is slapped, and the third finger "hammers-on" firmly to produce the sound of the E note, as shown in the following photos.
The hammer-on is indicated on the music staff by a curved line joining two different notes. In tablature notation the hammer-on is indicated by a curved and the letter "H" above it. Remember that the second note (E), is not played by the right hand; the sound is produced entirely by the third finger "hammering-on" to the string.
You must be very careful with the timing of the hammer-on. Both the D and E notes are eighth notes and each should have an equal time value when played (regardless of the hammer-on technique).
Play D note (slap)
Hammer-on to sound E note
Here is an exercise to help you develop the use of hammer-ons. It is shown here on the 4th and 3rd strings, but should continue on the 2nd and 1st strings. It should be practiced many times in succession both ascending and descending.
Here is a riff which makes frequent use of hammer-ons.
This one uses both hammer-ons and a first finger bar.
The Pull-off (P)
The pull-off is like a reverse hammer-on, i.e., the first note is played with the right hand and the second note sound is created by the finger pulling off the string. In the following example the E note is played by the right hand and the D note sound is created by the third finger pulling off the string. The pull-off is indicated by the letter P and a curved line.
Play E note (slap)
Pull-off to sound D note
Here is a riff which makes use of pull-offs. As with earlier examples, be sure to damp out any extra unwanted sounds.
The Slide (S)
The slide is a technique which involves a finger moving along the string to its new note. The finger maintains pressure on the string, so that a continuous sound is produced until the desired note is reached. The left hand moves from one note to the next, upwards or downwards on the fretboard. The slide is indicated by a line joining two notes.
Only the first note is played by the pick or the right hand fingers, the second one is entirely produced by the left hand finger sliding up or down the fretboard. The length of the slide can be one fret or as many frets as you wish. Practice sliding your finger up and down the fretboard. Play only the first note.
The slide is indicated on the music staff by a line leading up to the note you are sliding to. In tablature notation the slide is indicated by a line with the letter S above it.
Grace Notes
To create a different feel with a hammer-on, it can be played faster. Compare the following:
The quick hammer-on uses what is called a grace note. In traditional music notation the grace note is a smaller size with a line through the stem. The grace note is played just before the beat of the hammered-on note. Quick slides can also be described as grace notes. The following example demonstrates grace notes played as quick hammer-ons and also one played as a quick slide.
The Trill (Tr)
The trill is a rapid succession of hammer-ons and pull-offs where only the first note is played by the right hand. A trill is indicated by the letters tr written above or below the notes.
To finish this lesson, here are some bass lines which make use of all the techniques you have just learned. Experiment with these techniques and create some of your own lines.
