You learned the hammer-on — one pick, two notes, the finger arriving like a meteor. The pull-off is its mirror: the note sounds when the finger DEPARTS. Together they're a round trip. Master both and your fretting hand becomes a second picking hand. That's the legato universe, and this is the return ticket.
A pull-off sounds a LOWER note as a finger leaves the string. Fret the 7th fret with your ring finger AND the 5th with your index at the same time. Pick the note, then flick the ring finger off, slightly downward, toward the floor, and the 5th-fret note sings out. Tab writes it 7p5. The flick is the whole move: lifting straight up gives you silence; a tiny sideways pluck as you leave gives you a note.
◆ KEY IDEA
Pre-plant the landing finger
The first pull-off (5 minutes):
- 1G string: index planted at fret 5, ring at fret 7. Both pressing.
- 2Pick the string. You hear the 7th-fret note.
- 3Flick the ring finger off with a tiny downward pluck. The 5th-fret note should ring.
- 4Silent? You lifted straight up. Thud? The index wasn't planted. Adjust, repeat.
- 5Then loop the round trip: pick, pull off, hammer back on — 7p5h7. One pick, three notes. Legato.
▲ WATCH OUT
The volume dip is normal at first
Arrive like a meteor, depart like a pickpocket — hammer down, flick away. Drill the 7p5h7 loop till it purrs and you've got a tiny engine your picking hand never has to fuel. The fretboard's starting to feel like a playground, isn't it?
Your turn ⭐
The return ticket
Question 1 of 3
What motion actually sounds the note in a pull-off?
The cheat sheet
- A pull-off plucks on departure — flick slightly downward, never straight up.
- Pre-plant the destination finger before the upper finger leaves.
- Drill 7p5, then the round trip 7p5h7 — one pick, three notes.
- Small, quick flicks beat big yanks (which drag the note out of tune).
Common questions
Which is harder — hammer-ons or pull-offs?
Most players find pull-offs trickier at first: the flick direction is less intuitive than the hammer's landing, and the two-fingers-down setup is easy to forget. Learn hammers first; pulls borrow their strength.
Can I pull off to an open string?
Yes. That's the easiest version (no landing finger needed). Fret 3 on the high E, pick, flick off to the open string. A great first drill before the two-finger version.
My pull-offs bend the note sharp before it sounds. Why?
The flick is too big. You're dragging the string sideways before release. Shrink the motion: think 'let go with a whisper of sideways,' not 'pluck it like a bass string.'