How to Read Guitar Tab Hammer Ons

Rhythm and some other elements are hard to read in tabs. Readers can see just what a guitar player is doing in a song because the musical "staff" is the six strings of your guitar and each note is marked by its fret position. The "hammer-on" technique is when the guitar player plucks the string while holding a fret, then uses another finger to "hammer" another fret and holds that higher fret, so that the note starts on one tone, then moves up to another.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Find the symbol for hammer-on. The "h" (lowercase) identifies a hammer-on technique in most tabs.

2. Find the string where the "h" occurs. This is the string you'll be using.

3. Check the fret number before the "h." This is the fret you'll be starting on. Put your index finger on this fret and press firmly.

4. Pluck or pick the string firmly and let the note sustain.

5. Check the fret number directly after the "h" (example: 7h9). This is the fret you'll be hitting (on the same string) with your other finger. You'll usually want to use your ring finger to do the hammer-on. That's what feels best for lots of guitar players. Technically, if it's only a half step, you could use your middle finger, but that can be awkward. Most hammer-ons are either a half step (7h8, 8h9), a whole step, (7h9, 9h11) or a half and a whole (9h12, 12h15). Beyond this, it gets hard to stretch your fingers out for a hammer-on note.

6. Hit the higher fret with your ring finger, quickly. You'll hear the tone of the note "skip" up from the first note to the second.