How To

How to Read Guitar Tab Hammer Ons

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By eHow Contributing Writer
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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. Step 1

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

  2. Step 2

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

  3. Step 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. Step 4

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

  5. Step 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. Step 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.

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