Hammer-ons and pull-offs are also known as slurs. They help to create a smoother sound between notes. It is the equivalent to a saxophone player playing a group of notes with one breath, and not tonguing each note. Or a violin player playing some notes with one bow stroke. That is the way that those instruments slur and get a smoother sound. Below you will learn how to apply slurs to the bass.

Hammer-ons

A hammer-on will involve 2 different notes. A note is plucked, then a second note is sounded by slamming or "hammering" another finger onto the same string at a higher fret.

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Notation used for hammer-ons

Internet tablature

In Internet tablature hammer-ons are represented by an "h" placed between the 2 different notes. Another way that you may see a hammer-on represented in Internet tablature, is this symbol between 2 different notes ^. This is similar to the graphic arc used in published tablature (see below). If the second of the 2 notes is higher, the ^ represents a hammer-on. Sometimes the addition of an h above the ^ symbol helps clarify things.

G:-----------or-------or----------
D:--------------------------h-----
A:-----5h7-------5^7-------5^7----
E:--------------------------------

Published tablature

In published tablature that you will find in books and magazines, you will see a curved line or arc over the 2 or more notes involved.

Sometimes there is the addition of an "H" above the arc.

Standard notation

Standard notation uses the arc, but usually not the addition of the "H" above.

Page 2, Pull-offs