Lead guitarists use a number of techniques to play licks and riffs. Hammer-on’s, triplets, string bends, vibrato, and today’s topic, pull-off’s.
A pull-off involves starting on one note, playing that note, and simultaneously “pulling off” of that note to a lower note. In a standard pull off, you make 2 notes, but only pick once. By nature they can only occur on the same string, and will always start on a higher note and resolve to a lower one.
Let’s look at doing a classic bluesy pull-off made famous by the old blues cats like B.B. King. We’ll do this one in the B minor pentatonic blues scale.
E--------------------10P------7------------B---------------------------------------------
G---------------------------------------------
D---------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------
Simple? – Yes. You’ve heard it a million times before. But the genius lies in the “simplicity” of the lick.
Start the lick with the 4th finger on the 10th fret of the 1st string. Pick that note, then pull off of that note to resolve (with the 1st finger) on the note on the 7th fret of the 1st string (B). Remember, pick only the first note, but play two notes. Add some well controlled vibrato to the second note for some emotional “feel”.
Play this lick slowly over a B minor7th chord and hear “The Thrill is Gone” singing through!
The key with this lick is the “emotion” you put into it. The beauty of the old blues players is that they can “say” more with one or two notes, than many “speed” obsessed players say with a million.
Many of today’s post-VanHalen generation of guitarists have a fixation on speed. On rapid fire, machine gun blasts of notes that are impressive from a mechanical standpoint, but really “say” very little from a musical one.
Use this lick to work on putting the “feel” back into your leads. Again, the important thing is the emotion. Truly “saying” something with your guitar.
Take these two notes and squeeze every drop of emotion out of them, connect with the song, and the “feel” of the music, and you’ll feel like you’ve taken a trip down the Mississippi Delta, or landed on Beale Street.
Keep on Picking!
For Free Video Guitar Lessons designed for Active Adults go to https://www.adultguitarlessons.com/amember/free_lessons_ez800.php
Keith Dean is founder of AdultGuitarLessons.com and a 30 veteran of stage and studio. He toured extensively as a road musician throughout the US and Europe, was a former lead guitarist for Jason Aldean, and has shared stages with Little Big Town, Wild Rose, Winger, Confederate Railroad and more. He is a published songwriter, owned and operated a successful music store, and has instructed numerous students in guitar.
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