Ukulele For Dummies (42 page)

Pulling-off

Pull-offs
are the opposite of hammer-ons; they're a way of transitioning from a higher note to a lower one without re-picking. You play the first pull-off in Figure 10-5 and on Track 40, Part 1, as follows:

1. Fret the A-string at the third fret with your ring finger as usual.

2. Prepare your index finger by fretting the A-string at the first fret while keeping your ring finger where it is.

3. Pluck the A-string.

4. With the note still ringing, pull the string downwards slightly with your ring finger and release it.
Keep the string fretted with your index finger.

In tab, a pull-off is shown as a tie between the notes with a ‘p' above.

Out in the wild, tabs don't always have the ‘p' or ‘h' above the hammer-ons and pull-offs. If you see an arch linking two different notes, you're to hammer-on (if the second note is higher) or pull-off (if the second note is lower). If the two notes linked are the same, the arch indicates an ordinary tie (as I discuss in Chapter 7).

When you pull-off, make sure that you go downwards rather than straight off the string, almost as if you're plucking the string as you're pulling off. This technique gives the string extra volume and so when you pull-off you hear the string ringing loudly at the first fret.

You can combine hammer-ons and pull-offs to create a phrase such as that in Figure 10-6 and on Track 40, Part 2.

Sliding between notes

A
slide
is a way of transitioning between notes by shifting a finger along the string. Slides can transition between two fretted notes in either direction along the string. A big advantage of slides is that they allow you to move up and down the fretboard seamlessly. You can use a whole range of slide techniques, as I describe in the following four sections.

Sliding up

Here's how to play an upward
slide, as shown in Figure 10-7:

1. Fret the opening note (the C-string, fifth fret in this figure) as usual and pluck it.

Most people find that they have most control over the middle finger of their fretting hand, and so start by using that.

2. Keep the pressure on the string constant and slide your middle finger up the string to the usual fretting position.
Let the movement come from your elbow (as if you're moving up or down the fretboard without the slide) and keep the shape of your hand fixed.

3. Keep the string ringing at the
target fret
(the final note you want to play), in this case the seventh.

The tab for a slide up is a slanted line between the notes pointing up.

Keep your slides swift and smooth. The sound needs to be continuous – you shouldn't be able to hear the individual notes as you are sliding. If you can hear the individual notes, the result is a particular type of slide called a
glissando
.

Sliding down

As well as sliding up to a new note, you can also slide down. Figure 10-8 shows two downward slides from the seventh fret to the fifth. The tab for a slide down is a slanted line between the notes pointing down.

You can combine slides up and down to create a line like that shown in Figure 10-9 (Track 41, Part 1).