Beginner Guitar Lesson 22 - Hammering on Through Chords

How has your practice been going? I'm sure that you're ready for this exciting new concept we're going to learn about today: "hammer ons."

Hammer ons are commonly used in all kinds of musical genres and can really expand your vocabulary as a budding guitarist. So what the heck is a hammer on? Well just as the name suggests, it involves hitting or hammering the strings on designated frets to achieve a smooth and lucid stream of notes.

We can create beautiful textures using this technique to play the chords that we use in the Blues. First view the camtasia file that corresponds to this lesson to get an idea of what we‘re aiming at today, and then follow the instructions below.

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Let's start with the E chord. Voice the chord with your fretting hand, and just try sounding each note by lifting your finger and slamming it down in its designated position.

For example, on the E chord you'll lift your second finger and slam (hammer) it on the 2nd fret of the A string to get B. Next you'll lift your third finger and slam (hammer) it down onto the 2nd fret on the D string to get E, and finally you'll lift your 1st finger and hammer it down onto the 1st fret of the G string to get G# , then hammer on your third finger to the second fret of the D string once again.

Note that when you "hammer" your finger onto the fret board you should be making contact with the tips of your fingers to achieve clarity of tone. No flat fingers please! Keep them curved (as if you're holding an egg).

At first you will find this very hard as your fingers may not want to move independently. I remember when I first tried this, it felt so alien and unnatural! But, persevere and you'll get there. Also you may find that the notes do not sound clear and strong yet, but do not worry. That will come with time and practice. The purpose of this exercise is to get used to the technique and build independence and strength in your fretting hand

Again practicing this with the metronome on will encourage accurate timing. Start at 80 and build up to 100 as usual. Do the same for an A chord and a D chord.

Keep at it, and remember to give those fingers a break and a stretch every so often.