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Pull-off problem


Tubefox

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Posted

So, when I'm doing legato, I've always moved my finger down a bit rather than raising it straight up, as this seems to make things ring more. Unfortunately, I've noticed lately that on lower strings, this can cause me to bend the note slightly. How can I fix this?

 

I mean, I think I'm doing the right thing. The notes sound really wimpy if I just lift my finger directly off the note, rather than moving it downwards as I normally do.

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Sounds like it could be the problem is your wrist. Maybe even your thumb ! Seriously my students used to always tense up and hold their elbow ,wrist and thumbs in the same positions NO MATTER WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO PLAY! Sometimes idiots playing "air guitar" have better elbow and wrist technique than actual guitar players! Move them around so you are "loosely tight".

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Posted

So, when I'm doing legato, I've always moved my finger down a bit rather than raising it straight up, as this seems to make things ring more. Unfortunately, I've noticed lately that on lower strings, this can cause me to bend the note slightly. How can I fix this?


I mean, I think I'm doing the right thing. The notes sound really wimpy if I just lift my finger directly off the note, rather than moving it downwards as I normally do.

 

Yes I think you do need to "pull" in pull-offs :) It's what gives the notes enough volume to match with the picked ones.

 

I suppose a minimal bending is inevitable, but if you think it's noticeable and you want to remove it, the first thing on my mind would be to try and pull-off softer and then tinker with your amp or pedals settings (compression and distorsion) to compensate the volume difference. Or alternatively, to play softer also the picked notes, but that means a huge change IMHO.

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Shouldn't be any different than plucking with the other hand. (?)
Turn down the drive and the treble up and practice tapping exercises. Go for even attacks.

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I am not sure if I understand your question, but I can give some pull-off tips:

 

Keep your wrist STRAIGHT, unless you pulling off notes on the 6 or 5th strings ( kinda hard not to bend the wrist). If you can seem to get the wrist straight, then get your head outside the box, change guitar strap length, posture, elbow postition etc...........

 

THe proper pull-off comes with intended or actual string vibrato before the actual pull-off. This means your digging into the neck, the ring finger tip pretty much depression the string across the whole tip of the finger, not the corner of the finger tip. Now the execution is literally a downward flicking motion: digging with every new note played, then flicking downward to release of the note.

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Posted

. Unfortunately, I've noticed lately that on lower strings, this can cause me to bend the note slightly. How can I fix this?



 

 

You are correct to pull downwards.

 

Awareness that you are slightly bending notes is the first part of the cure.

 

Practice is the second.

 

Think about putting a little bit of tension in your finger slightly before the pull off, but not moving your finger at all (thus not bending the string). Then release the tension to snap your finger downward off the string instantly.

 

Also, experiment with doing pull offs without having your finger leave the fretboard at all. Pull downward into the fretboard and rest your finger on the next adjacent string when the pulloff is completed.

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Posted

 


Keep your wrist STRAIGHT, unless you pulling off notes on the 6 or 5th strings ( kinda hard not to bend the wrist). If you can seem to get the wrist straight, then get your head outside the box, change guitar strap length, posture, elbow postition etc...........

 

 

Yeah, the 6th and 5th strings are the ones I seem to have this problem on. I practiced doing it scrupulously accurately yesterday, it got better. I think there's still a very slight bend, but it's kind of unavoidable, since my strings are so huge that even a slight bend is noticeable.

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Posted

Well a little distortion of the note ( micro bend) is normal. In fact, the elasticity the strings, those micro bends is yet another reason why keyboards will NEVER reproduce the guitar. 5th and 6th, try momentarily dropping your elbow and should (only if necessary) and bring your thumb behind your index finger (but off the left toward the headstock by 1/2 an inch or so. Also bring your thumb down to the bottom portion of the back of the neck to help to keep you wrist straight.

Last nitpicky thing, hammer ons and pull offs (esp in succession) you might want to keep you hand slightly cocked backward (very slighty, your wrist will still be straight not flexed) and with hammer ons and pull offs 1st to 7th fret, try to keeping your forearm/wrist and hand angled in such a way so that thumb-side of your hand (wrist, forearm) would be pointing 10 o'clock position (assuming your the clock). The hammer on will then have a quick snap to the wrist, deliberation (string into fretboard) ready for vibrato or not. Pull -off then executed as stated above. Good luck.

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