How To Hammer-On With A Cigar Box Guitar

The hammer-on is a technique of playing two notes of different pitches on the same string by playing the first note and then quickly placing a fretting finger onto the string to make the 2nd note sound without plucking the string again. It is shown in guitar tab or music with a slur sign or a v shape, sometimes with the letter h:

Can I Play A Hammer-On From An Open String?

Yes. To play a hammer-on from an open string to a fretted note:

Play the open string with a finger or a pick
Quickly place your fretting finger down on the string just behind the fret wire
Use a positive action- this is where the name hammer-on comes from- as you push down on the string
The 2nd fretted note sounds without the string being plucked a 2nd time.

Playing A Hammer-On From One Fretted Note To Another

This technique is slightly trickier than playing a hammer-on onto an open string. This is because not only do you need to think about 2 fretting positions on the same string but you are also likely to be using a slightly weaker finger to perform the hammer-on. Nevertheless you can build strength in weaker fingers with practice.

Fret the string and hold a 2nd fretting finger above the fretboard ready to fret the higher note
Play the string with a finger or a pick
Quickly place your 2nd fretting finger down on the string, pushing down with a positive action
The 2nd note sounds without the string being plucked a 2nd time.

Improving Your Hammer-On Technique

Like all new techniques this takes some practice. Especially if you are hammering on with your pinky which you will need to do if there is a big stretch between the 2 fretted notes. Thankfully fingers can get stronger so even if your hammer-ons sound very quiet to start with, this can be improved.

The fact that hammer-ons and pull-offs are basically opposite techniques mean that you can play a hammer on followed by a pull-off and repeat this as an exercise to improve your technique. As a bonus you will be learning a new technique- the trill- which is a pretty impressive sound especially with your cigar box guitar amplified and set to lead guitar settings.

To learn about pull-offs read my article here: What Is A Pull-Off On The Cigar Box Guitar?

Seeing Hammer-Ons In Action

Many lead rock guitarists use both hammer-ons and pull-offs but because you need to see what both hands are doing at once it’s hard to tell that they are being used. If a riff is being played very fast and you can hear trills, you will know that hammer-ons are being used. You will need to use your ears rather than your eyes to notice them.

Hammer-ons are also used frequently in blues playing. It’s possible to play a hammer-on with a guitar slide but these hammer-ons tend to be followed immediately with a slide up to a higher note or down to a lower note.

Other Similar Guitar Techniques

We’ve already talked about pull-offs and trills so let’s look at slides and bends.

How Are Slides Shown In Guitar Tab?

Sliding notes are shown with a straight line to or from the note:

Although you can play slide guitar with a slide on your finger, it’s also possible to slide a note using just a finger.

A slide up involves moving the fretting finger up to a higher fret without lifting it from the string and without plucking the string a 2nd time. This gives a gradually increasing pitch rather than the rapid change in pitch like a hammer-on.

Conversely sliding down a string with your finger requires you to keep your fretting finger on the string and slide it down to a lower fret without using your playing hand. The pitch gets lower gradually in contrast to a pull-off where the note changes pitch rapidly.

How Do You Bend A Note On A Cigar Box Guitar?

Bending a note uses your fretting finger to push sideways on a string to alter the pitch. Since you are stretching the string, the pitch will rise and then fall as you finish the bend. These changes in pitch are fairly small, less than you would usually get with sliding a note. The amount of bend can be shown in guitar tab with a fraction to show how much of a whole note the note is bent or just with the letter b for a general increase and then decrease in pitch.

Whammy bars on electric guitars are used to stretch a string and then release it, giving the same kind of sound.

Bending a heavy gauge string with your finger takes more strength than lighter gauge strings, so if you want to play a lot of bending notes, you may want to consider swapping your guitar strings for a lighter set. This does not mean that you need to change from your usual tuning, say G D G.