Every guitarist needs to develop legato technique on the guitar (hammer-ons, pull-offs – in this case it’s pull-offs), no matter what style of music. Randy Rhoads style legato is a great way to learn, simply because he had a lot of influences he incorporated into his style, as well as many guitarists have patterned their own legato licks based on his influence over the last 30 years. Here are 3 tips to get you started:
- Don’t go too fast…..yet. Keep a moderate tempo, but “flick” or “pluck” the finger off the string in a quick pop. This will keep your hand loose and relaxed, but create a powerful pluck. Pull DOWN, not OFF. Pluck the string towards the floor. Think of a powerful punch – fast and loose until the very end where the tension and force explode.
- Use your fretting hand index finger to dampen strings. Put your index finger in a barring position, but keep it light so it doesn’t make any fretting sounds. The strings beneath the fretted note should be damped by the first finger. When you pull DOWN, your pull-off finger will brush along a string or two, so you want them to be dampened and quiet.
- Stop playing if you feel significant tension. This lick tends to go on forever if you let it. If you notice a lot of tension – stop! Shake our your hand, slow it down, keep it fast and loose, and try again.
Nate from Richards Guitar Studio shows you a Randy Rhoads style legato lick using pull offs. A great guitar speed lick.
Richards Guitar Studio offers professional guitar lessons in Aston PA. We serve Delaware County PA towns such as Swarthmore, Media, Springfield, Ridley Park, Garnet Valley, Glen Mills, and Brookhaven.