Pull Off "p"- Guitar Tabs Technique Explained

Look at the example below:

E|--------------
A|---9p5--------
D|--------------
G|--------------
B|--------------
e|--------------

It shows a pull-off.... A pull-off is a guitar playing fretting hand (right) technique that is used to sound a note without picking the string. The fret of the note to be played is played as follows - The already vibrating string, from playing another note is pressed down at the other (target) fret and the first finger is removed with a slight forward sliding movement. This rapidly to changes the sound.

In tab notation, pull offs are written using "p" as the symbol; the syntax is "x p y," where x is the staring note while y is the note sounded by pulling off.

It works as a "pull-off" only when the pitch is to go down. That is, a string may be pulled off upto a fret that is lower (further forwards) than the fret that was sounding already. The reverse process may also be employed (hammer-on).

In the above example, first the 5th string that was vibrating while being held at fret #9 was pulled off upto fret #5.

Here's a free Youtube lesson on this:


This is one of the most basic techniques for fast and fluent guitar playing. It works best with an electric guitar - there you can play a series of hammer's on and pull offs.

To see this technique in action, see this the video of Van Halen - Eruption:

http://basicmusictheory.blogspot.com/2009/05/pull-off-p-guitar-tabs-technique.html

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Pull Off "p"- Guitar Tabs Technique Explained