Legato Exercises
Contents
Basic Exercises
Open String Hammer-ons
Exercise 1
--0-h1----0-h2----0-h3----0-h4--
i m r p
Exercise 2
--0-h9----0-h10---0-h11---0-h12--
i m r p
Fretted Note Hammer-ons
Exercise 3
--1-h2----1-h3----1-h4-- i m i r i p
Exercise 4
--1-h2----1-h3----1-h4----2-h3----2-h4----3-h4-- i m i r i p m r m p r p
2 Hammer-ons per String
Exercise 5
--5-h6-h8--5-h6-h8--5-h7-h8--5-h7-h8--5-h7-h9--5-h7-h9 i m p i m p i r p i r p i m p i m p
Exercise 6
-----------5-h6-h8-----------5-h7-h8-----------5-h7-h9 --5-h6-h8-----------5-h7-h8-----------5-h7-h9--------- i m p i m p i r p i r p i m p i m p
Figure 6 is the same as figure 5, but uses two strings.
Hammer-on from Nothing
Exercise 7
--h1--(x)--h2--(x)--h3--(x)--h4-- i m r p
Exercise 8
----------h5-h6-h8----------h5-h7-h8----------h5-h7-h9 -h5-h6-h8----------h5-h7-h8----------h5-h7-h9--------- i m p i m p i r p i r p i m p i m p
Open String Pull-offs
Exercise 9
--4-p0----3-p0----2-p0----1-p0-- p r m i
Fretted Pull-offs
Exercise 10
--4-p1----3-p1----2-p1-- p i r i m i
Exercise 11
--4-p1----3-p1----2-p1----4-p2----3-p2----4-p3-- p i r i m i p m r m p r
2 Pull-offs per String
Exercise 12
--8-p6-p5--8-p6-p5--8-p7-p5--8-p7-p5--9-p7-p5--9-p7-p5 p m i p m i p r i p r i p m i p m i
Exercise 13
--8-p6-p5-----------8-p7-p5-----------9-p7-p5--------- -----------8-p6-p5-----------8-p7-p5-----------9-p7-p5 p m i p m i p r i p r i p m i p m i
Figure 13 is the same exercise but using two strings.
Legato Sliding
Exercise 14
1 2 3 4 | 1 2 3 4 --4--/(5)--5--\(4)-|-4--/(6)--6--\(4)-|-4--/(7)--7--\(4)-|-4--/(8)--8--\(4)--
or
--4--s(5)--5--s(4)-|-4--s(6)--6--s(4)-|-4--s(7)--7--s(4)-|-4--s(8)--8--s(4)--
Muting
x12 e--(mute with right middle finger)----- b--(mute with left-hand index finger)-- g---h6---h7---h9---p7---p6---h7---h9--- d--(mute with right-hand palm)--------- a--(mute with right-hand palm)--------- e--(mute with right-hand palm)---------
Advanced Exercises
Think you've mastered the above techniques separately? Let's try them together.
Exercise 14
--h6-h7-h9-p7-p6-h7-h9-p7---p6-h8-h9-p8-p6-h8-h9-p8---p6-h8-h10-p8-p6-h8-h10-p8-p6--- i m p m i m p m i r p r i r p r i m p m i m p m i
Figure 14 is straight step-wise motion up and down on a single string using all hammer-on and pull-offs for all three common 3 note per string patterns (half-whole, whole-half, and whole-whole). All notes should be equal volume and duration - use a metronome. Practice on other strings/positions.
Exercise 15
-----------h6-h7-h9-p7-p6----------------h6-h7-h9-p7-p6----------- --h6-h7-h9----------------h9-p7-p6-h7-h9----------------h9-p7-p6-- i m p i m p m i p m i m p i m p m i p m i
Exercise 16
-----------h6-h8-h9-p8-p6----------------h6-h8-h9-p8-p6----------- --h6-h8-h9----------------h9-p8-p6-h8-h9----------------h9-p8-p6-- i r p i r p r i p r i r p i r p r i p r i
Exercise 17
------------h6-h8-h10-p8-p6------------------h6-h8-h10-p8-p6----------- --h6-h8-h10-----------------h10-p8-p6-h8-h10-----------------h10-p8-p6-- i m p i m p m i p m i m p i m p m i p m i
Exercise 18
-----------h6-h8-h9-p8-p6----------------h6-h8-h9-p8-p6----------- --h6-h7-h9----------------h9-p7-p6-h7-h9----------------h9-p7-p6-- i m p i r p r i p m i m p i r p r i p m i
Exercise 19
-----------h6-h8-h10-p8-p6----------------h6-h8-h10-p8-p6----------- --h6-h8-h9-----------------h9-p8-p6-h8-h9-----------------h9-p8-p6-- i r p i m p m i p r i r p i m p m i p r i
Exercise 20
x40 --6-|:h7--h9--p6--h9--p7--p6--h9--p6-:| i m p i p m i p i
Exercise 21
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| B-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| G-------------------------------------------------------------------------------h9--h10-h12-| D-----------------------------------------------h7-h9--h10-----------h9--h10-h12------------| A------------h5--h7--h8-------------h7--h8--h10-----------h8--h10-h12-----------------------| E-h5-h7--h8--------------h7--h8--h10--------------------------------------------------------| E---------------------------------------------------------h13-h15-h17-----------h15-h17-h19-|/20---- B------------------------h12-h13-h15-----------h13-h15-h17-----------h15-h17-h18------------|------- G------------h10-h12-h14------------h12-h14-h16---------------------------------------------|------- Dh10-h12-h14--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------- A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------- E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------
Exercise 22
--3--h5--h7-/(8)--p7--p5-\(3)--h5--h7-/(8)--p7--p5-\(3)-- i m p p r i i m p p r i i --4--h6--h7-/(9)--p7--p6-\(4)--h6--h7-/(9)--p7--p6-\(4)-- i r p p m i i r p p m i i --4--h5--h7-/(9)--p7--p5-\(4)--h5--h7-/(9)--p7--p5-\(4)-- i m p p m i i m p p m i i --3--h5--h7-/(9)--p7--p5-\(3)--h5--h7-/(9)--p7--p5-\(3)-- i m p p m i i m p p m i i
Exercise 23
--2--h4--h6--/(7)--p4--h6--h7--/(9)--p6--h7--h9-/(11)--p7--h9-h11-/(13)--p9-h11-h13-/(14)-- i m p p i r p p i m p p i m p p i m p p -14-p13-p11--\(9)-h13-p11--p9--\(7)-h11--p9--p7--\(6)--h9--p7--p6--\(4)--h7--p6--p4--\(2)-- p r i i p m i i p m i i p m i i p r i i
Open String Exercises
Make sure to start slow on this exercise and give all notes equal duration.
Index and Pinky --8-p4-p0-h8-p4-p0-h4-h8-p0-h4-h8-p4-h8-p0-h8-p4-h8-p0-h4-h8-p4-p0-h4-h8-p4-p0-h8-p0-h4-p0-h8-p0--
Index and Ring/Pinky --7-p4-p0-h7-p4-p0-h4-h7-p0-h4-h7-p4-h7-p0-h7-p4-h7-p0-h4-h7-p4-p0-h4-h7-p4-p0-h7-p0-h4-p0-h7-p0--
Index and Ring/Middle or Middle and Pinky --6-p4-p0-h6-p4-p0-h4-h6-p0-h4-h6-p4-h6-p0-h6-p4-h6-p0-h4-h6-p4-p0-h4-h6-p4-p0-h6-p0-h4-p0-h6-p0--
Index and Middle, Middle and Ring, or Ring and Pinky --5-p4-p0-h5-p4-p0-h4-h5-p0-h4-h5-p4-h5-p0-h5-p4-h5-p0-h4-h5-p4-p0-h4-h5-p4-p0-h5-p0-h4-p0-h5-p0--