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Post edited 9:33 PM – November 27, 2011 by Coire

I'll do a lesson on it in the next couple weeks, George. Great question btw.

Regarding pull-offs:
Doing a pull-off in context produces two notes: the first one picked and the second one un-picked (legato AKA your pull-off.) To do a pull off you have to do two different things, one for each note, the second of which addressed first:

#1:
Prepare the second note by pre-fretting it with another finger (to insure it rings after the pull-off.) Anchor it as best you can. You mentioned that you were getting it bent during the pull-off–you will get used to keeping your grip stable. Like any technique it gets easier.

#2:
To do the pull-off (your first note) and get a solid, clear sound, you have to pull down as you pull-off. Basically you allow your finger to catch on the string as you release thus re-ringing it, and to do that you pull down as you pull-off, a scooping motion with the finger if you will.

Slides:
Slides work best when you do them quickly and accurately. Move from fret to fret, right behind each fret. A to B . If you stop off point you will loose some of your sustain. Don't be scared of overshooting them. Go to slow and the volume is absorbed by your finger. There are lots of little things that are too hard to explain in text, but I'll get to a technique lesson series in the near future. Thanks for posting and keep on pickin'!

Hope that helps.