The Pinch and Slurs on the Banjo

Slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs

Now that you've learned your roll patterns, lets dive into some different sounds. Other than the pinch, the slurs are all left hand articulations.

5 Video Lessons

1

The Pinch

Playing Two Notes Simultaneously

The pinch is a common technique that you'll hear in bluegrass banjo vocabulary. Here you'll learn how to play a first and fifth string pinch.
2

The Slide

Your First Left Hand Slur

The slide is the first of three left hand slurs you'll be learning in this learning path. Here's how you play the slide:
3

Boil Them Cabbage Down using Slides

Add a Little Spice!

In this lesson, you'll learn how to incorporate your 2-3 slide into Boil Them Cabbage Down.
4

The Hammer-On

Left Hand Slur #2

The hammer-on is a useful slur on open strings or closed strings. The hammer-on that you'll be learning today moves from an open string to a closed position.
5

The Pull-Off

Your Final Left Hand Slur

The pull-off is kind of the opposite of the hammer-on in that you're starting higher in pitch and 'pulling off' that note to bring you to a lower pitch.