Hammer-ons on the pentatonic scale
STOP! Hammer-on time!
A hammer-on is a way you play a certain note on a guitar. You perform a hammer-on by sharply bringing down a fretting finger on a string so that a note sounds without picking it with your picking hand. The opposite of a hammer-on is a pull-off and you'll play it (if you haven't already) in another exercise, so don't worry.
The important part of the hammer-on is that the note sounds loud and clear so this is what you'll be practicing - and making it sound cool by playing it on the pentatonic scale.
You will play two notes per string exclusively and you will always pick the first note with a downstroke and then perform a hammer-on on the second note. Remember to always position your fingers in the 1-2-3-4 position (one fret one finger) so your fretting hand isn't flying all over the guitar but stays as still as possible.
Low run, high run and the full run on the 3rd pattern
Here's the third pattern of the two note per string A minor pentatonic scale. Take a good look at it in case you're unfamiliar with it. You'll be playing three licks on this pattern. You can play them indefinitely and go as fast as you want, because it sounds really cool, but please only speed up the tempo when you're 100% comfortable with the current playing speed. The last thing you want is to practice a mistake, because if there's one thing more difficult than learning something, it's to unlearn it.
The first thing you'll play is the low run. Check it out:
Just play and repeat the pattern for as long as you can on your current speed. When it's the easisest thing in the world, speed it up for about 8 bpm. Also, mind the fingering. Use your index finger for the fifth fret, your ring finger for the 7th fret and the pinky for the 8th fret. And repeat until you're ready to hit the next one - the high run.
Again do the same as in the low pattern and practice it. When you're comfortable enough with it, check out and play the longer one:
This is a cool run with a slide at the finish instead of a hammer-on. Just as with the hammer-ons, pick only once and then slide your pinky finger to the 10th fret to sound the A note.