Major scale 16th note triplets hammer ons and pull offs

Aim of the exercise: Practice hammer-ons and pull offs on cool major scale licks, focusing on 16th note triplets.
Exercise type: Legato
Starting tempo: 40 beats per minute
Duration: 10 minutes

Malmsteen would be proud.

In this exercise you'll be performing pull-offs and hammer-ons on 16h note triplets. You will start on a single string and then play across the whole scale ascending and descending.

Playing 16th note triplets means that you have to put 6 notes into one beat - that's quite fast, so you'll start with the metronome on a slow setting.

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. You are fretting two notes on the same string and then strike the string. After the sound is made you pull the string with the finger that frets the higher note and lift it off the fretboard. The lower note on the same string and fretted by a different finger will sound afterwards!

You will practice three licks on different modes of the C major scale.

E - Phrygian

Check out the scale diagram. This is what you'll be playing the next three licks.

E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A

The first lick is only played on one string. Play a downstroke only once every six notes, everything else is all pull offs and hammer ons!

3rd mode, lick 1

The second lick is a descending lick that is built from the first lick but conforms to the scale. The final note ends with a hammer on.

3rd mode, lick 2

The final lick is very similar to the second one, you just go in a different direction. Play a downstroke only once on each string!

3rd mode, lick 3

« Select a different variation!

Start practicing! How much time do you have? In minutes.

GO!