The pull-off is what I would call the sibling of the hammer-on. Mastering how to perform one will take your playing to the next level. It allows us to blend notes smoothly.
Performing a pull-off involves placing two fingers (often the first and ring finger) on the fretboard. Then, pluck the string and drag your finger (ring) off the higher note. This will reveal the note behind and change the pitch of the sound.
Getting the hang of playing the pull-off can take a few attempts. Let’s take a closer look at how to do it.
How to Play A ukulele Pull-Off
The concept behind the pull-off is pretty simple and involves just three steps:
- Place your fingers on both frets
- Pluck the string
- Drag your finger off the higher fret
How fast you pull off really depends on the speed of the song. It’s important to pull off quickly, though. That’s so the note does not lose any of its “juice.” When we pluck a string, it’s only going to make a sound for so long. We don’t want to pull off after the note has stopped ringing; otherwise, we won’t hear the next note.
I use the term drag a lot. Dragging the string down a little bit when you pull off increases the volume a little bit. If you just lift your finger off, it won’t sound as loud.
Let’s Give It a Go
So you know the fundamentals of the ukulele pull-off. Pick up your ukulele and let’s get practicing.
- Step 1 – Place your fingers
We are going to use the bottom A string. Place your first finger on the 6th fret and your ring finger on the 8th fret.
- Step 2 – Pluck the string
The bedrock of ukulele playing: pluck the string.
- Step 3 – Drag your finger off the higher fret
This is the key part. We are going to drag your ring finger off the 8th fret. That’s going to reveal the 6th fret. Only pluck the string once.
Did you only pluck the string once but heard two notes? Congratulations, you just performed your first ukulele pull-off.
Don’t worry if the second note sounded a lot quieter than the first one. That’s completely natural and normal when you first start getting to grips with pull-offs.
It’s just going to take lots of practice. As you build up strength in your fingers, the dragging aspect of this technique will get better. You’ll find that your second note gets a lot louder over time.
What Do They Look Like On Ukulele Tabs?
The pull-off is always represented by a “p” between two numbers on ukulele tabs. That means you need to perform it with those two notes.
Let’s Play Some Examples
We are going to look at some ukulele riffs and licks that include pull-offs. If you are unfamiliar with ukulele tabs, it’s worth checking out this guide to get up to speed.
Black Sabbath – Iron Man
The pull-offs in this riff are towards the end and it’s all played on the C string. Use just your first finger for all the notes except the 8th fret notes. For that, we are going to use our middle finger for the pull-offs.
A |---------------------------------------| E |---------------------------------------| C |-0---3---3-5-5---8p7-8p7-8p7--3-3--5-5-| G |---------------------------------------|
Smashing Pumpkins – Today
Let’s step things up a notch now and stretch our fingers a bit more. We are going to be using our pinky finger to perform the pull-off. We are also going to bring another string into the mix.
Place your first finger across the bottom two strings on the 5th fret. Pluck the first two notes, then use your ring finger to hit that 7th fret. Repeat, then stretch your pinky to reach the 9th fret on the A string. Give that a pluck and then drag it off to reveal the 5th fret.
A |-5---7---5---9p5---|-5---7---5---9p5---| E |---5---5---5-----5-|---5---5---5-----5-| C |-------------------|-------------------| G |-------------------|-------------------|
AC/DC – Thunderstruck
We are about to turn everything on its head now. A pull-off can be performed with just one finger. If the note you are pulling off to is an open string, there’s no need to fret anything.
Start by placing your first finger on the 4th fret, give it a pluck. Drag your first finger off to reveal the open A string. Using your ring finger, quickly fret the 7th. Pluck the string and then drag off to reveal the open A string again. Repeat the same principle for the next part of the riff on the 5th and 8th frets.
A |-4p0-7p0-4p0-7p0-4p0-7p0-4p0-7p0-| E |---------------------------------| C |---------------------------------| G |---------------------------------|
A |-5p0-8p0-5p0-8p0-5p0-8p0-5p0-8p0-|
E |———————————|
C |———————————|
G |———————————|
Slowed down.Normal speed.Try your best to get to grips with the pull-off and its sibling technique, the hammer-on. Make them part of your practice routine and within a few months, you will be blasting them out left, right, and center.