Guitar vibrato
​
Vibrato is used to give feel and emotion to your playing. That is when it works best. Use emotion to put your strings in motion.
You produce vibrato by using your wrist and fingers to wiggle the string and make the pitch wobble.
​
Hammer-ons
​
A hammer on is a legato technique that is produced when you sound a note by striking down on the string with your finger. The vibration comes from the force of your finger hitting the string and it helps to turn up the amp if you are using it as an electric guitar technique.
​
Pull-offs
​
A guitar pull off is a left-hand legato technique on the fretboard. One note is held down on a fret above on the same string. The note is sounded with a plucking motion with the finger below the other. So that one note is sounded with the pluck and then you hear the note above it.
This is a cool technique to combine with hammer-ons, slides etc.
​
Palm muting techniques
​
Palm muting is a very important method of laying your picking hand lightly across the strings to mute or partially mute some or all of the strings.
This makes your guitar more of a percussion instrument. Used in all styles either as an acoustic or electric guitar technique
Sweep picking technique
​
Sweep picking is using an either straight up or down motion across all the notes in the arpeggio or pattern that you are playing.This can be combined with legato techniques such as hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Sweep picking along with all the other guitar techniques can be mixed up and used together. Whatever works to make your music.
​
Hybrid Picking
​
Hybrid picking is using not only a regular pick but using the free fingers of the right hand to pick individual strings. This can be used on all kinds of music and just depends on the creativity and skill of the guitarist.
​
Bending
​
Bending the strings can take ordinary music and make it great.It can be used as both an acoustic and electric guitar technique.
The effect is produced by using two or more fingers of the left hand and bending the string while plucking the string with the left. The amount of bend determines the raising of the pitch.
Used in rock, blues and about everything else. Bending is a somewhat intuitive skill that takes practice but once you got it, it has you.
​
Guitar tapping technique
​
Tapping was brought into the world of Rock music by Eddie Van Halen.
To say it took the guitar world by storm would be an understatement.
The Technique is achieved by a combination of a tapping and plucking on the fretboard combined with hammer ons and pull offs.
The effect is dramatic and makes the player sound almost superhuman in speed.
​
Pinch harmonics
​
Pinch harmonics are cool. You can make your guitar sing or squeal like an otherworldly machine.
Pinch harmonics are produced when a string is barely touched with the edge of a finger or thumb after it has been struck with a pick or fingernail.
What happens is that the base note is muted somewhat and the overtones are what you hear.
This works best on as an electric guitar technique with a good tube amp that has the gain cranked. Lots to work with.
The gain ups the overtones and this produces the effect you are looking for.
​
Natural harmonics
Natural harmonics are a really classy acoustic guitar technique.
These are easy to learn they are produced by barely touching an open string that has just been struck with a finger or pick.
This kills the original core note and sounds the overtones in a bell-like chime.
Doyle Dykes is a master of this technique.