Pull Offs

**Hardesty** · Nov-05-2010, 5:34pm

I am having trouble getting strong and clean pull offs on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th string. I have never had trouble with these on guitar but the close string spacing and the doubled strings are really a different world when it comes to pull offs. Any tips?

**mandocrucian** · Nov-05-2010, 6:16pm

try "pushing off"

**Ivan Kelsall** · Nov-06-2010, 12:59am

The only way to get to grips with something that you find hard to do,is to practice doing it. You play Guitar & manage to do pull-offs on that, so the technique is there,the same with me on Banjo,pull-offs are a major part of picking.You simply have to do it over & over,there's no other way.If your normal fingering is getting your fingers right on the strings,there shouldn't be much of a problem,just stick with it,
Ivan

**Jim Bevan** · Nov-06-2010, 2:00am

What I'd discovered, and (I'm with Ivan, ya gotta practise!) corrected, is that the tendency was to concentrate on the note and the pick (like any normal note I play), and what I wasn't concentrating enough on was the finger doing the pull-off.

There are three things happening: the pick, the pull-off, and the note. Try isolating any two pairs: the pick and the note are easy 'cuz they're normal -- try making a nice sound with the other two.

**SincereCorgi** · Nov-07-2010, 12:43pm

If it makes you feel any better, I find think pull-offs are sort of an 'early-intermediate' technique on guitar and banjo but an 'advanced' one on mandolin. The double strings and high tension make it pretty hard (I still sorta suck at it).

**Ed Goist** · Nov-07-2010, 1:24pm

Much easier on flatwound strings than on PB or brass, IMO.

**bratsche** · Nov-07-2010, 2:06pm

The higher the tension of the string pair in question, the more I have to treat it as a "left hand pizzicato" than a simple pull-off, in order to hear it sound clearly. That is to say, the finger that is fretting the first note is not just quickly removed, but is also plucking the string as it does so... if that makes sense.

bratsche

**sachmo63** · Nov-07-2010, 2:20pm

I heard a great story that sam bush told when doing a workshop off sugarmeg.com.

He said that he likes practicing hammer on's and pull off's while watching baseball games. He tries to keep the PO and HO's the same volume as the rest of his notes. He say's lovingly "after a while you start to see pieces of your finger flying off".

My advice would be to slow down and practice with intent..... don't just blow through songs but take bits and pieces and do them over and over and over and over and.....

you get the idea....

**Rob Gerety** · Nov-07-2010, 3:50pm

I'm with Niles, use a push off. Works much better and easier for me.

**Don Stiernberg** · Nov-07-2010, 4:45pm

If it's a matter of finger strength or accuracy(placement between the frets), you may want to try playing scales(or licks or even a tune) without the pick, or at least using the pick to vibrate the string, not for each successive note. See how much sound you can bring forth with only your left hand. Most people trying this feel a difference when returning to normal picking, particularly in the pulloff realm.

**Tom Wright** · Nov-07-2010, 5:12pm

I would think that the independence between fingers would be the hard part, at first. When trying hard to yank one finger off the string, the stationary finger might jump a little, which can either lose sound by lifting, or by climbing onto the fret and damping.

When tackling a challenging piece, even without slurring issues, I find that everything tries to get into the act. That is, all fingers tense up, move too much all at once, and so on. As familiarity grows, I can use less pressure, since accuracy has increased. And fingers are not affecting each other as much, so I can use a strong movement with one finger while the other is stable.

**Hardesty** · Nov-08-2010, 4:12pm

After watching some masters do pull offs more closely it looks like a lot of the time the kind of turn their finger as the pull, almost rocking back toward the nut a bit. Trying to do this has helped some. I got my hands on a couple other mandos over the weekend and i think a big part of my problem is the tiny neck and flat fingerboard. I really feel more comfortable with a bigger neck and a radiused fingerboard. Anyway, I mostly just want to make sure I'm practicing correctly I don't need anymore bad habits than I already have. Thank you all for all of the help.

**Rob Gerety** · Nov-08-2010, 4:54pm

To be clear about what I was trying to say, when I play mandolin my habit is to pull off only on the E strings and to push off all the others. That made a big difference for me and it seems natural now and actually fairly easy.

**Cheryl Watson** · Nov-08-2010, 5:29pm

I'd check my action first; Too high or too low impedes technique. Then, check the angle of your finger joint; it should be at the angle to create the most power and control. The motion of a pull-off has to be a very quick, strong "flick" and it also requires a well-callused finger. Only press as hard as you have to.

**Pete Martin** · Nov-09-2010, 8:58am

Another trick is to "hook" the string in your finger callous, then "pick" the string with the callous.

Try this: Pull off (toward the ground) from each finger to the open string without picking the string with the right hand first. Do this on each string. Next try the same, this time pushing off (towards the ceiling). Some great players always pull down, some push up, some do various combinations.

Do the above very slowly and deliberately. After you get the sound you want, increase the speed.

**Ivan Kelsall** · Nov-13-2010, 12:44am

I play both my Mandolins everyday. My Lebeda has a slightly wider neck than the Weber,only by a 1/16" or so,but that's enough to make pull-offs easier.I think that the string spacing on the Lebeda is a tad wider,making it easier to hook my finger tip around to get a cleaner pull-off,
Ivan