Pull Offs

[BeginnerMandolinistTyler]

Hey guys,
I'm learning Sam Bush's Brilliancy and on of the variations, he plays a lot of pull offs (The descending triplets). When I try to do the pull offs, they sound almost nonexistant while Sam's sound like he's actually picking it. I have the tabs for it, they are pull offs. This goes for all professional mandolin players. How do they get so much sound out of their pull offs. I'm assuming its the whole practice thing but are they simply just lifting the finger off the fret or are they almost like plucking at the string when they lift there finger.
Thanks!

[Drew Egerton]

Tyler, I've heard several talk about pull offs in detail and most say just what you said at the end there, pluck it with the finger as it comes off. It takes a lot of practice to make it sound just right. You can try making some noise just using the fretting hand without even picking to get an idea for it.

Brilliancy is a neat tune. I've had Sam's DVD forever and just learned it (not like Sam, but sorta) recently. A lot of fun to play that second part but a challenge to do it clean.
Good luck!

[JeffD]

My Aspen II has so much sustain that I just pull off and you can hear it.

[SincereCorgi]

Yeah, I'd agree with what Drew said- you have to either pull down hard (with a callused fingertip) or strike the preceding note hard and lift off before it decays. (Mandolins seem to have a relatively fast decay compared to guitars and banjos.)

[pickloser]

Hey guys,
. . .are they simply just lifting the finger off the fret or are they almost like plucking at the string when they lift there finger.
Thanks!

The latter. They are pressing down, then plucking and lifting in one smooth motion. Or at least that's they way I've gotten it. A good callus helps a bunch.

[terzinator]

A good callus helps a bunch.

This was going to be my contribution.

[Toni Schula]

Sam Bush himself states on one of his homespun videos that the mandolin isn't the easiest instrument for pull offs (and hammer ons). And he teaches how to plug with the fretting hand while pulling off. Depending on which string you need that left hand finger next this plugging can be towards the floor (trebble side) or upwards (bass side).

[BeginnerMandolinistTyler]

Alright thanks everyone! Luckily for me, I have seemed to develop a callus on 3 out of my 4 fingers. You can guess which one is the odd man out. It's also the one that starts the descending triplets. Time to put some more practice in I guess so sweet! Thanks again!

[OldSausage]

You have to practice them carefully to use as little pull as you can get away with to make the sound, and get the right angles, because otherwise it can be very ouchy. Even if you have good calluses, doing this can take them off if you don't do them just right.

[Michael Weaver]

You have to practice them carefully to use as little pull as you can get away with to make the sound, and get the right angles, because otherwise it can be very ouchy. Even if you have good calluses, doing this can take them off if you don't do them just right.

I go with an opposite approach and use as much pull as I can get away with, without distorting or accidentally bending the note. That way they can actually be heard and a noticeable accent. Practice them slow at first like all techniques. Once you get them down they will become a fluid motion.

[Tom Cherubini]

AND . . . . you have to do it ten million times!

[greg_tsam]

I saw Evan Marshall doing multiple pull offs. He's a master of that. He did it in slow motion three fingers down, pulled off slow one at a time, great sound and tone on each. I really struggle doing on pickstroke with 3 pull ups fast and certainly can't do it slow like he did. I'm considering taking an internet lesson just for that.

[OldSausage]

I go with an opposite approach and use as much pull as I can get away with, without distorting or accidentally bending the note. That way they can actually be heard and a noticeable accent. Practice them slow at first like all techniques. Once you get them down they will become a fluid motion.

Maybe we should have a "Pull-Off"-off.

[Michael Weaver]

Maybe we should have a "Pull-Off"-off.

Lol I'm game!

[Ivan Kelsall]

It's simply a matter of practicing until you get your pull offs to sound correct. It's harder on mandolin than either banjo or guitar because as Sincere Corgi implies,the note(s) do decay fast ie - not much sustain. A question springs to mind here for those who play banjo /guitar as well as mandolin - do we,as mandolin players actually use pull offs as much as banjo / guitarists ?. Having played mandolin for almost 8 years now,i don't think that i use pull offs as much on mandolin as i do on either banjo ( huge amount ) or guitar. But to return to the OP's question - practice until it sounds right & you'll do it as naturally as breathing - eventually,
Ivan

[almeriastrings]

practice until it sounds right & you'll do it as naturally as breathing - eventually,
Ivan

+1

You just have to "keep on at it". Eventually, you don't even have to think about it. They even creep in automatically....

[John Kelly]

the very quick decay is one of the reasons i much prefer playing my Scottish repertoire on the octave - the pull-offs are much easier to get on the longer strings. The important thing, I think, is as the others have all said - it's not just the pull-off but the little flick of the fretting finger as you lift it from the string. Practice some tunes using only your fretting hand and no plucking with the other at all. for the open strings you have to do this flicking motion to get the string to sound at all and I find it very good for developing the pull-off.

[AlanN]

The opening to Jethro's Tune is how it's done.

[Michael Weaver]

the opening to jethro's tune is how it's done.

yes!!!

[AlanN]

And of course his tune Rip Off, recorded on Tea For One.

[Brandon Flynn]

Pull offs and hammer ons are my weakest point as a player. Pull offs are easy on the E string for me as I pull downwards more easily to get the sound, but the rest of the strings I can't seem to get as much volume from the pull off in general as I'd like. Never spent a whole lot of time practicing though to be honest, I tend to use slides more. Something to start I suppose.

[greg_tsam]

I was talking about this technique. Is he calling that TeeRoss or T-Rod?

[CurlySechler]

The other posters here are right. I play bluegrass banjo and when you do pull-offs, you pluck the string with your left hand. It takes a while to get right, but you just have to practice at it.

[Tobin]

You have to practice them carefully to use as little pull as you can get away with to make the sound, and get the right angles, because otherwise it can be very ouchy. Even if you have good calluses, doing this can take them off if you don't do them just right.

I guess I haven't found that perfect angle yet, because if I try to do too many pull-offs, it just shreds my calluses. Then I have to take the emory board after them to smooth them back out. And what's worse is that if your calluses have any rough spots or bumps in them, it makes pull-offs that much harder because they don't glide easily off the strings. They will "catch" and make for inconsistent pull-offs.

I seem to have this problem worst on my index finger when doing a lot of pull-offs from the first fret of the E string.

[JRcohan]

Here is a video of a pull-off idea that is kind of difficult. You are not using you E string, nor are you landing on an open string. Practicing these left hand techniques can really help one's speed, tone, and over all dynamics one can get from the mandolin.

This is something Jerry Garcia used in his guitar playing and it is a sound I really like. I can provide tab. Using the flatted 3rd in a major key gives a bluesy sound, and playing triplets over 4/4 makes for a nice timing variation.