Legato
Legato means connecting notes together without repicking them: on guitar, it almost always relies on hammer-ons and pull-offs. The sound never stops between the two notes, unlike two notes picked separately.
The real gain isn't speed, it's phrasing
Many beginners see legato as a shortcut to play faster. That's a real side effect, but the main point is elsewhere: without a pick attack on every note, phrasing becomes smoother and closer to singing — which is why it shows up as much in slow melodic phrases as in fast runs.
The technique sheet one-string legato — hammer-ons and pull-offs isolates the move on a single string before combining it into a full melody.
Legato, alternate picking, tapping: what sets them apart
Alternate picking repicks every note: a clean, even attack, but a more "chopped" sound. Legato connects notes without repicking, almost always through hammer-ons and pull-offs. Tapping also produces notes without a pick, but with a picking-hand finger striking the fretboard — a hammer-on played by the other hand, for stretches one hand can't reach. A slide also links two notes without repicking, but by changing fret. Most lead players mix these approaches depending on the effect they want.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- Strike the string straight down and close to the fret: a soft hammer-on, or one too far from the fretwire, sounds muted instead of connected.
- A pull-off isn't just lifting the finger: you have to catch the string slightly downward as you release, or the freed note won't sound.
- Have the landing-note finger already down before the pull-off: it's what makes the revealed note ring — the pull-off only uncovers it.
- Don't force the speed: an uneven legato played fast won't even out by going faster. Loop it slowly until every note has the same volume.
- Mute the unused strings with your palm and resting fingers: legato lets notes ring long, so stray resonance is more audible than with alternate picking.