Guitar Glossary: Hammer-on

Hammer-on

Switching from a lower note to a higher one on the same string without re-picking. The intitial strike of the string sets a certain length of it vibrating (for example, from the bridge to the third fret), and then the length is shortened as the other finger is hammered on to the higher fret (vibrating from the bridge to the fifth fret). This raises the pitch produced.