A "slur" in guitar means a hammer-on or pull-off: a note change without a new pluck. In fingerstyle, slurs are what make a melody sound flowing rather than chopped.
Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
The pull-off
A pull-off is the reverse of a hammer-on. You're already on a fretted note; pull your finger off the string sideways (not straight up) so the string snaps to the next-lower note (which can be a different fretted note, or open).
Try this on the high E string:
- Fret the 3rd fret high E with your ring finger. Pluck it.
- Fret the 1st fret high E with your index finger (your ring is still on 3).
- Pull the ring finger sideways off the string.
- The note drops from G (3rd fret) to F (1st fret) without a re-pluck.
Combine in a hammer-pull triplet
Pluck → hammer-on → pull-off = three notes from one pluck.
Try on the high E:
- Pluck open high E.
- Hammer-on the 2nd fret with your middle finger.
- Pull-off back to open.
Three notes (E, F#, E) from one stroke. This is a slur triplet.
70 BPM. Loop the slur triplet on the high E. Then move to the B, G, D, A strings, same triplet pattern. Five minutes total.
Use it in a song
Travis-pick Em. On beat 3, instead of plucking the open G string, pluck it open and immediately hammer-on the 2nd fret with your middle. The G ringing under the Em chord turns into an A, and the chord briefly becomes an Em6.
You don't even have to think about the theory; just listen to how interesting the chord sounds.
In Tears in Heaven
Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven (lesson 12) is built around slurs in the melody line. The opening riff has at least three hammer-on / pull-off pairs in the first eight bars.
Next: percussive techniques. Hitting the guitar.