General Instrumental Techniques

Falls - Falls are when you play a note, and there is a fall written next to it, you fall off it by sliding downwards in pitch.

Glissando - Glissando is where you glide from one pitch to another. This could be downwards or upwards.

Appoggiatura - If there is a appoggiatura, play the grace note quickly with emphasis on that note before playing the main note.

Acciaccatura - Similar to appoggiatures, acciaccaturas are the exact same but you place emphasis on the main note.

Trills - A trill is where you alternate between two notes very quickly, until the next written note or until it says stop.

Guitar Specific Techniques

Hammer-on - A hammer-on is when you pick one note and then hammer a second finger down onto the same string to get a second note.

Pull-off - A pull-off is a hammer-on in reverse, but when you take your other finger off the fret, you pull on that string a little.

Slides - A slide is similar to a glissando, but when you move to that note you do not play it again.

Bend - A bend is where you push the string out of the normal alignment and then bring it back again.

Pre-bend - Similar to a bend, you bend the string before playing the note to raise the pitch.