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Hammer-ons and Pull-offs

Contemporary guitar notation contains many elements idiomatic to the guitar (and specifically the electric guitar). While elements like harmonics and bends have sporadic support in current MusicXML software, the hammer-on and pull-off are both supported in Finale and other applications.

These elements are represented as technical indications that often go together with a notated slur. In the first half of the bar, a single hammer-on goes together with a single slur:

      <note default-x="82">
        <pitch>
          <step>C</step>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>2</duration>
        <voice>1</voice>
        <type>quarter</type>
        <stem>none</stem>
        <notations>
          <technical>
            <hammer-on number="1" type="start">H</hammer-on>
            <string>3</string>
            <fret>5</fret>
          </technical>
          <slur number="1" placement="above" type="start"/>
        </notations>
      </note>
      <note default-x="177">
        <pitch>
          <step>D</step>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>2</duration>
        <voice>1</voice>
        <type>quarter</type>
        <stem>none</stem>
        <notations>
          <technical>
            <hammer-on number="1" type="stop"/>
            <string>3</string>
            <fret>7</fret>
          </technical>
          <slur number="1" type="stop"/>
        </notations>
      </note>

clear

But in the second half of the bar, a single slur goes together with two pull-offs:

      <note default-x="272">
        <pitch>
          <step>E</step>
          <alter>-1</alter>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>1</duration>
        <voice>1</voice>
        <type>eighth</type>
        <stem>none</stem>
        <notations>
          <technical>
            <pull-off number="1" type="start">P</pull-off>
            <string>3</string>
            <fret>8</fret>
          </technical>
          <slur number="1" placement="above" type="start"/>
        </notations>
      </note>
      <note default-x="330">
        <pitch>
          <step>D</step>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>1</duration>
        <voice>1</voice>
        <type>eighth</type>
        <stem>none</stem>
        <notations>
          <technical>
            <pull-off number="1" type="stop"/>
            <pull-off number="1" type="start">P</pull-off>
            <string>3</string>
            <fret>7</fret>
          </technical>
        </notations>
      </note>
      <note default-x="389">
        <pitch>
          <step>C</step>
          <octave>4</octave>
        </pitch>
        <duration>2</duration>
        <voice>1</voice>
        <type>quarter</type>
        <stem>none</stem>
        <notations>
          <technical>
            <pull-off number="1" type="stop"/>
            <string>3</string>
            <fret>5</fret>
          </technical>
          <slur number="1" type="stop"/>
        </notations>
      </note>

clear

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