Never expected to turn a scale into fun but this did. It is a lot easier to sustain hammers and flicks on an electric.
A problem I have with the flick offs is keeping my finger on the lower note from moving when flicking off the higher note. For example, if I’m flicking off the 8th fret on the G string with my third finger down to the 5th fret held down with my first finger, my first finger wants to move, bending the note. The problem gets worse as I go from the lighter to the heavier strings. Any suggestions how to prevent this?
I assume you meant 7th to 5th on G?
Suggestions: slow it down, move your wrist and hand around the neck as you move up or down, and do hand stretching to build flexibility.
Hey Terry,
A suggestion. At the exact moment of the flickoff, put some slight upward pressure on the string that is held. So in your example, when flicking off with the third finger, push slightly upward with the index. I have found, over time, that this one, prevents sending that note out of tune, and two results in a ‘snappier’ , cleaner flickoff. It feels more fluid and balanced to me as well; moreso, if you’re doing multiple flickoffs. Like a counter- balance of the movement.
Cheers, Shane
One thing I’ve never understood about flick-offs/pull-offs: is it enough to just raise the finger, or do I have to “pluck” the string going downwards? I always just raised my finger.
Pull off in a downwards motion, as Justin covers in the lesson. 
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I feel like I have been wanting to redesign and rebuild these callouses that I have been growing on my finger tips. This lesson will be just the right thing.
But seriously my hammerons feel ok.
With the flick offs I am having trouble more getting my first finger down fast enough on the string. It seems in the video Justin is putting the flicking finger 3 (or 4) down first, then the 1 finger. Does he want the prior note to ring out longer? I feel like I’m late getting it down and I keep missing the beat. Should we try and get both down down at the same time?
This is correct. You start moving the 1 finger from the previous string to the new string as you are plucking the new string. Think of the rhythm like this: 1 & 2 & 3 & … You pluck (or hammer/flick) on the numbers, and you move the finger to the new string on the &s. The point is that the finger moves to the new position to be ready for the next pluck/hammer/flick in the space between the notes being sounded. All the notes should ring for the same amount of time, with no silence in between them (if you are doing it perfectly).
It took me quite some time to get the feel just right so the plucked, hammered, and flicked notes were all the same volume volume, the rhythm was consistent, and the strings were properly muted. Go REALLY slow (like 50-60bpm) until you get the “flow” down, then slowly speed it up. It’s taken months for me, but I’m up to 240bpm on the metronome now, and it is feeling smooth.
Hope this helps
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In the ‘combined’ up and down sequence (7:05 of the video), are we supposed to play every eight note , i.e. when I start the flick-offs back down from string 1 to string 6, I am flicking off string 1, fret 8 on ‘3’, then picking string 2, fret 8 on ‘&’, flicking off on ‘4’ and so on. It felt ‘wrong’ to have the hammer-ons on ‘&’ and the flick-offs on the 1/2/3/4, so I wonder if I am doing something wrong here? This is different than what we do when we play/practice flick-offs on their own e…g around the 5:40 mark in the video, fret 8 string 6 is picked on ‘1’ and the flick-offs are on ‘&’.
Maybe I have finally observed what ‘combining them in one flowing sequence’ implies 
On the way down (string 1 - string 6), you pick string 1 while fretting at 8th fret, then flick to hear the 1st string at the 5th fret, then pick the 2nd string while fretting at the 8th fret, etc. etc.
Hmm - I have indeed been practicing that way when I practice going ‘down’ on its own. But it seems things are intentionally different when ‘up’ and ‘down’ are connected.
Imagine I am going to ‘up’ (string 1 to string 6) with hammer-ons and then back down (string 6 to string 1) with pull-offs, and I count 1 & 2 & etc.
String 2: 1 (pick fret 5), & (hammer fret 8)
String 1: 2 (pick fret 5), & (hammer fret 8), 3 (flick fret 8 so I hear fret 5 again)
String 2: & (pick fret 8), 4 (flick fret 8 - so I hear fret 5)
String 3: & (pick fret 7), 1 (flick fret 7 - so I hear fret 5)
etc.
and I end on the ‘4’ at string 1, fret 5 and if I repeat the loop I hammer onto string 1 fret 8 on the & after 4,
The rhythm that I used was, “(string 2) pick, hammer, (string 1) pick, hammer, (string 1) pick, flick, (string 2) pick, flick, etc.” I’m pretty sure that this is what Justin does in the video.
Neither way is right or wrong, just different. The goal is to build the finger dexterity and strength to perform both hammer-ons and flick-offs.
YMMV
I’ve watched the video an number of times and read the comments above and still can’t work out the sequence for picking and flick offs.
So as @Beatup6String notes…
… when do you move finger 1 when going from string 1 to 2 and then 2 to 3? Is it:
String 1: (pick fret 5), (hammer fret 8), (flick fret 8 so I hear fret 5 again)
String 2: move pinky to 8 (pick fret 8), move finger 1 to 5 (flick fret 8 - so I hear fret 5)
or do you flick off at the same time as moving finger 1 to fret 5?
flick just as you fret the target note. So as your finger goes down on 5 flick off 8.
If you flick to soon you will have the open string ring out.
A little early and the 5th fret will muted, dead or partially dead.
Practice the timing in isolation before applying it to this practice.
Do this for all note “pairs” on each string.
And as most things when you go back to the exercise take it real ssssslllllllllooooooowwww.
Hope that helps.
Thanks @TheMadman_tobyjenner. Just had another look at video and it looks like Justin is picking when the finger is down on fret 8 or 7, then placing finger 1 on the 5th fret, and then flicking off 8 or 7. So the sequence is fret 8 (or 7), pick , fret 5, flick off. He shows this from 5:17 in the video.
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I have to ask the question because I don’t think that it’s mentioned in the lesson but what is the reason for learning legato. Where would I use this?
@Stuartw Legato is a technique that was used for playing fast but has since been replaced by shredding where every note is picked.
There are certain songs that use this. To play them authentically you would need to know the technique. For example “Lazy” by Deep Purple:
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Hey Stuart,
Legato is extremely common in all types of music. Its pretty much an essential core skill. Basically, sounding notes without picking them - hammer ons, pulloffs, and infinite combinations.
Cheers, Shane
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Have come to realise that so spending quite a lot of each practice working on this. More than the 5mins. Justin suggests!!
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I’m having trouble on the timing with a metronome. I’m using the metronome playing the first note on the beat and doing hammer on on the &. But when it comes to the turn around to descend I lose the timing. Where in the beat does that first pull off land on?