pull-off
A guitar technique where a fretting finger plucks the string as it lifts off, sounding a lower note.
In Depth
Pull-offs are the descending counterpart to hammer-ons. The player frets two notes simultaneously, picks the higher note, then pulls the higher finger slightly sideways and off the string, causing the lower note to ring. The pulling motion gives the string enough energy to sustain. Pull-offs and hammer-ons together create the fluid legato lines characteristic of rock, blues, and jazz guitar soloing.
Eddie Van Halen's tapping technique is essentially rapid hammer-ons and pull-offs performed with both hands, extending the technique to its logical extreme.