They should have been called “pop-offs”.
I don’t mean any disrespect to the great Pete Seeger who brought us modern tablature and named the pull-off, it’s just that if you only pull your finger off of the string, it may not ring. If you pop the string with the edge of your fingertip, you’ll hear it ring out.
Try it.
Play a note on the first string (bottom) and instead of lifting your finger up and away from the string, pop the string by pulling down and away, sort of plucking it with your fingertip.
Summary
Article Name
Guitar Pull-offs Were Named Wrong
Description
They should have been called "pop-offs". If you only pull your finger off of the string, it may not ring. If you pop it with your fingertip, it will ring out.
Author
Bryan Wade