Tapping A Different Approach. Pt 2

I'm back everybody! I decided to follow up my previous lesson on tapping manipulations to bring tapping into a more advanced professional light. Here we're going to expand on this underrated technique and make it worth while.

This "Different Approach" is actually named from just what it describes. I gained inspiration from my friend Denis who plays piano apart from his rhythm and leads in our band group. I combined this with a few videos I saw of Eric Mongrain, who plays fervent Air Tap Guitar (where an acoustic is laid flat across the lap like a lap steel and played by a combination of tapped fretting and tradional pluck/strumming). I started snapping out of my conservative thinking that tapping is restricted to accented notes and that the left hand must do more work. I realized that a guitar can be played like a piano when you cross both hands over to the fretboard.

But first in order to accomplish this freedom, we must free these hands vertically (string to string), my previous lesson (pt. 1) addresses moving freely across the frets, now it's time to approach the other dimension.

A fun rewarding way is to tap scales. Even if you can't pick or play legato that fast, this one will boost you up something fierce. Let's have a look at the A minor scale box at the 5th fret (The box starts at the root note, simple enough? )

e|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|----------------------|-A-|---|---|-C-|----------
b|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|----------------------|-E-|---|---|-G-|----------
g|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|----------------------|-C-|---|-D-|---|----------
D|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|----------------------|-G-|---|-A-|---|----------
A|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|----------------------|-D-|---|-E-|---|----------
E|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|----------------------|-A-|---|---|-C-|----------
 5 6 7 8 again in scale notes 5 6 7 8

Practice going up and down this scale about 3 times to prep the framework, what we want to accomplish here is some independent fretting capabilities for the left hand. Now what we're going to do is hammer the scale keeping the right hand off of the strings altogether:

Hammer-ons all through

e|-------------------------------5--8---------------------------------------
b|-------------------------5--8--------5--8---------------------------------
g|-------------------5--7--------------------5--7---------------------------
D|-------------5--7--------------------------------5--7---------------------
A|-------5--7--------------------------------------------5--7---------------
E|-5--8--------------------------------------------------------5--8---------

The important thing here is to avoid sounding the open strings on your pull-off, on higher gain, one doesn't have to hammer as hard, but the strings will easily sound on the pull off due to gain-based sensitivity. Conversely on a strat or telecaster with some overdrive, the pull-off noise shouldn't be too much of a problem, however you must hammer-on a bit harder.

To further address the string noise problem, typically higher-gain players will follow the strings with a palm mute like so:

M - signifies the palm touching the string at a palm-muting position

e|-------------------------------5--8---------------------------------------
b|-------------------------5--8--------5--8---------------------------------
g|-------------------5--7--------M--M--------5--7---------------------------
D|-------------5--7--------M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--7---------------------
A|-------5--7--------M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--7---------------
E|-5--8--------M--M--M--M--M--M--------M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--8---------

It would be the same palm position as if you picked this passage; some follow more close behind:

e|-------------------------------5--8---------------------------------------
b|-------------------------5--8--M--M--5--8---------------------------------
g|-------------------5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7---------------------------
D|-------------5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7---------------------
A|-------5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7---------------
E|-5--8--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--8---------

Right behind the next string. On the way back up (towards your face or the treble horn of your guitar) the left hand fingers typically mute the strings by laying across them to fret the note's above them, like this:

Illustration: the fingers are resting over strings g thru e to play D

..____/""\/""\/""\/""\___________________________________________
11____| || || || |___________________________________________
11____| || || || |________________________()_________________
11____| || || || |____()______()______________________()_____
11____\../| |\../\../________________________()_________________
11________\../___________________________________________________
'' (____)

F - fingers sort of "hugging" the strings or blanketing them
M - same

Fingers resting, now they're muting

e|-F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--5--8--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F---------
b|-F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--5--8--M--M--5--8--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F---------
g|-F--F--F--F--F--F--5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7--F--F--F--F--F--F---------
D|-F--F--F--F--5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7--F--F--F--F---------
A|-F--F--5--7--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--7--F--F---------
E|-5--8--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--5--8---------

You're all covered there, or a looser pattern will suffice:

e|-F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F--------5--8--------F--F--F--F--F--F--F--F---------
b|-F--F--F--F--F--F--------5--8--------5--8--------F--F--F--F--F--F---------
g|-F--F--F--F--------5--7--------M--M--------5--7--------F--F--F--F---------
D|-F--F--------5--7--------M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--7--------F--F---------
A|-------5--7--------M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--7---------------
E|-5--8--------M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--M--------5--8---------

These are two slightly varied approaches, you may not even need to mute at all, the examples here should give you the general gist of your hand control.

Hammer this now:

e|-5--8---------------------------------------------------------------------
b|-------5--8--------5--8---------------------------------------------------
g|-------------5--7--------5--7--------5--7---------------------------------
D|-------------------------------5--7--------5--7--------5--7---------------
A|-------------------------------------------------5--7--------5--7---------
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------5--8---

Lets put this on the back burner and introduce our tapping finger and slowly work our way into this:

Here is the expanded scale box that we'll be using:

e|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|---|-O-|---------|-A-|---|---|-C-|---|-D-|
b|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|---|-O-|---------|-E-|---|---|-G-|---|-A-|
g|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|---------|-C-|---|-D-|---|-E-|---|
D|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|---------|-G-|---|-A-|---|---|-C-|
A|---|-O-|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|---------|-D-|---|-E-|---|---|-G-|
E|---|-O-|---|---|-O-|---|-O-|---------|-A-|---|---|-C-|---|-D-|
 5 6 7 8 9 10

What it means to your left and right hands

e|---|-H-|---|---|-H-|---|-T-|
b|---|-H-|---|---|-H-|---|-T-| The notes are in a clean little box, the 
g|---|-H-|---|-H-|---|-T-|---| pointer finger stays in one fret whereas
D|---|-H-|---|-H-|---|---|-T-| the tapper almost does with the acception
A|---|-H-|---|-H-|---|---|-T-| of the g-string.
E|---|-H-|---|---|-H-|---|-T-|

 .                               |-A-|---|---|---|---|---|
 .                               |-E-|---|---|---|---|-A-|
 You may have also noticed this: |-C-|---|---|---|-E-|---|
 the notes repeat themselves     |-G-|---|---|---|---|-C-|
 again just 5 frets down...      |-D-|---|---|---|---|-G-|
 .                               |---|---|---|---|---|-D-|

Hopefully you can develop a sound way to keep the strings muted as you tap and hammer, those are a few pointers. Some artists just quiet the strings with a small cushion that rests on the strings near the 1st fret, any release is just quieted immediately, though you can't play your open strings. I never use those, I feel as though I'm cheating or something. 'tsup ta you.

Now we'll get our hands moving vertically. Slowly at first, we'll try this, pay attention to the repeat signs:

 |---4x--| |---4x--| |--4x--| |---4x--| |---4x--| |---4x--|
e|---t10-p8-p5-------------------------------------------------------------
b|---------------t10-p8-p5-------------------------------------------------
g|---------------------------t9-p7-p5--------------------------------------
D|--------------------------------------t10-p7-p5--------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------------t10-p7-p5--------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------t10-p8-p5--

This way you can get the feel of tapping out the 3nps pattern a few times before transitioning to the next string. Pay attention to how the next pattern sounds when you change strings (say... from e down to b). Is it choked? jerky? Did you transition too quickly and sound an open string? Are you gripping the neck too hard? The goal is to get every tap cycle perfect, especially when you're transitioning. Once you feel confident, knock it down to 3x a piece, then two... eventually you can just tap down the scale e to E! Now we're moving vertically!

Now up from E to e!

e|---------------------------------------------------------t10-p8-p5-------
b|----------------------------------------------t10-p8-p5------------------
g|------------------------------------t9-p7-p5-----------------------------
D|-------------------------t10-p7-p5---------------------------------------
A|--------------t10-p7-p5--------------------------------------------------
E|---t10-p8-p5-------------------------------------------------------------

Now ASCENDING from E to e!

e|--------------------------------------------------------h5-h8-t10--------
b|---------------------------------------------h5-h8-t10-------------------
g|-----------------------------------h5-h7-t9------------------------------
D|------------------------h5-h7-t10----------------------------------------
A|-------------h5-h7-t10---------------------------------------------------
E|--h5-h8-t10--------------------------------------------------------------

This one's tricky; don't spike the open string with your tap finger as you transition! Remember what you did when you were hammering on without the right hand altogether and remember your muting techniques! If need be, do each cycle four times as shown earlier and work your way up.

Now a really cool lick to play!

e|--------------------------------------------------------------
b|--------------------------------------------------------------
g|---------------------------------t9-p7-p5---------------------
D|---t10-p7-p5------------------------------t10-p7-p5-----------
A|-------------t10-p7-p5------------------------------t10-p7-p5-
E|-----------------------t10-p8-p5------------------------------

e|--------------------------------t10-p8-p5---------------------
b|---t10-p8-p5------------------------------t10-p8-p5-----------
g|-------------t9-p7-p5-------------------------------t9-p7-p5--
D|----------------------t10-p7-p5-------------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------------------

e|--------------------------------------------------------------
b|--------------------------------------------------------------
g|--------------------------------------------------------------
D|---t10-p7-p5--------------------------------------------------
A|-------------t10-p7-p5----------------------------------------
E|-----------------------t10-p8-p5--///vibrato out///-----------

There are many other scales you can tap just pick a scale box and expand and extra note per string but tap the extras down, up, descending, ascending, your choice, your solo.

E Minor 12th Fret Box

e|-------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|---------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|-O-|
b|-------|-O-|-O-|---|-O-|---|---------|-O-|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|
g|-------|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|---------|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|
D|-------|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|-BECOMES-|-O-|---|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|
A|-------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|---------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|-O-|
E|-------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|---------|-O-|---|-O-|-O-|---|-O-|
 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16 17

OR

e|-------|-H-|---|-H-|-H-|---|-T-|
b|-------|-H-|-H-|---|-H-|---|-T-|
g|-------|-H-|---|-H-|---|-H-|-T-|
D|-------|-H-|---|-H-|---|-H-|-T-|
A|-------|-H-|---|-H-|-H-|---|-T-|
E|-------|-H-|---|-H-|-H-|---|-T-|

Tappy Trails! I'm still not done yet... tune in for part 3!

Comments

[guitarmaniac88]

Took me a while, but I see what your saying.

[Roopelatvalafan]

well looks nice.. going to give it a try tomorrow.. time for some sleep now..zzz

[leftylikejimi]

Good. I can tell you took your time on this by the way you explained how to keep everything clean by muting. That is something hardly anyone does in depth.

[negativcreep187]

great lesson, however, thats the A Minor Pentatonic

the A Minor Scale is A B C D E F G

at th 5th fret this would look like:


|-G-|---|-A-|---|---|
|---|---|-E-|-F-|---|
|-- -|-B-|-C-|---|-D-|
|-F-|---|-G-|---|-A-|
|-C-|---|-D-|---| -E-|
|---|---|-A-|---|-B-|


cant wait for part 3

[ironwolg]

good job, the only thing i would add is mentioning that the "expanded scale" is the first and second modes. really good lesson, i use the same technique, although i'm not very good with tapping yet lol. if you're any good at 8 finger tapping please put up a lesson

[naedman]

That was a great lesson. It really gave me some ideas on how to branch our from only tapping on a single string. Can't wait for number 3. Keep up the good work!