Two Hands Tapping

Most of you are probably quite familiar with the cliched tapping licks like fast trills, three and four note patterns, etc. Here I will show you some unconventional but very cool uses for this great technique:

First, the notes in brackets are notes to be fretted by the right (or picking) hand. The conventional 'T' notation for tapping would make many of these examples very difficult to read and understand.

This example uses the 'reaching over' technique which I think was pioneered by Eddie Van Halen. Here, the right hand holds down a fretted note while the left hand plays legato lines on the same string:

Fig 1:

e|-15p13p12p(3)h12h13h15p13p12p(3)/(12)h15~
B|-----------------------------------------
G|-----------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------
A|-----------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------

Another technique involves using multiple right hand fingers to tap on the string. This is used by a few guitarists including Steve Vai, but Jenifer Batten is most famous for it (and is very good at it! )

Fig2:

e|-----------------------------------------
B|-0h12h15h(17)h(19)p(17)p15p12p0----------
G|-----------------------------------------
D|-----------------------------------------
A|-----------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------

This can be taken further to play piano-like arpeggios as in Joe Satriani's 'Midnight'. Here is an excerpt from that song

Fig3:
repeat 3X
e|-----------------------------------------
B|-------(12)-----------------------------
G|-----------------------------------------
D|-------------(12)------------------------
A|----9------------------------------------
E|-7---------------------------------------
                                repeat 3X
e|-----------------------------------------
B|---------(14)----------------------------
G|-----------------------------------------
D|-----11--------(14)----------------------
A|-10--------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------

There are many other approaches with tapping that can be used. Fortunately, tapping is an area of guitar technique that is far from exhausted, so feel free to be innovative.

Comments

[crazybryan]

What the hell! That said nothing about tapping!

[john7grains]

uh uh, wtf is that man

[pau_since1969]

is there any hard lessons?

[TRANAISGOOD311]

extremely gay,, thought this was a lesson on tapping?

[ssj4vegetajr76]

hey dumb asses if you would read...and have done one habd tapping you would get the lesson

[the fendernator]

blatantly that article was sh*t

[jetman_james]

good lesson but the excerpts are hard to follow. try making your own and then posting them in a more tab friendly way.

[Vinura]

give some credit to the guy that did this

HE DID IT

U DIDNT!!!

If u cant appreciate somone trying to help u then i think u need to get someone to pull that carrot out of your ass

and if u cant do that then do what jetman_james said

[death_metal]

that DID have to do with tapping. Just the use of the word Two Hand Tapping, applies to regular tapping unless you only have one hand and your having someone else do it for you.

I'm trying to learn 2 handed trilling, now that would be an a good one for an article, I'm pretty close too.

[shmeegle]

Bit short, and the first bit is an example of right over left tenique. you're better of covering the whole first fret with your right hand tho. besides that, not bad

[Greenback]

Why is everyone always so angry on the internet?
Give this guy a break!

[rollerboyz]

k if u guys don't understand what this lesson no effence to you but ur not a very good guitar player. i'm 15 and i understand it perfectly and if u don't get it u don't need to swear ur head off and take ur anger out on the guy who made it just cause u suck. god.

[eruption is me]

i agree

[bwillis1632]

I agree with Vinura "the carrot needs to be removed," by the way great article.

[simonzwaan]

if u think it sucks go do it better and then we can criticise(or however u spell it) you

[NamAim1991]

Haha. The internet is filled full of angry n00bs. Tis funny. I personally thought it was very infomrative. Maybe not a complete lesson on two hand tapping, but it gives me an idea of what to do. Kudos

[axe_man]

if u dnt lik it, get off ur fat ass and do one urself if u think ur an amazingly immense tapping expert, i think this is allrite actually just a bit hard to understand

[metaled]

this guy said somtething about tapping

[krung]

thats piece of shit dude just kidding it rocks!!!!!

[GlobalSG]

since you guys are waiting for a real guitar player to step up, then i guess i showed up just in time.

this is the method:
first, you pluck the string using the right hand pointer finger over the fret that you are going to tap ( it will be represented by T) with your left hand finger over whatever fret you want to sound.
second, you hammer on to the next fret with your LEFT hand finger.
third, you hammer on with your right hand pointer that you used in step one over the desired tapping fret. just rinse and repeat over and over really fast.

here's an example that i wrote:
p h T p h T p h T p h T p h T
e-0-3-7-0-3-7-0-3-7-0-3-7-0-3-7-----
b-----
g-----
d-- ---
a-----
E-----

it takes tons of practice at first, but with time, you'll get it.
that lesson was explained terribly, no offence=)

[GlobalSG]

crap, my example din't show up right,...dang

[doz3]

Narr I thought it was good, nice one.

[Depression]

Vinura's comment: +1, u make better if u can
i don't think u can

[Smithsc]

wow two whole licks and and one that has nothing to do with tapping, and no instruction at all, thanx alot.

[dragnrider9]

wat your talking about is the touch technique pioneered by ma mr.stanley jordan.