Interesting tapping ideas thread

[Gothic Headhunter]

If you have any interesting tapping ideas, this is the place to share them. Also, any scales that sound good for tapping should be posted.Basicly, if You have anything to do with tapping, please post it hear.

 

[phrygian12]

Here's a neat little tapping lick I came up with for some students to use their right hands middle and ring finger for tapping.

It's nothing special it's just a flashy sounding lick, you could use if to get from point A to point B really fast, or even break it down into groupings.

It should something like this, just excuse my horrible playing, but you get the idea when you hear the lick.
C#m Tapping thing by Dr.Spaceman on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

 

[SirMyghin]

Check out Stanley Jordan for some interesting tapping ideas. No one has really taken touch style much further than that. It is a whole lot more than the simple applications you see in modern metal music. Tapping basslines and melodies (or in Jordans case, comping AND melodies) is pretty tough. The linear runs you see in guitar solos are dead simple by comparison

 

[phrygian12]

Check out Stanley Jordan for some interesting tapping ideas. No one has really taken touch style much further than that. It is a whole lot more than the simple applications you see in modern metal music. Tapping basslines and melodies (or in Jordans case, comping AND melodies) is pretty tough. The linear runs you see in guitar solos are dead simple by comparison

Don't forget Adam fulura, Both players have instructional videos.

Though when you get to that level of tapping accompanying chords,walking bass lines, even counter point melodies and what not, Gotta ask yourself " Why don't I just play a piano?" Standley Jordan is one of a kind, His stairway to heaven cover was amazing not to mention his version of Autumn Leaves too.

Also the guy seems to be immortal. Honestly He does not look like a 50 something year old man. I wonder if he and Marty Friedman drink the blood of 20 female virgins every 200 years or something.

 

[SirMyghin]

Don't forget Adam fulura, Both players have instructional videos.

Though when you get to that level of tapping accompanying chords,walking bass lines, even counter point melodies and what not, Gotta ask yourself " Why don't I just play a piano?" Standley Jordan is one of a kind, His stairway to heaven cover was amazing not to mention his version of Autumn Leaves too.

You have more control over the note on a guitar than a piano. Slides, bends, vibrato. I have often considerred buying a set of keys to help me learn to play like that though (just to break the hands to independence better). There are advantages (control) and disadvantages (limited # of playable notes at once) to using a guitar though.

 

[phrygian12]

You have more control over the note on a guitar than a piano. Slides, bends, vibrato. I have often considerred buying a set of keys to help me learn to play like that though (just to break the hands to independence better). There are advantages (control) and disadvantages (limited # of playable notes at once) to using a guitar though.

Actually, when it comes to 8 finger tapping, you have more control over notes with a piano, you can't attack strings with very much Dynamics as a pianist could. You can't play softly and and gradually increase how loud you play, I mean you could but then the notes will sound slightly out of tune, because you're tapping them way to hard and your pickups would catch you hitting the neck giving everything you hit a " thud sound" not to mention overtones that if you're not muting properly or have some sort of muting device, you'll get some pretty nasty unwanted overtones. You're also limited to the amount of chord extensions you could play, something alot of guitarist have to deal with because we don't have alot of fingers to work with let alone strings, but that's where it's our job to be creative.

Usually if we were to play something like a Major 9th chord, we would leave out the 5th since it's the least important note for us, but a pianist could play all 5 notes no problem and then with any 13th chords the same thing, actually with 13th chords, you'd want to get rid of the 5th and the Root, since the bass player would be hitting the root, leaving you to add the " Colors" to that chord.



I had gotten pretty serious about learning touch play when I first saw Standley Jordan and Justin King do it, specially T-Cophony's "Chandler" and "closed". I bought a cheap keyboard to help me with touch play, it will help you for sure, also when you practice on guitar, try it on acoustic. That'll also help you with being able to hit the notes solidly with your right fingers, it's kinda easy to hammer on all 4 fingers, it's the pull offs that are tricky because you're fingers are sort of in an awkward position, which is why some of these touch players sort of angle their guitar or they have their wrist turning slightly inward towards their chest, til your thumb is pointing down to the floor.

Also try playing a 6 note scale in unison, basically playing " Copy cat" try and make your right hand's hammer ons and pull offs sound just like your left and then try simple 3rd, 4th, and 5th harmonies to teach your brain to play 2 or more completely different finger positions.

Specially in Major 3rds, you're fingers are in two completely different finger positions 3 note per string wise. On your right hand it's pretty much 1st, 2nd and 3rd and repeat on the string above, but on your left hand you have 1st, 2nd, and 4th, then on the string above you have 1st, 3rd, and 4th. or vice versa. It takes some time to get use to, specially if you're playing on the G string because it's tuned to a 3rd instead of a 4th like all the other strings, so if you were to do that Paul Gilbert 4 note string pattern, you'd have to shift your finger up a half step on that 4th note. So not only are you playing in harmony with two different positions, you also have to shift a half step on the B string.

 

[SirMyghin]

^ I disagree about your first paragraph, I can tap loudly and quietly without going out of tune. The velocity is the important factor, not the force, and it takes some control yes, but you don't need to drive to the board to get more or less volume. For me the only restriction is still the coordination and separation of the hands.

Playing all 5 notes in a 9th chord is not necessary as 5 just enforces the root anyway really, too neutral. Playing all the notes in a 13th chord is silly, as it will be ambiguous, you are playing a whole scale at once, why bother. Ditching the 5ths will never really hurt a chord. Ditching the roots or 5th has nothing to do with tapping, and everything to do with band setting. They are both VERY easy notes to drop from a chord overall. The motion of a progression alone is enough to imply a root if you do it right. Context is everything, after all. When I approach a chord my first thoughts are 'what notes can I remove', not 'how can I play all these notes'.

As far as overall techniques, when playing that style I do away with pull offs. I prefer this style to basses. I can play hammer only legato with a greater levelness on a bass, but you are right in the overall pretext you present : Train your right hand as you would your left hand.

 

[mishabasi]

Here's a neat little tapping lick I came up with for some students to use their right hands middle and ring finger for tapping.

It's nothing special it's just a flashy sounding lick, you could use if to get from point A to point B really fast, or even break it down into groupings.

It should something like this, just excuse my horrible playing, but you get the idea when you hear the lick.
C#m Tapping thing by Dr.Spaceman on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

I like it! it sounds like something Tosin abasi would do.

 

[Grimbold]

I like it! it sounds like something Tosin abasi would do.

this

very cool

 

[Lechugaz]

Here's a neat little tapping lick I came up with for some students to use their right hands middle and ring finger for tapping.

It's nothing special it's just a flashy sounding lick, you could use if to get from point A to point B really fast, or even break it down into groupings.

It should something like this, just excuse my horrible playing, but you get the idea when you hear the lick.
C#m Tapping thing by Dr.Spaceman on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Very cool!!! Thanks!

I also came up with a tapping thing in here:

I uploaded on another thread, but just in case you guys haven't seen it:

 

[Explorer]

Although I used to participate in the tapping community for instrument/technique information, I found that a lot of the focus was on playing the same kinds of interlocking patterns which don't add up to a complete music. Jordan manages to use his instrument as a complete instrument, which makes him commercial and sets him apart from most of the others who use the technique.

I have Adam's DVD/book (which is good, basic stuff), but I don't think the last word has been written on using a guitar as a touchstyle instrument. A lot of what's written doesn't really go far enough.

My suggestion for those who are curious about this would be to learn as much as possible about the basics of technique, get the instrument set up as well as possible for the technique, and then get a basic piano book. Even something like the basic John Thompson Course will get one moving towards a different and *musical* goal than most tappers appear to seek.

(I'm still hoping Bill Burke puts out his long-awaited 8-string touchstyle instructional DVD, and just sent him an email asking if it's on the verge of release yet.)

 

[stuglue]

Hi guys, my tapping technique is firmly based in the more lead guitar school as opposed to the unaccompanied 8 finger style that some of you described.
As a pick player I don't want to be putting it down so I have developed a way of tapping that keys me hold of the pick but tap with more than one finger.
Most of you will already tap with your second finger but I've been working on taps with the second in combination with the third or fourth digit.
the way I see it is that if you want to avoid three Eddie Van Halen sound there are three things to avoid
1. He played a lot of triplets
2. He played a lot of major and minor triads
3. He only used one finger to tap with

My tapping approach expands on the Eddie style but I
1. Play 16th notes
2. Play arpeggios with 7th and 9th extensions
3. Use two fingers to tap with

As an example here's a cool sounding dominant 7th arpeggio
Pick your open G string with your first finger fretting hand hammer on at the 4th fret
Then hammer on the 7th fret with your pinky.
With your second finger on your picking hand tap the 10th fret
With your pinky finger of your tapping hand tap the 12 th fret, now pull off and descend down back though those notes until you start the pattern again.
The notes you get are G,B,D,F,G, so 5 notes but you go up 4 and come down 4. Perfect 49ers notes.

 

[stuglue]

Perfect 16th notes I meant.
You can adapt this approach so that you use three fretting hand fingers plus two tapping fingers, the end result is always sixteenth notes

 

[stuglue]

Also you don't always have to start with the fretting hand notes first, you can start on the taps first and you still maintain the sixteenth notes

 

[ChronicConsumer]

I like to play a minor 7th arpeggio, tapping each note a perfect fifth above the note I'm playing. Picked it up somewhere in a Govan lesson on youtube, love it.

 

[Solodini]

Hi guys, my tapping technique is firmly based in the more lead guitar school as opposed to the unaccompanied 8 finger style that some of you described.
As a pick player I don't want to be putting it down so I have developed a way of tapping that keys me hold of the pick but tap with more than one finger.
Most of you will already tap with your second finger but I've been working on taps with the second in combination with the third or fourth digit.
the way I see it is that if you want to avoid three Eddie Van Halen sound there are three things to avoid
1. He played a lot of tripletS
2. He played a lot of major and minor triads
3. He only used one finger to tap with

My tapping approach expands on the Eddie style but I
1. Play 16th notes
2. Play arpeggios with 7th and 9th extensions
3. Use two fingers to tap with

As an example here's a cool sounding dominant 7th arpeggio
Pick your open G string with your first finger fretting hand hammer on at the 4th fret
Then hammer on the 7th fret with your pinky.
With your second finger on your picking hand tap the 10th fret
With your pinky finger of your tapping hand tap the 12 th fret, now pull off and descend down back though those notes until you start the pattern again.
The notes you get are G,B,D,F,G, so 5 notes but you go up 4 and come down 4. Perfect 49ers notes.

Using more varied rhythms than just constant notes of the same length is a good way to not sound like EVH/someone who has just learned the technique. Generally helps to make it sound like a legit part of a song, rather than just humouring the shredder of the band.

 

[Grimbold]

Using more varied rhythms than just constant notes of the same length is a good way to not sound like EVH/someone who has just learned the technique. Generally helps to make it sound like a legit part of a sig, rather than just humouring the shredder of the band.

solodini is on point

 

[iRaiseTheDead]

Sweet

 

[BringerOfBlood]

I know its not totally uber-proggy, but this tosin abassi lick is pretty cool and can be applied on any appergio


www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5rimapyjUo

 

[Fiction]

A good way to not sound like EVH is tap on more then 1 string, octaves are good and "bouncing" off is something I like todo with tapping.

G|----7---14------------17-|
D|--------------7----14-----|
A|-5-------------------------

Sorry if it looks terribly done, I'm on a phone, but I like to utilize mostly 3-4 strings when I tap and do a lot of stuff in that style. Tabbed above is The first thing I played that came to my head. I just try to play a chord with my left and tap a melody. Sometimes I change the note duration and rythmn, but a lot of the time I just bounce back and forth in 8th/16th notes.