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Tapping refers to using the picking hand to hammer-on notes, usually involving arpeggiating a chord using all legato techniques on a single string. It is generally used as a speed technique, as it can be used to cleanly play a rapid succession of notes. It was made popular by Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads but is common for most lead players now.
Tapping is indicated via a "t" in tab.
== PreReqs ==
* [[Basic Technique]]
* [[Legato (Hammer-on, Pull-off)]]
== Technique ==
=== Root Position ===
==== Major ====
|---P5----|
|-M3-|-m3-|
--5----9----12--
--t12-p5-h9-t12-p5-h9-t12-p5-h9-t12-p5-h9-t12--
==== Minor====
|---P5----|
|-m3-|-M3-|
--5----8----12--
--t12-p5-h8-t12-p5-h8-t12-p5-h8-t12-p5-h8-t12--
=== 1st Inversion ===
==== Major ====
|---m6----|
|-m3-|-P4-|
--4----7----12--
--t12-p4-h7-t12-p4-h7-t12-p4-h7-t12-p4-h7-t12--
--t12-p7-p4-t12-p7-p4-t12-p7-p4-t12-p7-p4-t12--
==== Minor====
|---M6----|
|-M3-|-P4-|
--3----7----12--
--t12-p3-h7-t12-p3-h7-t12-p3-h7-t12-p3-h7-t12--
=== 2nd Inversion ===
==== Major ====
|---M6----|
|-P4-|-M3-|
--3----8----12--
--t12-p3-h8-t12-p3-h8-t12-p3-h8-t12-p3-h8-t12--
--t12-p8-p3-t12-p8-p3-t12-p8-p3-t12-p8-p3-t12--
==== Minor ====
|---m6----|
|-P4-|-m3-|
--4----9----12--
--t12-p4-h9-t12-p4-h9-t12-p4-h9-t12-p4-h9-t12--
== Advanced ==
Here are the same arpeggios from above, but arranged to make the sequence more interesting (and complicated!). Instead of repeating every 3 notes, these patterns repeat every 10 notes.
--t12-p9-p5-t12-p5-p9-t12-p5-t12-p9-t12-p9-p5-t12-p5-h9-t12-p5-t12-p9-t12-
--t12-p8-p5-t12-p5-p8-t12-p5-t12-p8-t12-p8-p5-t12-p5-h8-t12-p5-t12-p8-t12-
--t12-p7-p4-t12-p4-p7-t12-p4-t12-p7-t12-p7-p4-t12-p4-h7-t12-p4-t12-p7-t12-
--t12-p7-p3-t12-p3-p7-t12-p3-t12-p7-t12-p7-p3-t12-p3-h7-t12-p3-t12-p7-t12-
--t12-p8-p3-t12-p3-p8-t12-p3-t12-p8-t12-p8-p3-t12-p3-h8-t12-p3-t12-p8-t12-
--t12-p9-p4-t12-p4-p9-t12-p4-t12-p9-t12-p9-p4-t12-p4-h9-t12-p4-t12-p9-t12-
== Timing ==
The ameteur player never worries about how many arpeggios he taps per beat - he just taps as fast as he can. And he sounds like an ameteur. Spend some time to work on your timing to make sure each note has the proper duration and fits the rhythm.
Most tapping consists of simple 3 note ascending or descending arpeggios. These are commonly written as 16th note triplets, that's 6 notes per beat, or 2 arpeggios per beat. These are usually very simple to play to a beat, especially if the first note of the arpeggio is the tapped note - your right hand will tap on the beats and the "ands" between the beats. So
1 n uh and n uh 2 n uh and n uh 3 n uh and n uh 4 n uh and n uh 1
---------6:4---------- ---------6:4---------- ---------6:4---------- ---------6:4----------
t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--h9--t12---
Here's a pattern of 2 triads + 2 additional notes, equalling 8 notes. When played as 16th notes, these consume 2 beats:
1 uh and uh 2 uh and uh 3 uh and uh 4 uh and uh 1 uh and
--t12-p9--p5--t12-p5--p9--t12-p5--t12-p9--p5--t12-p5--h9--t12-p5--t12-p5--h9--
Where it gets tricky is when the tapping pattern doesn't repeat, or doesn't repeat on the beat.
== Other Techniques/Uses ==
=== Tap and Bend/Bend and Tap ===
While tapping is often done for speed and arpeggios, it also works well to hammer-on a note higher than an accented, sustained note. See the example below:
e-------5----t17--
b-5-6-8-----------
E F G A A
Here we ascend the A Minor scale up to A, then tap the octave above.
e-----------------
b-5-6-8-b10--ht22--
E F G A A
Here's the same phrase, but we're bending into the A, then tapping. Notice the tab says to tap the 22nd fret, but this is misleading. We actually tap the 20th fret. See the 'h'? That means hold, so we hold the prior bend. The number '22' indicates the desired pitch, not the actual fret. Since we were using a whole bend from 8 to 10, we tap a step below the A (fret 20 instead of 22). We continue to hold the bend with our left hand while tapping with the right hand.
e--------------------
b-5-6-8b10--ht17r15--
E F G A E D
Here's the same thing, but after tapping (we initially tap on the 15th fret, which is bent to the pitch of the 17th), we release the bend. This allows the pitch descend from the high E to the D - the natural pitch of the 15th fret.
=== Trill ===
--t17tr5-t16tr6-t14tr8-t12tr10--
Here's a series of trills where both notes change each beat. The low and high notes seem to converge.
== 2-3 Octave Tapped Arpeggios ==
The idea here is to hammer-on/tap or pull-off all the notes, moving diagonal and skipping strings, so there is one octave per string. Each string repeats the same interval pattern and notes, only in different octaves.
E-----------------------------------------------------
B--------------------h10h13t17p13p10------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------
D-----------h7-h10t14---------------t14p10p7----------
A-----------------------------------------------------
E--h5-h8-t12---------------------------------t12p8-p5-
i p + i p + i p + p i + p i + p i
== Two-Hand Tapping ==
'''Two-hand''' or '''8-Finger Tapping''' is a technique that uses hammered-on notes from most to all fingers of both the left and right hands. It differs from plain ole tapping in that it approaches playing the guitar from a completely different perspective. While traditional tapping might appear for a phrase in a solo, two-hand tapping tends to be used exclusively for an entire song or major section of a song.
Two hand tapping allows arpeggiation of complex chords and fast movement from low to high registers, or vice versa. Its weaknesses are that it generally allows less expression (including the ability to accent) on each note and is difficult to play melodies that cover a smaller range of notes.
Unlike traditional tapping that uses several notes on the same string, two-hand tapping often involves hammering-on every note on various strings without pull-offs. The key to getting the technique right is to perform clean hammer-ons and get good mutes when releasing the notes. The hammer-ons must be precise, not hitting unused strings causing additional noise. A compressor is often used to even out note dynamics and lengthen sustain, ''but it is not a replacement for solid technique.'' The compressor will also make unwanted fret and string noise more apparent. Also, the hammer-ons should try to achieve equal dynamics without compression, as the differences will still be noticeable both in tone and how hard the compressor kicks on.
The biggest issue with this technique is muting undesirable ringing open strings. Often a wristband or a similar absorbant material is placed on top the strings over the 1st or 2nd fret to mute all the open strings.
{{top}}
== Homework ==
Practice all the tab on this page. Play each tapping pattern on multiple strings and different places on the guitar neck.
Play tapping trills for various intervals and scales on different strings and locations on the neck.
Play 2-3 octave tapped arpeggios for various chords and inversions.
Learn the tapping parts to the solos in the following songs:
* Arsis - ''We Are The Nightmare''
* Buckethead - ''Jordan''
* Bumblefoot - ''Guitars Suck''
* Dave Martone - ''Fumble Fingers''
* Dave Martone - ''Starz Scarz''
* Dragonforce - ''Valley Of The Damned''
* Dream Theater - ''Under A Glass Moon''
* Dream Theater - ''Wait For Sleep''
* Dokken - ''Tooth And Nail''
* Extreme - ''Get The Funk Out''
* Guthrie Govan - ''Fives''
* Joe Satriani - ''Satch Boogie''
* Mattias Eklundh - ''Lisa's Passion For Heavy Metal''
* Metallica - ''One''
* Mr. Big - ''Green Tinted Sixties Mind''
* Necrophagist - ''Stabwound''
* Necrophagist - ''Symbiotic In Theory''
* Necrophagist - ''Fermented Offal Discharge''
* Ozzy Osbourne - ''Crazy Train'' (beginning of solo + trills)
* Paul Gilbert - ''Four Seasons''
* Paul Gilbert - ''Get Out Of My Yard (without human capo)''
* Protest The Hero - ''Bloodmeat''
* Reb Beach - ''Black Magic''
* Steve Vai - ''Building The Church''
* Steve Vai - ''Liberty''
* Steve Vai - ''Bad Horsie''
* Steve Vai - ''The Mysterious Murder of Christian Tiera's Lover''
* Symphony X - ''Sea Of Lies''
* Symphony X - ''Of Sins And Shadows''
* Symphony X - ''Eve of Seduction''
* Van Halen - ''Dreams''
* Van Halen - ''Eruption''
* Van Halen - ''Hot For Teacher''
* Van Halen - ''Jump''
* Van Halen - ''5150''
Try These Examples of Two-Hand Tapping:
* Many songs by Scale the Summit
* [http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/music-theory-lessons-techniques/81657-advanced-tapping.html see this SSO thread][http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/music-theory-lessons-techniques/92078-8-finger-tapping-songs.html]: Jennifer Batten, Jeff Watson, Steve Lynch, Dave Celentano, Stanley Jordan, TJ Helmerich, Niels Vejlyt, Derryl Gabel, Ron Thal, Chris Broderik, Jeff Lumis, Matt Hale, Daniele Gottardo
* Joe Satriani - ''Midnight, Day at the Beach, The Forgotten Pt. 1, The Headless Horseman''
* Steve Vai - ''The Mysterious Murder of Christian Tiera's Lover'' (This is admittedly a weak example - Vai uses traditional tapping, but uses an additional finger from the right hand to extend the arpeggios one note higher.)
* Dave Martone - ''Tap Thang''
* Kiko Loureiro - ''Tapping Into My Dark Tranquility''
* Angra - ''Heroes Of Sand''
* Zack Kim - ''Super Mario Theme''
* Stanley Jordan - ''Anything''
{{top}}
== Q & A ==
== Related Lessons ==
* [[Legato (Hammer-on, Pull-off)]]
* [[Sweep Picking]] (for fast arpeggios)
{{top}}
{{Technique Crumbs|8}}
[[Category:Guitar]]
[[Category:Technique]]
[[Category:Tapping]]
[[Category:Notation]]
[[Category:Shred]]