My love of Tapping

Tapping is the one technique on guitar that I am truly in love with at the moment. Of course there are many other techniques I love to, and love just as much, but tapping is something that just stands out a little above the rest to me at moment. Its fun, exciting, challenging, provides a lot of musical options and is a lot more versatile than a lot of people give it credit for. I once heard some one say it only exists because its an easy way of playing at speed, but that person could not be more wrong.


When Eddie Van Halen started tapping back in the 1970's every one was instantly hooked, and it became the in thing among young guitar players all over the world. But more recently i feel it has become a little neglected, so I would just like to encourage people to check out this technique a little more and try bring it back into the public eye. Here is a small review of a few great tappers with some tips on how you can go about learning this skill.


Eddie Van Halen
I can not do a blog on tapping and not mention this man. Credited by many as the man who invented, or pioneered this technique, Eddie help reinvent the guitar back in the 1970's and 80's. He found a new way of playing fast , exciting licks, with this brand new, smooth and fluid sound. It was glory to the listeners ears, and mesmerising to audiences eyes. There are many video on playing like Eddie online, and I seriously think you need to check these out if you are interested in this technique, it proves their is a lot more to tapping than the basic tap pull off tap pull off licks..


George Lynch
George Lynch is another great tap guitarist. George lynch has a lead guitar sound that has a lot of edge, excitement, and skill with a great experimental element. George used tapping in a slightly more subtle manner. Dave Navarro described his tapping as 'sounding like he has a sixth finger'.


Steve Lynch
No relation to George, Steve Lynch was known as the two handed guitar player because of his high use of tapping. Steve used tapping in a variety of ways, sticking them in scales, triads, slides, and more. His sound fitted very well with his rock and roll sound, but I think it also has a sort of club like sound, and to me that is a good thing.


If you would like to learn tapping Steve lynch has a great series of videos which can be found on you tube. Just search 'Steve Lynch two hand guitarist'. In these videos he really breaks the technique down, teaching you the very basics, tapping scales, coordination and finger strength exercises, triads, theory and how he uses them in his solos. You could say its like a Pandora's box for tapping.
(I must point out I am not connected to these videos in any way, I am not writing this to advertise, just to inform you of how much I myself have learnt from it. =) )


So, get onto You Tube and check these guys out. Trust me, you will love it.


Tapping is a great way of mixing up solos and adding a slightly different sound. Why pick every note when you can tap sound?




My main advice for learning this is take it slow, make sure you practice it at lower speeds, practice plenty and let your tapping fingers strength and stamina grow easily over time.




Comment at let me know what you think about what I have written in this blog.