tapping...tastefully.

[LarryJ]

I recall reading that EricV was gonna do an article called 'tap it' but I can't seem to find it, so I assume he never got around to it. Jeez, what a jerk. With the mountains of money this guy makes writing articles to help us be better players, you think he'd get around to actually writing one once in a while! :rolleyes:

Anyways, that aside, I'm looking for some help on tapping. I am fairly skilled at it, cause I've been working on lots of VH and 'the four seasons' as covered by Paul Gilbert, but I can't fit it into any of my playing. I really love the sound of it, and it seems like a great way to speed things up, but I'm lost when I try to do it in the context of a song. Sometimes it will come out alright, cause I know what sounds okay from practice, but what are some tricks to doing it tastefully? One stumbling point I have is having it flow from a lick, into a tapping lick and back, it's like hitting a brick wall. Any tips on this?

Also, specifically, I'm looking more for help with the tapped right hand note, things like intervals to try or whatever. I assume tapping the notes of a chord would be a good start, as well as the harmonic spacings (5/7/12 etc) but are there any other things to keep in mind when using this technique? If this requires clarification, please let me know, sometimes I have trouble getting to the point...

Thanks in advance,

-Larry

[Thorsten]

I see tapping only as another way to play notes. It´s not like "here´s the normal solo and, watch out, now comes the tapping trick".

I only use the technique when there´s no other way left to play certain notes or I prefer the sound I get from tapping playing certain notes.

So instead of thinking where to put the tapping trick you should think of the notes you want to play first and then apply the technique. That way it will "morph" into your "normal" playing smoothly.

I think that goes for any technique. Sweeping, string skipping, tapping, whatever...you should think of the notes you wanna play first and then apply the technique not vice versa!

A good example for somebody who applied tapping very tastefully (aside from Eddie) would be Vito Bratta from White Lion. He always used it in context to the song and sometimes you couldn´t even hear that he was tapping cause it was just flowing with the rest of the solo.

TK

[szulc]

I agree with Thorsten on this, but there are times when a technique can give you ideas you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

I suggest first trying to use tapping as a means of playing ordinary scales just play the highest note with your right hand.
Then use tapping to extend the reach of the left hand to play more notes on a string than normal (4 or More).

One thing I remember hearing Nuno do was repeat everything up an octave with taps (Listen to the breaks on "Decadence Dance" from PornoGraphitti). Another cool thing Nuno did was combine Arpeggios on multiple strings with string skipping (Listen to "Get The Funk Out").

Vito usually used the taps to create interval leaps and also to play line you would normally play left handed with a more legato sound.

Eddie really exploited the triad thing, a lot of people didn't pay much attention to his use of taps for artificial harmonics (Listen to the intro to "Women In Love" or "Dance The Night Away" from VH II).

George Lynch uses taps to extend his scalar lines (Listen to "Mr Scary").

Satraini uses taps very tastefully in "Midnight"

Then there is Stanley Jordan .....

[LarryJ]

I knew this would come up, and I agree with both of you. However, when i'm just sitting around jamming, tapping can definitly give me some ideas that i just come up with and sound cool on the spot, after all, tapping isn't the sort of music I make in my head.

Vito and Nuno are two of my current favorite players, so I appreciate the info on their styles, I'm getting some good idea's out of this post...keep them coming :)

I'm looking for how players throw it in too...do they lead right into it with a fast line, or do they stop things, and then start tapping, start slow then build up etc. Also, do they start tapping on a note they had just played (for continuity) or do they just play something completly different. I realize all of these probably apply, and rules are made to be broken...but are there any rules as to how tapping will fit?

[szulc]

The rules are the same for any line no matter how you execute it.
Just because you are executing the note with a different technique doesn't mean the rules change. Does the line fit the chord change? If yes then you can use it if no try a different line.
Unless the line is going by quickly and creating a particular type of tension it must fit.

Listen to Greg Howe for a mindblowing example of seamless tapping to picking.