article about tapping?

[Bande]

Hi, guys!

Is there an article on Ibreathe about the technique called tapping?

I've been searching for it, but I only found one, called Tapping Arpeggios part 1, but that's mostly tabs, and no explanations.

I'm really interested in involving tapping into my playing, so if there's any article here about this, could you please tell me?

Thx

[wild_child]

To date, there are no dedicated articles to tapping. I believe Eric is working on one though.

hold tight!

[Jamie FT]

can't wait, I like all of eric's articles

[oRg]

I wrote a tapping article about 1 year ago for an old website of mine that is now down. I'm pretty sure that if I go back and change a few things around with the wording and examples I could put it up on a server and give a link.

[spookywooky]

I saved a few lessons on tapping I found a while ago when I became interested in it. Please note that none of the following are my work. Next to each lesson i'll note it's author.
Why can't you do html attachments!!!!!! this is going to be a long post... edit: apparently i need to shorten my post by about 22,500 characters.. hehe.. ill repost it with one or two lessons per post


---

by 'bobbbb'

Lesson 1: Simple Tapping

Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai, Dweezil Zappa, Randy Rhoads, Kirk Hammet, Eddie Van Halen. You know the style, you know the sound. But how could you ever hope to be an equal with one of these giants? Leaving aside a multimillion dollar record deal and an endorsement from an admirable guitar company, it's not too hard.
One technique that stands out is fretboard tapping. Ripping up and down the neck fluently and flawlessly while leaving the pick behind.
With these weekly lessons, wether you're old or young, beginner or expert, shred-head or curious classical musician, you too can tap!

First of all, we will be leaving our picks behind. This first lesson will concentrate, on a simple exercise using only the 1st and 3rd (or 4th depending on how well you can stretch) fingers of your fretting hand and the pointer (1st) finger of your usual picking hand. If you wish to practice using the middle finger of your picking hand you may, this would enable you to continue holding your pick with your thumb and 1st finger, which is helpful while playing live.

This first exercise has become somewhat of a cliché over the years. Technically, it's the notes in an Amin triad (A-C-E) played in an ascending pattern.

( )= tap fret
__5h8(12)_5h8(12)_5h8(12)_5h8(12)__
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

Let's talk about the technique itself, and how you would go about playing that piece.

The 1st finger of your fretting hand should be on the 5th fret, and there's really no reason for it to move from there, keep it there.
Now to get things started, you need to use your tapping finger to sort of pick the string, we're not tapping yet, just pick the string with your tapping finger so the 5th fret sounds.
Now, with your 3rd/4th finger, hammer on to the 8th fret and NOW give the 12th fret a firm tap with your tapping finger! Keep your finger there on the 12th fret because here is where it gets tricky.
Immediately after you tap the 12th fret, you need to take the 3rd/4th finger of your fretting hand OFF the 8th fret.
Now with your tapping finger, make a scooping motion towards the other 5 strings, this will pick the string and make the 5th fret sound, and viola! We are back where we started.

Practice your technique for awhile, then try it on other strings!
_____________________________________5h8(12)_
______________________________5h8(12)________
_______________________5h8(12)_______________
_______________5h8(12)_______________________
________5h8(12)______________________________
_5h8(12)_____________________________________

That's not meant to be played the way I wrote it, just practice the tapping technique on each string. We will discuss switching strings while tapping in a future lesson. I have quite a few lessons planned out, but if there is some specific kind of tapping you would like to learn about, let me know.

If you are having troubles or have any questions about this lesson or the tapping technique, let me know as well.

-----------

[spookywooky]

Let me say that this will be the first tab editor-friendly lesson. Just use your favorite tab editor (Powertab recommended) and enter the exercises I give you into them. If you don't have a tab editor, you can download the bobbbb -preferred program, Powertab, at this link:
http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org/downloads.htm
Unless I say otherwise, all of my exercises have notes which are held for equal amounts of time (all 8th notes, or quarter notes... whichever you prefer).


Lesson 2: Tapping with a Pick

This is where the origins of fretboard tapping lay. However, this technique is somewhat different than using a finger, which has become more popular. Despite the popularity of finger tapping, tapping with a pick has remained exceptionally popular.
***The best example undoubtedly lies with Joe Satriani, who uses his pick to achieve high register trills, but other players also occasionally incorporate it into their playing. Players like Ted Nugent, Kirk Hammet (who uses a pick, but taps as if he was using a finger), Adrian Smith, Kane Roberts, and Frank Zappa, who first brought the technique to attention.
***There are no set-in-stone rules for tapping with a pick, however it is agreed that the player should use either the flat side of the pick or the narrow side (obviously). I may also add that a firm, thick pick makes this technique much easier.

***Tapping with the flat side of the pick will pick the string louder once it has tapped. After all, that is the way the string is usually picked anyhow. This technique is pretty rare, at least in my listening experiences. The only example I can point out from the top of my head is Neil Young's studio version of "Cowgirl in the Sand" where he does it right before he starts singing.
***The easiest way to tap with the flat side would be to think of it as picking normally, only having the pick touch the neck. However, your picking hand should be in an awkward twisted angle below the neck with your fingers holding the pick up towards the neck. Everyone confused yet?
***Work on that position while we try an exercise, remember it's similar to picking normally. And when you tap while using the flat side, the tapped note should only sound for a split second, just as if you were regularly picking the string.

(Due to the odd nature of this technique, it would be next to impossible to transfer this lick into a tab editor without making it sound completely different, and completely wrong).
This in E major, if you wish to add it to your lick arsenal.
(For this exercise, all of the notes are 8th notes, EXCEPT the tapped notes which should only sound for a split second, as mentioned earlier)

( )= "tap" with flat side of pick
h=hammer-on
/=slide up

_(17)5h7_(17)5h7_(17)5h7_(17)5h7_(19)7h9_(19)7h9_( 19)7h9_(19)7h9_
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________
(If there is still confusion, that should sound exactly the same as if you were playing _5h7_ but with a quick little piece of noise at the beginning)
And we can advance this a bit...
_(17)5h7_(19)5h7_(21)5h7_(19)5h7_(19)7h9_(21)7h9_( 23)7h9_(21)7h9/12~_
__________________________________________________ _____________
__________________________________________________ _____________
__________________________________________________ _____________
__________________________________________________ _____________
__________________________________________________ _____________

***I am very sorry to those of you with strats and the likes. Just practice the first half to get the technique down.


***Tapping with the thin side of a pick is potentially the fastest method of tapping there is. And thankfully, it is easier to explain than tapping with the flat side. The position of your hand doesn't really matter as long as the pick is perpendicular to the string (that is, the pick crosses the string in a "+" sign). If you've sen Joe Satriani, you'll notice he holds his whole hand perpendicular along with the pick, I myself keep my hand close to its normal position but twist my fingers so the pick is perpendicular.
***The technique itself is simple, just tap a fret. As you can see, considering the quickness of the note that was played, there is potential to do this very fast.
***Here is a sample lick, we'll use E minor blues as an example. Just punch this into your favorite tab editor to hear how it should sound.

b=bend (in this case 2 half steps so it matches the 5th fret)
()=tap with pick

(Make each group of 3 8th notes into a triplet)
_5__5__5__5__5__5__5_7_5_____________
_8b_8b_8b_8b_8b_8b_______8_5_8_______repeat once
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
(These are 16th notes, make each group of 6 16th notes into a triplet)
_(15)12_(15)12_(15)12_____________________________ __________
____________________(15)12_(15)12_(15)12__________ __________
_______________________________________(14)12_(14) 12_(14)12_
__________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ ________

__________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ ________
____________________(quarter note)___________________________
_(14)12_(14)12_(14)12_(14)________________________ ___________
__________________________________________________ ________
__________________________________________________ ________

***Fun, isn't it? I might add that the FLATSIDE tapping technique works best on the high e-string. It's a bit more difficult to do on the others, but that's why we practice, right? Figure out some ways to work this stuff into your playing, write your own licks, practice hard, and above all, have fun.

***Tapping with a pick can be heard on Joe Satriani's "Surfing with the Alien", Metallica's "One", Alice Cooper's "Give it Up", and Frank Zappa's "Inca Roads".

If you have any questions about this technique, or about this lesson, or if I haven't explained this enough for you to get it, just let me know.

[spookywooky]

Lesson 3: Moving Patterns

This week we are going to look at some moving patterns that players use while tapping. These are really what tapping solos are made of. You'd never hear EVH play a solo and just tap the same thing for 4 bars, would you?

***Moving patterns can help to create many different angles and sounds. If you were a very advanced guitarist, you could compare fretboard tapping to a form of improvised chord comping in a jazz setting. Only instead of playing the chords in a block format, you could tap out the necessary notes. But I'll leave that for you jazz-heads to consider.

***We'll look at 2 examples first. Each focusing on moving only one hand. Then we'll look at an exercise that will have your hand moving all over your neck.
***First we'll look at a moving tapped note. This should be simple if you've been practicing the simple tapping technique.
(Just punch this into your favorite tab editor, make each group of 3 notes into a triplet to get the true sound of this lick)
(A major)
()= Tap note
h= hammer-on

_5h9(10)_5h9(12)_5h9(14)_5h9(15)_5h9(17)_5h9(15)_5 h9(14)_5h9(12)_
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________repeat
__________________________________________________ __________infinitely
__________________________________________________ __________
__________________________________________________ __________

***Unless you've got the hands of a behemoth, you should be using the first and pinky fingers of your fretting hand. Don't forget that scooping motion that makes the first note sound and lets the whole procedure start over. You need to do that every time you tap.


***Now, let's have the other hand be moving. We'll use the guitar solo of Judas Priest's "Hell Bent for Leather". Haven't heard it? (What's wrong with you?!?) Not to worry, it's al 8th notes, just punch it into your favorite tab editor.
(A minor)

()= tap note
h= hammer
vvvv= dive with whammy bar
(Make each group of 3 notes into a triplet)

Code:
-(12)-5h8(12)-5h8(12)-5h8(12)-5h8-|-(12)-5h8(12)-5h8(12)-5h8(12)-5h8-
-------------------------------|--------------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------


-(12)-5h7(12)-5h7(12)-5h7(12)-5h7-|-(12)-4h7(12)-4h7(12)-4h7(12)-4h7-
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------


-(12)-3h7(12)-3h7(12)-3h7(12)-3h7-|-(12)-3h7(12)-3h7(12)-3h7(12)-3h7-
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------



-(12)-2h5(12)-2h5(12)-2h5(12)-2h5-|-(10)-2h5(10)-2h5-2vvvv------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------
-------------------------------|----------------------------



***That one gets a little tricky because the first 3 patterns should be played with your 1st and 3rd fingers while the last two should be played with your 1st finger and your pinky.
***Let's break down that solo for the music theory buffs we have here.
***The first pattern is simply an A minor triad (A-C-E), very fitting for a song IN A minor. Next Glen, the guitarist, switches the b3 note to a 2(9), giving the chord an A5add9 feel (although I doubt he knew what he was doing, sorry Glen [img]file:///c:/Documents%20and%20Settings/All%20Users/Documents/Documents/Jack/jacks%20music%20stuff/guitar%20tabs%20and%20songs/lessons/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] ). Next, he drops the root note A for its 7th, G#/Ab, while keeping the 2(9). So now it's go the 2(9) note of A, the 5th, and the 7th. It could be called an A7add9(no3), even though there is no A in it.
***But that would be seeing it only as A chords. The way Glen was probably thinking was Amin, Esus5, Emaj, Gmaj, and Dmaj. Which are chords that are more relative to the rhythm guitar and bass. He just keeps tapping that 12th-fret E for extra texture.

***Apart from "Hell Bent for Leather", moving patterns can be heard in just about any tapping solo, Ozzy Osbourne's "Flying High Again" (with Randy Rhoads), Extreme's "He-Man Woman Hater" (first tapping lead by Dweezil Zappa), and Van Halen's "Eruption".


As always, if you have any questions or if I haven't explained this technique enough, let me know.

[spookywooky]

Lesson 4: Applying Standard Techniques to Tapping

It has been a hazardous journey, the time I have been away, but I have not forgotten my commitment, and I am pleased to finally bring you the 4th installment of my monumental tapping lesson. The original lesson has been lost, but I will do my best to cover everything. I'm hoping to get some questions once you have read this, just in case there is something I haven't described well-enough.

By the way, the exercises in this lesson are quite varied. You will need to hear what each one sounds like before you can play them correctly. As I have said, I have MIDIs available of all of these exercises. I strongly encourage you to pop your e-mail address at the bottom of a reply and I will send them all to you. ALL OF THEM! I'm a generous person. Or, if your e-mail address is in your GTU profile, no need to include it, just tell me you want the MIDIs and I shall send them.

Applying "standard" techniques (such as sliding, bending, and harmonics) while tapping will give your work a very fluent feeling, and it will definitely gain the respect of any audience, even, let's say... your guitar teacher! Well, maybe.
***For this lesson, my main focus will be on Eddie Van Halen, because: 1. I said so... and 2. He is one of the only talented players who includes these techniques into his style very often.

Let us first look at bending the note which you have tapped. We all now know the standard tapping technique, fret a note, hammer-on others, and tap a final note. This technique tells you to bend that last tapped note. This will catch many listeners by surprise, especially if they are guitarists who are used to hearing the standard tapping technique. Further explaining, let's say you use the pointer finger of your playing hand to do your tapping. After you have fretted a note, hammered-on, and tapped, you would not release, but rather pull your finger up while still gripping the string so it bends.
***Now, from here (we've still got that string bent under our pointer finger), there are TWO things we can do! Ooo the choices!! We can either 1. Simply let the string go to make the first fretted note ring again, or 2. Release the bend back to its normal pitch and THEN pull-off the way we normally do to make the first fretted note sound again. GOT IT?? Feel free to ask about that technique, I'm not sure if I've made it very clear.

Let's try an example:

h=hammer-on
p=pull-off
b=bend to...
r=release bend
( )=tap
(Gmin)
__________________________________________________ ________________
__________________________________________________ ________________
_5h7h8(12b14r12)p_5h7h8(12b14r12)p_7h8h10(14b15r14 )p_7h8h10(14b15r14)_
__________________________________________________ ________________
__________________________________________________ _______________
__________________________________________________ _______________


What fun. You can also bend notes with your fretting hand and then tap a note while the string is still bent, but since the pitch of any note you tap will be different than what you expect it to be, this is a difficult technique to control. Listen to EVH's "Panama" solo for an example. I don't think I need to transcribe it, there is a wonderful tab available at this very site.

Now let's incorporate sliding. If you were to slide your tapping finger, you would do one of two things: 1.Slide up or down to another note and then pull-off, or 2.Slide up or down to no note in particular , just to create a neat effect.
***In this example, the first few slides slide up to the next phrase, and the last slide just slides way up, yet still pulls-off to sound the open G string. I suppose that means I should go over the technique you would use to do each.
***This exercise is different than the ones we have been doing in the sense that this does not required any hammered notes, only tapped. That should make it easier to concentrate on your sliding. When it comes time to slide, simply tap the note, keep your finger firmly pressed so that you don't lose the note, slide it up to the next desired note, and pull-off in the normal fashion.
***When it comes time for the "effect" slide that doesn't end on any notes, you can tap the first note, and slide up, you want to keep sliding your finger until it has slid past the end of the fretboard and then simply pluck the string to sound the open G. That should happen quite a bit faster than it took me to explain it, but it's a simple technique which shouldn't give much trouble. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ask questions though. If there is EVER anything you don't get PLEASE ASK ME TO RE-EXPLAIN IT! It's for your own sake, Johnny.
So let's get into the exercise:
(Gmin)
__________________________________________________ __________________________
__________________________________________________ __________________________
_(12)p5_(10)p5_(12)p5_(10/15)p3_(14)p3_(15)p3_(14/17)p2_(15)p2_(17)p2_(15)p2_(12/)p0_
__________________________________________________ __________________________
__________________________________________________ __________________________
__________________________________________________ __________________________


Let's switch things around and slide with your fretting hand, the way we usually do. This shouldn't need any explaining because the tapping is just the regular technique of tapping a note then pulling off. The only wild card is the sliding fretting hand. To keep it simple, we'll incorporate the very first tapping exercise, which you may have played a million times by now:
(Amin)
_5h8(12)p_5h8(12)_5/7h10(15)_______
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________Play that a few times, and if you feel like
________________________________a challenge, here's a continuation that
_________________________________can be played after this lick:


_8h12(17)p_8h12(17)p_15p1210/12__
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________

Doesn't that sound pretty? The tricky part is the pull off to the 15th fret. For that continuation, the finger that you use to hammer-on the 12th fret has a SPECIAL job to do! The second time you tap the 17th fret, while it is tapped, you need to quickly move the special finger up to the 15th fret, so when you pull-off the tap, the 15th fret sounds, then pull off to your first fretting finger which should, by now, be on the 12th fret, slide down to the 10th and back up to the 12th. Tadaa!


The last technique we will look at in this lesson is tap harmonics. There are two ways I have heard these used. The first is tapping a chord shape, which sounds much prettier than strumming. This would be like the intro to "Spanish Fly" and "Women in Love". These are usually done by fretting a chord shape, let's use Emaj, and tapping the same notes 12th frets higher. Different harmonic sounds can be acquired by tapping different frets. For example, 10 frets higher, 7 frets higher, 9 frets higher, and many others (in fact, most any distance will make SOME sort of sound) all make different pitched sounds. But for this chord tapping example, we will tap notes 12 frets higher, because the are the easiest to hear.
***Tapping harmonics is different than tapping regularly in the way you tap. Instead of actually fretting the note when you tap, you are really just tapping the string, it helps if you can touch the fretwire a little bit too. The ap should be very quick, and as accurate as you can make it. You want to aim for the actual fretwire, so if you want a 12th-fret tap harmonic of the low E-string, you would want to quickly tap the wire between the 12th and 13th fret. So an Emaj chord tapped out would look like this:
(Emaj)
" "=notes that should be fretted
[ ]=fret that should be tapped using aforementioned technique
"0"_____________________[12]_
"0"_________________[12]_____
"1"_____________[13]_________
"2"_________[14]_____________
"2"_____[14]_________________
"0"_[12]_____________________

I don't think I mentioned it yet, but you are only tapping one string at a time. Hope I didn't confuse you.

The second way I have heard tap harmonics used is for playing little lines and licks, these usually incorporate tapping on notes less than 12 frets apart to give a different sound. I wont give you a real lick for this, more like an exercise that let's you hear the different sounds.
(there will be no MIDI for this exercise, just screw around with it)
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
"5"_[17]_[15]_[12]_[15]_[14]_[13]_[15]_[12]_
______________________________________

That shouldn't sound like a melody. What it should be is a vehicle that makes you say, "wait, I have an idea" and start tapping a bunch of frets and seeing if they make a neat sound. Go experiment.

A little twist on that technique which makes it sound much better would be to bend the string you are tapping on. This is easier tan it sounds. You've got one finger permanently fretted on the string, all you have to do is pull it and the pitch of the harmonic gets bent! What fun!
"br"= bend and release permanently fretted note
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
"5"_[17]_"br"_[12]_"br"_[10]_"br"_[12]_"br"_
_______________________________________

[spookywooky]

LESSON 4 CONTINUED...

That should keep you busy for quite a while. Keep in mind that there are many people reading this who have the same question in their heads that you do... but they are afraid to ask! Do everyone a favor and ask a question, you shy person you.

Sliding a tapped note can be heard in Van Halen's "Best of Both Worlds" solo and "The Dream is Over" intro. Using tap harmonics to play lines and licks can be heard in Van Halen's "Good Enough" and "Dance the Night Away".




BY KHAMMETT

This won’t be a lesson on how to finger tap. If you want that then search for Bobbbb’s lessons.

In the first lesson I covered what arpeggios are and how they can be constructed. I gave examples of some arpeggios. The exact same rules apply for tapping arpeggios, the easiest way to think about it is to think horizontally i.e. along one string.

Let’s look at an example, A minor, this is made up of A, C and E. If I wanted to tap an A minor arpeggio then first of all I’d look at my fretboard and look for where the various A’s, C’s and E’s are placed on the fretboard. I’d then look at different possibilities for how I could put it together as an arpeggio. The most common A minor arpeggio can be found on the top e string and looks like this:

e-12(E)-8( C )-5(A)

It really is as simple as that. Once you grasp the idea of how to construct an arpeggio then tapping arpeggios really is quite simple and the more you play them, the more you become familiar with the different shapes.

Let’s take a look at a famous tapping lick, the beginning of the 3rd solo from “One” by Metallica.
It starts off with e-t19p15p12-t19p12h15. If you take a look at this you can see that it is the same shape as the A minor arpeggio I gave above so therefore it must be a minor arpeggio. The notes are E, G and B so we can work out that it is an E minor arpeggio.
The next bit is e-t20p15p12-t20p12h15. This is a slightly different shape from before. It is made up of C, E and G so we can take from that that Hammett is playing a C major arpeggio.
He then copies the same thing, one string down and plays a B minor arpeggio followed by a G major.

What I have covered only deals with very simple arpeggios. I think however that instead of me spoon-feeding you all the different shapes etc. that it would be more beneficial for you to work them out for yourself. Not only will it help your understanding but also the actual shapes will stay in your head more easily. If people want to write back or PM me with questions about particular arpeggios then please feel free to do so.

Don’t feel you have to restrict yourself to the simple shapes like I showed, if you have the capability like I do then you will enjoy the challenge of working out ways to play arpeggios using 5, 6, 7 or maybe 8 fingers (or 10 if you could ever be arsed to train your thumbs [img]file:///c:/Documents%20and%20Settings/All%20Users/Documents/Documents/Jack/jacks%20music%20stuff/guitar%20tabs%20and%20songs/lessons/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] ).

Another important factor to consider is you don’t have to stick to one string when tapping an arpeggio. Here’s an arpeggio Zak uses without actually realising it’s an arpeggio [img]file:///c:/Documents%20and%20Settings/All%20Users/Documents/Documents/Jack/jacks%20music%20stuff/guitar%20tabs%20and%20songs/lessons/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] (I hope he doesn’t mind me using it as an example but it’s a good one).
Code:
e-----------t9h10p9
B-t7—t12-----------

The notes he is using are F#, B, C# and D. Technically this is a Bmadd2 chord but the way I look at it is a B minor and he is using the C# (9th fret e string) to emphasise the D (10th fret e string). This is effective because the D is what makes the arpeggio minor and the C# distinguishes the minor sound. You may want to experiment with similar arpeggios and how to use notes from outside the chord to emphasise a certain sound.

Using tapping in solos:
The problem isn’t always knowing how to tap arpeggios but how to actually use it in your soloing and here are some personal tips of how I may use tapping. This is by no means rules, as there are none, just some ideas to get people started.

There are 2 main areas that I look to add tapping in to my solos, either at the beginning or at the end.
First of all it is important to know what chords you are soloing over so that then you know which arpeggios you should be playing.
Tapping is more often than not played at a fast speed so it is important to make sure you are using it at the right time as it would not fit if it followed a really soft, slow ballad type section of a song (unless you’re as good a songwriter as Petrucci! [img]file:///c:/Documents%20and%20Settings/All%20Users/Documents/Documents/Jack/jacks%20music%20stuff/guitar%20tabs%20and%20songs/lessons/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] ).

Using it at the beginning of a solo:
If I’m to use tapping at the beginning of a solo then I like to have something building up before hand, for example some 16th note palm muted power chords, increasing in volume up to the solo. The first thing I will do is look at the chords the solo starts with. Say I wanted to tap over the first 4 bars and it started G, D, C, Em. I will then do what I said earlier and target where abouts on the neck I can play these arpeggios. Obviously I will then experiment to find the best way to put these together.
If I was to play this then my 4 arpeggios would be these(bear in mind you don’t have to stick to one particular shape for one chord, you could use 2 shapes of the same arpeggio or more):
G: e-15-10-7
D: B-15-10-7
C: B-13-8-5
Em: B-12-8-5
In order to get a smooth transition back to picking I might play the 4th bar differently than the 3 previous. While I would probably play the first 3 bars at a fast tempo maybe using straight 16th notes or sextuplets I might slow down the 4th bar kinda like Hammett does at the end of his tapping sequence in “One”. Alternatively I might keep it at a straight pace throughout, experiment and see which way you prefer although I recommend you don’t stick to the same method each time of either slowing down each time or sticking to the same pace each time.

Tapping at the end of a solo:
This is great for building up to a climax due to the fast nature of the technique. A great place to hear where this is used effectively is by Jeff Hanneman in Slayer’s “Seasons in the Abyss” (second solo).
The same principles apply as before really. Look at which chords you have and target the arpeggios on the fretboard.
As I mentioned, this is great for building to a climax so instead of sticking to the exact arpeggios you could shift up the neck chromatically. Hanneman uses one shape (A minor if I remember right) and shifts it up the fretboard chromatically, one fret at a time until he reaches the top. This is very effective as a fast run like this from low to high is great for making a climax.

Of course there are alternatives to the methods I’ve described and it’s worth doing lots of experimentation as it really is all down to personal style.

I hope everything is clear and easy to understand, if not then please let me know and I’ll try and clear things up. Write back here or PM me with any queries. Also feel free to add me on msn if you wanna chat/ask questions etc. jharding1986@hotmail.com

Next lesson, and probably the most eagerly awaited will be on sweep picking arpeggios and I shall be working on it later on in the week so look out for it




----


There, that's all i have. sorry for the excessively long and numerous posts. i hope someone gains something from them

[Jamie FT]

Very nice spookywooky! it's really helpfull!

[spookywooky]

glad to hear it jamie! i found one more...




Lesson Five: Switching Strings while Tapping<SPAN lang=EN-AU style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: black; LINE-HEIGHT: 160%; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">

So you can take a tapping piece, slide your fingers around, bend the string, use a pick, even apply harmonics. Where can you go from here? Well, for inspiration, always consider simplicity and common sense. While playing guitar in the regular fashion, would a player use only one string? No! So there's an idea right there! In this lesson we will attempt to switch strings while tapping and not lose a beat!

Switching strings is more of an advanced method of tapping that is only heard from the "tapping elite" players like EVH, Vai, Satriani, Nuno, etc. So if you've got a friend who thinks they're hot when it comes to tapping, pull one of these puppies on them, tables will turn and heads will roll! [end cliches] You can hear examples of this in many songs by each of these artists. Including Van Halen's "Good Enough", Steve Vai's "Answers", Extreme's "He-Man Woman Hater", etc.
***The real trick of this technique is to get a string that is not being used to start making noise on command, and to keep the previous string quiet while you do so.
***So let's get started with a simple example I can analyze for you:
(Dmaj)
h = hammer-on
p = pull-off
( ) = tap
e______________________________________
b_(15)p10p7___________(15)p10p7_________
g___________(16)p9p7___________(16)p9p7_
d______________________________________
a______________________________________
e______________________________________

To play that, you'd start as if you were only tapping the first position with your pointer, pinky, and tapping finger on the 7th, 10th, and 15th frets respectively. As soon as you tap and release that first note, your tapping finger should start hovering over your fretboard like a vulture, knowing exactly where it will strike... the 16th fret of course! And when the pull-off is made to the 7th fret, that is when it should strike. In the short amount of time that the 16th fret sounds, you will need to move the position of your hand to accommodate what needs to happen. Have your pointer and ring fingers ready on the 7th and 9th frets, respectively. Now, a little trick to keep that pesky B string quiet: your pointer finger, while fretting the 7th fret on the G string, should lay lightly across the B and E strings to keep them quiet. As you switch back to the first position, the muting should be done with the palm of your tapping hand, or the top end of your good old fretting pointer finger, if you are flexible enough to do it that way.

If you're already a Vai guy, a Satch freak, or a Nuno guru (tee hee, Nuno guru... how humorous), then here's a more advanced version of that previous exercise that even I had to go over a few times before getting it smoothly:

__________________________________________________ ______________
__(15)p10p8p7_____________________(15)p10p8p7_____ _______________
______________9p7h9h11(16)p11p9p7____________9p7h9 h11(16)p11p9p7_
__________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ ______________
__________________________________________________ ______________


That exercise was simple because it was descending, which enabled you to tap a string and make it sound before anything wild happened. If you wish to switch strings while tapping an ascending piece, the first finger to hit the new string will not be your tapping finger. It will most likely be your pointer. So you would need to hit the fret very hard with your pointer finger to get the phrase started.
***To overcome such obstacles I have created this exercise:
(Amin)
________________________________________h5h8(12)__ _______
________________________________h5h8(13)__________ _______
________________________h5h7(14)__________________ _______
________________h5h7(14)__________________________ _______
________h5h7(15)__________________________________ _______
_h5h8(15)_________________________________________ _______

As you can see, it's straight pentatonic stuff. But the thing to practice is that first "hammer-on" which is really sort-of a tap with your fretting hand, you know what I mean. The thinnest strings are the hardest, I'll tell you now.

I believe that is enough for now. I'll leave you with a noodly sort of exercise to keep you working until next time:


Implied KeyDmaj)

_(15)p9p8p7_______________________________________ ___________________________

__________(15)p9p8p7______________________________ ___________________________

___________________(15)p8h9h10h11p10p9p8_(14)p8p7p 6___________________________

__________________________________________________ (15)p8p7p6__________________

__________________________________________________ __________(16)p6h7h8h9p8p7p6