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Tapping
View on WikipediaTapping is a playing technique that can be used on any stringed instrument, but which is most commonly used on guitar. The technique involves a string being fretted and set into vibration as part of a single motion. This is in contrast to standard techniques that involve fretting with one hand and picking with the other. Tapping is the primary technique intended for instruments such as the Chapman Stick.
Tapping is an extended technique, executed by using either hand to 'tap' the strings against the fingerboard, thus producing legato notes. Tapping generally incorporates pull-offs or hammer-ons. For example, a right-handed guitarist might press down abruptly ("hammer") onto fret twelve with the index finger of the right hand and, in the motion of removing that finger, pluck ("pull") the same string already fretted at the eighth fret by the little finger of their left hand. This finger would be removed in the same way, pulling off to the fifth fret. Thus the three notes (E, C and A) are played in quick succession at relative ease to the player.
While tapping is most commonly observed on electric guitar, it may apply to almost any string instrument, and several instruments have been created specifically to use the method. The Bunker Touch-Guitar (developed by Dave Bunker in 1958) is designed for the technique, but with an elbow rest to hold the right arm in the conventional guitar position. The Chapman Stick (developed in the early 1970s by Emmett Chapman) is an instrument designed primarily for tapping, and is based on the Free Hands two-handed tapping method invented by Chapman in 1969 where each hand approaches the fretboard with the fingers aligned parallel to the frets. The Hamatar, Mobius Megatar, Box Guitar, and Solene instruments were designed for the same method. The NS/Stick and Warr Guitar are also built for tapping, though not exclusively. The harpejji is a tapping instrument which is played on a stand, like a keyboard, with fingers typically parallel to the strings rather than perpendicular. All of these instruments use both string tensions lower than on a standard guitar and low action to increase the strings' sensitivity to lighter tapping.
History
[edit]
Tapping has existed in some form or another for centuries. Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840) used similar techniques on the violin, striking the string with a bouncing bow articulated by left-hand pizzicato. Paganini considered himself a better guitarist than violinist,[citation needed] and in fact wrote several compositions for guitar, most famously the "Grand Sonata for Violin and Guitar." His guitar compositions are rarely performed in modern times, though his violin compositions enjoy multiple performances. Some musicologists believe he wrote his 37 violin sonatas on guitar and then transcribed them for violin. Well known to frequent taverns, Paganini was likely exposed to gypsy guitar techniques from Romani, "gypsies." He preferred playing his guitar for tavern customers instead of concert hall audiences.[1]
Similar to two-hand tapping, selpe technique is used in Turkish folk music on the instrument called the bağlama.[2]
Tapping techniques and solos on various stringed acoustic instruments such as the banjo have been documented in film, records, and performances throughout the early 20th century. Various musicians have been suggested as the originators of modern two-hand tapping. While one of the earliest players known to use the technique was Roy Smeck (who used a tapping style on a ukulele in the 1932 film Club House Party), electric pickup designer Harry DeArmond developed a two-handed method as a way of demonstrating the sensitivity of his pickups. His friend Jimmie Webster, a designer and demonstrator for Gretsch guitars, made recordings in the 1950s using DeArmond's technique, which he described in the instructional book Touch Method for Electric and Amplified Spanish Guitar, published in 1952.
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Vittorio Camardese developed his own two-handed tapping in the early 1960s, and demonstrated it in 1965 during an Italian television show.[3]
Tapping was occasionally employed by many 1950s and 1960s jazz guitarists such as Barney Kessel, who was an early supporter of Emmett Chapman.
In August 1969, Chapman developed a new way of two-handed tapping with both hands held perpendicular to the neck from opposite sides, thus enabling equal counterpoint capabilities for each hand. To maximize the technique, Chapman designed a 9-string long-scale electric guitar which he called "the Electric Stick" (and later refined as the Chapman Stick), the most popular dedicated tapping instrument. Chapman's style aligns the right-hand fingers parallel to the frets, as on the left hand, but from the opposite side of the neck. His discovery led to complete counterpoint capability, and a new instrument, the Chapman Stick, and to his "Free Hands" method. Chapman influenced several tapping guitarists, including Steve Lynch of Autograph, and Jennifer Batten.
The tapping technique began to be taken up by rock and blues guitarists in the late 1960s. One of the earliest such players was Canned Heat guitarist Harvey Mandel, whom Ritchie Blackmore claims to have seen using tapping onstage as early as 1968 at the Whisky a Go Go.[4] George Lynch has corroborated this, mentioning that both he and Eddie Van Halen saw Mandel employ "a neo-classic tapping thing" at the Starwood in West Hollywood during the 1970s.[5] Mandel would use extensive two-handed tapping techniques on his 1973 album Shangrenade. Another early example of the tapping technique can be heard in Terry Kath's "Free Form Guitar" from Chicago's debut album in 1969.
Randy Resnick (of the band Pure Food and Drug Act, which at one time also featured Mandel) used two-handed tapping techniques extensively in his performances and recordings between 1969 and 1974. In reference to Resnick's playing with Richard Greene And Zone at the Whisky a Go-Go in 1974, Lee Ritenour mentioned in Guitar Player magazine January 1980 that "Randy was the first guitarist I ever saw who based his whole style on tapping."[citation needed] Resnick also recorded using the technique in 1974 on the John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers album Latest Edition and has said that he was attempting to duplicate the legato of John Coltrane's "Sheets of Sound".
Steve Hackett of Genesis also claims to be an inventor of tapping as early as 1971.[6][7]
Some players such as Stanley Jordan, Paul Gilbert, Buckethead, and Steve Vai were notably skilled in the use of both hands in an almost piano-like attack on the fretboard.
In the mid-1970s, two-handed tapping started to break into the mainstream, when Frank Zappa started incorporating it into his songs, and performing them to large TV audiences. Eddie Van Halen went on to popularize the two-handed tapping technique in the late 1970s, originally being inspired by Genesis guitarist Hackett's use of the technique.[8] Van Halen himself also claims that his inspiration came from Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page: "I think I got the idea of tapping watching (Page) do his "Heartbreaker" solo back in 1971… He was doing a pull-off to an open string and I thought… I can do that, but what if I use my finger as the nut and move it around?"[9]
Techniques
[edit] |
Two-handed tapping
[edit]
Tapping can be used to play polyphonic and counterpoint music on a guitar, making available eight (and even nine) fingers as stops. For example, the right hand may fret the treble melody while the left hand plays an accompaniment. Therefore, it is possible to produce music written for a keyboard instrument, such as J.S. Bach's Two-part Inventions.
The main disadvantage to tapping is reduced range of timbre, and in fact it is common to use a compressor effect to make notes more similar in volume. As tapping produces a "clean tone" effect, and since the first note usually sounds the loudest (unwanted in some music like jazz), dynamics are a main concern with this technique, though Stanley Jordan and many Stick players are successful in this genre.
Depending on the orientation of the player's right hand, this method can produce varying degrees of success at shaping dynamics. Early experimenters with this idea, like Harry DeArmond, his student Jimmie Webster, and Dave Bunker, held their right hand in a conventional orientation, with the fingers parallel with the strings. This limits the kind of musical lines the right hand can play. The Chapman method puts the fingers parallel to the frets.
One-handed tapping
[edit]One-handed tapping, performed in conjunction with normal fingering by the fretting hand, facilitates the construction of note intervals that would otherwise be impossible using one hand alone. It is often used as a special effect during a shredding solo. With the electric guitar, in this situation the output tone itself is usually overdriven — although it is possible to tap acoustically — with drive serving as a boost to further amplify the non-picked (and thus naturally weaker) legato notes being played.
The overall aim is to maintain fluidity and synchronization between all the notes, especially when played at speed, which can take extensive practice to master.
Pick tapping
[edit]Some guitarists may choose to tap using the sharp edge of their pick instead of fingers to produce a faster, more rigid flurry of notes closer to that of trilling, with a technique known as pick tapping or pick trilling. Using the pick enables faster speeds by means of 'vibrating' (or effectively seizing up) the wrist Guitarists such as Joe Satriani and John 5 Lowery have been known to use it, with Lowery nicknaming it a "Spider-Tap".
Tapped harmonics
[edit]Tapped harmonics are produced by holding a note with a player's fretting hand, and tapping twelve frets down from that note with the player's tapping hand (i.e. the note on the 4th fret of the A string is tapped on the 16th fret of the A string). Rather than hammering-on and pulling-off with the right hand, harmonics are produced by hitting the fret with a finger. This method of tapping can be heard in Van Halen's songs "Women In Love" and "Dance the Night Away". Early Metallica bassist Cliff Burton also utilized tapped harmonics on bass guitar on his noted instrumental piece "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth".
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 449.
- ^ subutayarikan (2006-09-15), Erdal Erzincan & Erol Parlak -- KAYTAGI, archived from the original on 2021-12-11, retrieved 2018-08-11
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Roberto Angelini Official Page (2013-07-02), Vittorio Camardese ospite a "Chitarra Amore Mio" (RAI-1965) LA NASCITA DEL TAPPING, retrieved 2018-08-11
- ^ "Ritchie Blackmore, Interviews". www.thehighwaystar.com. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ Cody, Randy (15 March 2009). "ROCKET Interviews George Lynch". The Metal Den. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ "Steve Hackett: How I invented finger tapping". 30 April 2012.
- ^ "15 of Prog-Rock's Best Guitarists Through the Years". 13 September 2017.
- ^ "The 25 Best Classic Era Progressive Rock Albums » PopMatters". www.popmatters.com. 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ Eddie Van Halen quoted from Bosso, Joe. “VH1.” In Guitar World Presents Van Halen, ed. Jeff Kitts, Brad Tolinski, and Chris Scapelliti, 14-25. New York: Backbeat Books, 2010. Originally published in Guitar World, April 2008.
External links
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Tapping
View on GrokipediaFundamentals
Definition and Principles
Tapping is a technique used on string instruments, particularly the guitar, in which notes are produced by sharply pressing or "hammering" the fingertips onto the strings against the fretboard, or by pulling them off, without the need for traditional plucking or bowing.[6] This method allows for the excitation of string vibrations directly through finger impact, enabling rapid sequences of legato notes.[7] Acoustically, tapping initiates string vibration via the impulsive force of the finger striking the string, which displaces it from its equilibrium position and sets it into oscillatory motion.[7] The amplitude of this vibration, which determines the note's volume and sustain, is controlled by the force and precision of the tap; greater impact yields higher initial amplitude, while string tension and contact with the fretboard influence damping and resonance.[6] The fundamental frequency of the produced note is governed by the vibrating string length between the nut or bridge and the fretted point, following the principle , where is the length, is tension, and is linear density.[7] Mechanically, effective tapping requires precise finger positioning perpendicular to the fretboard to ensure clean fretting and minimal string slippage, with the fretting hand often providing muting by lightly touching adjacent strings to prevent unwanted resonance and maintain note clarity.[6] The technique relies on the physics of impulsive excitation, where the finger's momentum transfers energy to the string upon contact, similar to a struck percussion element, but tuned by the instrument's fixed points.[7] Unlike standard hammer-ons and pull-offs, which typically supplement plucking and involve one hand's action following an initial pick, tapping emphasizes bilateral, independent finger movements for continuous note production, allowing for greater speed and polyphonic possibilities without external string excitation.[6]Applicable Instruments
Tapping is most commonly applied to the electric guitar, where the technique's reliance on subtle string vibrations benefits from humbucker pickups and high amplification levels to amplify the otherwise low acoustic output of tapped notes.[8] This setup allows for clear articulation of rapid sequences without the need for aggressive plucking, distinguishing it from traditional strumming or picking methods.[8] On the bass guitar, tapping requires adaptations to accommodate lower string tension compared to standard guitar strings, often demanding firmer taps to produce sufficient volume and sustain.[9] Lighter gauge strings and low action facilitate easier execution, while integrations with slap techniques—such as combining percussive slaps with tapped harmonics—expand rhythmic possibilities in bass lines.[9] Neck pickups on bass models enhance the clarity of tapped notes, similar to their role on electric guitars.[10] Classical guitars present acoustic limitations for tapping, as the unamplified body resonance quickly decays tapped notes, making sustained phrases challenging without external amplification.[8] In contrast, tapping thrives in amplified electric settings due to the natural rapid decay of unplucked strings, which amplification counters to maintain note longevity.[8] Extended-range instruments, such as 7- or 8-string guitars, support tapping effectively for broader harmonic exploration, often employing lighter gauges on lower strings to ease fretting and tapping precision.[10] Hardware factors significantly influence tapping viability across these instruments. Thinner string gauges reduce the force needed for clean taps, improving speed and comfort, while compression effects sustain quieter tapped notes by evening out dynamics, particularly in low-gain setups.[10] On double bass, string tapping is rare and used in experimental contexts as an extended technique where the left hand strikes the fingerboard to sound pitches, sometimes combined with pizzicato for blended effects.[11]Historical Development
Early Origins
The earliest precursors to tapping techniques in music can be traced to non-Western string instruments, where finger-hammering methods emerged as integral parts of performance practice. In Turkish folk music, the parmak vurma (finger striking) technique on the saz or bağlama—a long-necked lute—involves both hands hammering and pulling strings at frets to produce notes without a plectrum, allowing for rapid melodic patterns. This two-handed approach is believed to have developed from earlier right-hand finger techniques on the instrument, with historical roots in Ottoman-era lute playing documented from the 17th century onward, as Turkish long-necked lutes featured gut strings and finger-based articulation methods that facilitated such percussive string excitation.[12][13] In 19th-century Western classical music, similar hammering actions appeared in guitar and violin treatises, laying foundational influences for later developments. Italian guitarist Mauro Giuliani, active in the early 1800s, incorporated "hammer-ons"—left-hand finger strikes to sound notes without plucking—in his pedagogical works, such as the 120 Studies for Right-Hand Development, Op. 1 and Le Papillon, Op. 50, where slurs (hammer-ons and pull-offs) were used to build speed and legato phrasing on the classical guitar. Concurrently, violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini pioneered left-hand pizzicato in his 24 Caprices for Solo Violin (composed around 1805), a percussive plucking technique where fingers snap strings against the fingerboard while maintaining pitch control, serving as an early model for string tapping's rhythmic and textural potential.[14][15][16] By the late 19th century, tapping-like elements surfaced in cultural contexts such as Spanish flamenco guitar, where golpes—percussive finger taps on the guitar's soundboard—emerged during the genre's Golden Age to accent rhythms and mimic handclaps, often integrated with rasgueado strumming variations for dynamic emphasis. This body-tapping practice, requiring protective tap-plates on the instrument, reflected flamenco's percussive heritage from Andalusian folk traditions and became standardized in the 1880s–1890s as guitarists like Ramón Montoya adapted it for solo expression.[17][18] In the 1920s–1930s jazz and ragtime eras, informal tapping hints appeared in American string playing, particularly on smaller instruments like the ukulele and banjo, though these remained unformalized novelties rather than core techniques. Jazz guitarist and ukulele virtuoso Roy Smeck demonstrated two-handed tapping in 1930s performances, such as his rendition of "Melody in F" in the film Club House Party (1932), where both hands alternately hammered frets on the ukulele to create fluid, percussive melodies amid ragtime rhythms. Banjo players in early jazz ensembles occasionally employed loose finger-hammering for syncopated effects in ragtime-derived styles, drawing from 5-string banjo's fingerpicking traditions to add rhythmic punch in bands like those of James Reese Europe.[19][20]Modern Evolution and Popularization
During the 1960s and 1970s, tapping emerged within rock music through percussive experiments by influential guitarists, laying groundwork for its later development. An early documented example of two-handed tapping on guitar came from Italian guitarist and physician Vittorio Camardese, who demonstrated the technique on a 1965 Italian television appearance, using both hands to produce rapid phrases on an acoustic guitar.[21] Jimi Hendrix incorporated innovative percussive techniques, such as string slapping and muting, to create rhythmic and textural effects in performances and recordings like those on Are You Experienced (1967), influencing the evolution toward more advanced fingerboard manipulations. Meanwhile, Chicago guitarist Terry Kath demonstrated early two-handed tapping in his improvisational live performances, notably during the 1969 track "Free Form Guitar," where he used the technique to produce rapid, legato-like phrases on electric guitar.[22][23] These efforts marked initial explorations of tapping's potential on amplified instruments, bridging acoustic precedents with electric-era innovations. The technique gained mainstream prominence in 1978 through Eddie Van Halen's instrumental solo "Eruption" on Van Halen's self-titled debut album, where he employed two-handed tapping to execute blazing-fast arpeggios and scalar runs, fundamentally altering perceptions of guitar speed and expression.[24][25] Van Halen performed these passages on his custom-built Frankenstein guitar—a hybrid Stratocaster-style instrument with a Gibson PAF humbucker, non-standard electronics, and a varnished maple neck—which facilitated the clarity and sustain essential for tapping's percussive attack.[26] This breakthrough not only popularized tapping but also sparked widespread emulation among aspiring players, embedding it in rock's technical lexicon. In the 1980s, tapping proliferated through the neoclassical stylings of guitarists Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, who integrated it with classical-inspired phrasing and harmonic complexity to elevate instrumental rock. Satriani, who had explored two-handed tapping independently prior to Van Halen's fame, featured it prominently in melodic contexts on his 1987 album Surfing with the Alien, blending speed with emotional phrasing.[27] Vai advanced the technique further, employing multi-finger tapping for intricate, piano-like polyphony on his 1990 album Passion and Warfare, where tracks like "Liberty" showcased its capacity for both velocity and lyrical depth.[28] These contributions solidified tapping as a hallmark of virtuosic shred guitar, inspiring a generation through instructional materials like early Van Halen tablature books that dissected "Eruption" and similar solos.[4] By the 1990s and 2000s, tapping expanded into diverse genres, including math rock, while advancements in digital effects processors allowed for cleaner, more articulate sounds that enhanced its precision. Math rock bands, such as Don Caballero, adopted tapping for intricate, polyrhythmic patterns that emphasized technical interplay over traditional solos. The era's proliferation of multi-effects units, like those from Line 6 and Boss, enabled sustained notes and reduced string noise, making tapping more accessible in live and studio settings. Tapping's global adoption accelerated in the 2000s, particularly in Japan's visual kei scene with X Japan's guitarist hide (Hideto Matsumoto), who incorporated tapping into his dramatic solos and style, blending it with visual flair and orchestral elements.[29] In Brazil, progressive metal acts like Angra integrated tapping into symphonic compositions, with guitarist Kiko Loureiro—joining in 2005—employing it for neoclassical sweeps and arpeggios on albums such as Aurora Consurgens (2006), reflecting the genre's fusion of technical prowess and melodic sophistication. Key milestones in tapping's popularization included the rise of shred guitar culture in the 1980s, where it became a defining trait alongside sweep picking and whammy-bar dives, fueling competitions, magazines like Guitar World, and a subculture of virtuosos pushing instrumental boundaries. Early instructional resources, such as 1980s-era Van Halen songbooks with transcribed tapping exercises, democratized the technique, transforming it from a niche innovation into a standard element of modern guitar education and performance.[30]Core Techniques
One-Handed Tapping
One-handed tapping, also known as left-hand tapping, is a foundational guitar technique that employs the fretting hand—typically the left hand for right-handed players—to generate notes via hammer-ons and pull-offs, enabling smooth legato phrasing for melodic lines without requiring the picking hand to strike every note. This method relies on the natural vibration of the string initiated by a single pick or pluck, followed by the fretting hand's actions to articulate subsequent notes, making it ideal for building speed and fluidity in solo contexts.[10] To execute one-handed tapping, the player first picks or plucks the string with the picking hand (right hand), then uses an available finger of the fretting hand to sharply "hammer" down onto the string at a higher fret, sounding the note without additional picking; for pull-offs, a fretted finger is lifted or "flicked" away from the string to allow it to ring to a lower fretted or open position, while the picking hand holds the pick ready for initial strikes or mutes adjacent strings with the palm to prevent unwanted resonance. The fretting hand maintains light pressure on lower notes to anchor them, emphasizing economy of motion by keeping fingers close to the fretboard and using minimal force for clean attacks.[10][31] Basic patterns and exercises focus on developing precision and speed through single-string work. A fundamental drill involves ascending chromatic taps on the high E string from the 5th to the 12th fret: start by picking the open string, then hammer-on sequentially to each fret (5th, 6th, up to 12th), holding the previous finger in place as needed, before reversing with pull-offs down the frets; practice at a slow tempo (e.g., 60 BPM) with a metronome, gradually increasing speed to prioritize even tone and avoid buzzing. Rhythm variations enhance musicality, such as playing the sequence in straight eighth notes before introducing triplet feels or syncopated accents to simulate blues phrasing, while scales like C major (notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B) or D minor (D-E-F-G-A-Bb-C) are tapped entirely with the left hand on one string for positional practice, fostering finger independence. Building speed comes from short sessions emphasizing relaxed wrists and minimal finger travel, typically progressing from 10-15 minutes daily to achieve fluid execution.[31][10] The advantages of one-handed tapping lie in its simplicity for crafting melodic lines during solos, where the picking hand can remain free for muting or occasional strums, promoting portability in unaccompanied playing and seamless integration with conventional picking to create hybrid phrases that blend picked and legato segments for dynamic expression.[10] Common challenges include managing string noise, as open or unfretted strings can ring sympathetically and muddy the sound—addressed by consistent palm muting from the picking hand—and developing endurance for rapid repetitions, which demands strengthened finger muscles to prevent fatigue or inconsistent volume during extended runs.[10] Representative examples appear in blues solos, where a simple 3-note sequence adds flair to improvised lines; for instance, on the B string in A minor pentatonic, pick the 5th fret (C note), hammer-on to the 8th fret (E), then pull-off to the 5th fret and open B string (A), repeating in a steady rhythm to outline the blues scale. This can be notated as:B string: 5h8p5p0
B string: 5h8p5p0
Two-Handed Tapping
Two-handed tapping is an advanced guitar technique that utilizes both hands independently on the fretboard to produce notes, allowing for polyphonic textures and rapid melodic lines through simultaneous hammer-ons, pull-offs, and taps. In this method, the fretting hand typically anchors lower-fret notes while the picking hand taps higher frets to create descending or ascending patterns, though variations can reverse this configuration for specific phrasings. Proper posture involves maintaining a relaxed body position with the guitar angled for optimal reach, the fretting hand's thumb positioned low on the neck for stability, and the picking hand's thumb resting against the instrument's body or neck to facilitate precise taps behind the frets.[4][5] Advanced patterns in two-handed tapping often incorporate hammer-on and pull-off combinations to outline chords and arpeggios, enabling legato phrasing and cross-hand rhythms that simulate multiple voices. For instance, in Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption," the technique features cascading triplets where the picking hand taps a high note (such as the 12th fret on the B string), followed by a pull-off to a fretting-hand note and a hammer-on to another, forming arpeggios like E major (E-G#-B) or C# minor (C#-E-G#) in a vi-IV-V-I progression. These patterns extend to string-skipping and ostinato figures, enhancing rhythmic complexity without relying on traditional picking.[32][4] To develop speed, practitioners employ targeted drills such as 16th-note triplets or sextuplets across strings, starting at slow tempos with a metronome and incrementally increasing the pace to ensure even articulation and synchronization between hands. Looping simple patterns—like tapping the 12th fret, pulling off to an open string, and hammering on to the 7th fret—builds coordination and fluidity, with emphasis on equal volume across notes to mimic a seamless flow.[5][4] Volume and tone in two-handed tapping require careful control, as the picking hand's taps often produce a naturally louder attack compared to fretting-hand actions, which can be balanced through amplifier equalization settings such as moderate gain (around 5), boosted mids (5), and treble (6) with light compression and delay to sustain notes without muddiness. Palm muting and string damping with the fretting hand further refine clarity, preventing unwanted resonance during rapid passages.[5] Despite its expressive potential, two-handed tapping poses limitations, including physical strain on the wrists and fingers from repetitive motions, particularly when using weaker digits like the pinky, which can lead to discomfort if posture is suboptimal. To mitigate this, guitarists incorporate stretches and strength-building exercises, such as finger extensions or using resistance tools like hand grippers, while practicing slowly to avoid overexertion and reassess hand positioning for comfort.[33][34]Pick Tapping
Pick tapping is a hybrid guitar technique that integrates plectrum use with tapping, where the picking hand grips the pick to deliver downstrokes on lower notes while employing the edge of the pick or the hand to tap higher frets, and the fretting hand executes hammer-ons for rapid note transitions. This approach generates staccato effects through the sharp attack of the pick strike combined with the legato flow of taps, making it ideal for rhythmic drive and percussive accents in lead playing.[35][36] Common patterns feature alternating pick-tap sequences, such as holding a fretted note with the fretting hand and using the pick to tap and pull off on higher frets for fast trills or runs, as seen in Joe Satriani's high-speed licks on the high E string in "Surfing with the Alien." These sequences are particularly useful for funk rhythms, providing a syncopated pulse that enhances groove-oriented solos, similar to adaptations in touch-style jazz approaches like Stanley Jordan's two-handed methods.[36][6] Equipment adjustments play a key role in facilitating pick tapping; thicker picks, typically 1.0 mm or greater, deliver a more pronounced attack for clearer note definition, while low-action setups—ideally with string height at 1.5-2 mm at the 12th fret—reduce the force needed for taps, minimizing fatigue and string buzz.[37][6] Sonically, pick tapping yields a brighter tone from the direct impact of the pick strike, which adds crispness and presence, paired with enhanced sustain from the tapping mechanism that allows notes to ring out longer without additional plucking. This combination produces articulate, dynamic lines with a percussive edge, distinguishing it from smoother finger-based tapping.[10][35] Effective practice involves coordinating the pick's angle—typically tilted at 30-45 degrees to the string—for precise strikes with the timing of fretting-hand taps to avoid muting adjacent strings and ensure even volume across notes. Start slow with metronome exercises at 60 BPM, focusing on clean pull-offs after each tap, gradually increasing speed while maintaining relaxation in the picking hand to build fluidity.[38][39]Tapped Harmonics
Tapped harmonics are generated by lightly tapping the guitar string at precise nodes, which divide the string length into simple integer ratios, thereby exciting higher partials (overtones) while minimizing the fundamental frequency for a clear, bell-like tone. These nodes correspond to positions where the string's vibration modes align, such as the 12th fret (dividing the string in a 1/2 ratio to produce an octave harmonic), the 7th fret (1/3 ratio for an octave plus a perfect fifth), and the 5th fret (1/4 ratio for two octaves above the fundamental).[40] To execute tapped harmonics, the fretting hand holds a note (or leaves the string open), while the tapping hand—typically using the index or middle finger—delivers a quick, percussive tap directly onto the fretwire at the desired node, followed by an immediate pull-off to let the overtone ring. Simultaneously, the fundamental must be muted, often by the fretting hand lightly damping the string behind the node or by the palm of the tapping hand resting near the bridge to suppress unwanted resonance, resulting in ethereal, chime-like sounds.[40][41]| Fret Position | String Division Ratio | Resulting Overtone Interval |
|---|---|---|
| 12th | 1/2 | Octave |
| 7th | 1/3 | Octave + Perfect Fifth |
| 5th | 1/4 | Two Octaves |