Right Hand Tapping

Guest

Ive bin trying to play day at the beach by Joe Satriani. I find that the bass with my left hand is much louder than the treble with my right.

Is this just because Im used to fretting with my left hand?

Also , whats good epuipment for this? Im thinkin thin strings/scalloped frates would be good

Thomas from Presence

You have more strenght in your left hand so your hitting it that much harder with your right. Try to hit the treble harder and use a compressor to even out the sound maybe.

Personally I find a scalloped fret board always makes tapping harder to intone because I tap with force so the pitch creeps up a bit on me on those necks!

-=al=-

scalloped fretboards make it wayyyyyyyyyyy easier, i always play that song and on my scalloped guitar its so much easier... a compressor will help greatly, but on other guitars if i play it i have to play alot harder with the picking hand, depends on the set up too... my strat which is scalloped has single coil Emg's and iuse the neck and mid pickups and its identical to the tone Joe has, theres a few factors that will help you, but its just basicly gettin the strings hard enough

and dont call it right hand tapping, call it picking hand, theres lefties here u know

day at the beach is alot better than midnight too

jtsuited

tapping- the single greates act of aural sodomy ever invented. WHY!!!!!

ball ox

jtsuited wrote:

tapping- the single greates act of aural sodomy ever invented.

Fact

Owen

jtsuited wrote:

tapping- the single greates act of aural sodomy ever invented. WHY!!!!!

lol, aural sodomy? I suppose you like Power Chords? Finger Tapping when done propely is beautiful, and adds dimension and depth to songs, and solos. I would challenge anyone to listen to Steve Vai's more slow melodic songs where it's done brilliantly.

Why you ask? Simply it allows high and low register notes to be playes simultaneously at speed. Possible on a lot of instruments where both hands work the ranges - keyboards in particular, but not possible on guitars without tapping. Afterall, it is a skill people learn, just like stumming your first chord, or playing your first solo with 16th notes, and the day you think a skill isn't worth learning, or not your style is the day you should pack up the guitar and stop playing.

And for a completely different approach to tapping, check this guy out :

http://www.fazed.net/out/backwash/?id=459

disgruntled

Yeah Justin King is great, also worth checking out is Preston Reed and Kaki King. There are more but their names escape me right now, I'll have a look and see if I can find some links later. I definitely think that you shouldnt simply dismiss tapping, it's simply a technique that can be incorporated into any style of music.

jtsuited

ned78 wrote:

lol, aural sodomy? I suppose you like Power Chords? Finger Tapping when done propely is beautiful, and adds dimension and depth to songs, and solos. I would challenge anyone to listen to Steve Vai's more slow melodic songs where it's done brilliantly.

Why you ask? Simply it allows high and low register notes to be playes simultaneously at speed. Possible on a lot of instruments where both hands work the ranges - keyboards in particular, but not possible on guitars without tapping. Afterall, it is a skill people learn, just like stumming your first chord, or playing your first solo with 16th notes, and the day you think a skill isn't worth learning, or not your style is the day you should pack up the guitar and stop playing.

And for a completely different approach to tapping, check this guy out :

http://www.fazed.net/out/backwash/?id=459

Power chords? Why do power chords come into this. Look man, nobody takes tapping seriously. it's so outdated because it was a fad. deal with it. how cool are those guys with really bad hair who go into guitar shops and shred tap their way through 20 malmsteen solos in a minute? Have you ever seen this type of person with a girl?

And if i reckoned that i should learn every skill, i'd be wasting my time learning loads of pointless ones. Wow, what an incredibly silly way to finish your post.

But i'm sure you're one of the few right hand tappers out there with an actual life. YAH!

Voodu Child

Next up:

Which string is the best?

All you guys out there who play the b string suck, it is SUCH a lame string.. You have fat mommas, and a smaller willy than me

Also, might I suggest that people stay on topic and avoid silly immature comments.

Anyway, a low action is good for tapping. Dont forget that youll develop callouses on your tapping fingers in time, this will help you to tap harder, and even up the volume between your two hands.

RustinPeace

http://adam.fulara.com/e.php?g=music
An example of creative tapping

It wasn't me!

jtsuited wrote:

Power chords? Why do power chords come into this. Look man, nobody takes tapping seriously. it's so outdated because it was a fad. deal with it. how cool are those guys with really bad hair who go into guitar shops and shred tap their way through 20 malmsteen solos in a minute? Have you ever seen this type of person with a girl?

And if i reckoned that i should learn every skill, i'd be wasting my time learning loads of pointless ones. Wow, what an incredibly silly way to finish your post.

But i'm sure you're one of the few right hand tappers out there with an actual life. YAH!

Note to poster: Guitar-playing is not about getting girls, and whether tapping is some kind of ****ed-up aphrodesiac to you or not is totally irrelevant. Tapping can be cool, and more to teh point it cna be a skill a guitarist likes to use, in which case you're not one to criticise, especially when they can do it better than you. Personally I'd rather be the guy who can play those 20 Malmsteen solos in a minute than the bungling idiot trying to figure out whether he's on the third or fifth fret with his power chord.

MagnumForce

jtsuited wrote:

Power chords? Why do power chords come into this. Look man, nobody takes tapping seriously. it's so outdated because it was a fad. deal with it. how cool are those guys with really bad hair who go into guitar shops and shred tap their way through 20 malmsteen solos in a minute? Have you ever seen this type of person with a girl?

And if i reckoned that i should learn every skill, i'd be wasting my time learning loads of pointless ones. Wow, what an incredibly silly way to finish your post.

But i'm sure you're one of the few right hand tappers out there with an actual life. YAH!

Jesus Christ man, why dont *YOU* get a life, its a specific technique, if you can't do it stop complaining about people who can! If you're going to say why tap, why don't you just go the whole mile and say why bother play the guitar at all?!

Its not a fad, just because the popular "bands" these days dont feel the need to actually exibit any kind of guitar playing skill whatsoever doesnt mean it isn't a technique used by hundred of guitarists around the world which don't get the same amount of media coverage as others.

The fact that you see guitar playing as merely a way to meet women shows that you don't actually take guitar playing seriously in anyway so why should anybody listen to your closed minded opinion.

And there are no pointless skills you idiot! as a guitarist you should always be learning new, alternate skills to further your development as a musician, unless you want to be stuck in your room all day jamming to Smells Like "four power chords" Teen Spirit.

Jesus, people like you annoy me.

Rustar

Like BB King says...
Musicians are like doctors....some are general practitioners, some are specialists. It's all good, man!

MagnumForce

Yeah but GPs dont go saying that theres no need to do what the specialists do just cos they choose not to do it, the world need GPs, proctologists, paediatricians etc, all sorts, no need for one to go discrediting another, unless provoked of course, then its fair game.

jtsuited

MagnumForce wrote:

And there are no pointless skills you idiot! as a guitarist you should always be learning new, alternate skills to further your development as a musician, unless you want to be stuck in your room all day jamming to Smells Like "four power chords" Teen Spirit.

Jesus, people like you annoy me.

Funny these replies, you'd almost swear i wasn't someone who is a professional musician. ok dudes debate over, tapping is cool. i take it back. i'm gonna go practice now!!!

jtsuited

MagnumForce wrote:

And there are no pointless skills you idiot! as a guitarist you should always be learning new, alternate skills to further your development as a musician, unless you want to be stuck in your room all day jamming to Smells Like "four power chords" Teen Spirit.

Jesus, people like you annoy me.

Funny these replies, you'd almost swear i wasn't someone who is a professional musician. ok dudes debate over, tapping is cool. i take it back. i'm gonna go practice now!!!

MagnumForce

jtsuited wrote:

Funny these replies, you'd almost swear i wasn't someone who is a professional musician. ok dudes debate over, tapping is cool. i take it back. i'm gonna go practice now!!!

Sweet, I won :P j/k

Even if your a professional musician you should always strive for improvement, professional doesnt mean good anyway. Neil Young is a professional guitarist, but my god when he solos, or even sings i wish i could hit him with a bag of cats so he knows what he sounds like.

But anyway, back on topic, i find that only the bridge pickup activated gives the best sound for me, nice even pressure with both the hammering hand and the tapping hand, turn up the Bass,Mid and Treble full on the amp/whatever EQ youre using and you'll get a nice full sustaining sound. I use bright sets of 9 guage strings with real low action, pickups raised to highest possible position without the strings buzzing off them. That setup usualy gives me a nice sound overall, not just for tapping.

clint_silver

Note to poster: Guitar-playing is not about getting girls,

I gig 3 nights a week and have done so for the last 10 years. I love the guitar, strapping it on, hitting that first note of the night, the money, the music, I love gelling with the other band members, the camaraderie, the equipment, the joy of hitting the right note, of moving the fingers, of practicing at home for hours on end, of learning new songs, of writing songs, tapping, strumming, picking, slapping. I love it all, but seriously, if youre a bloke, dont ever, ever, EVER say playing the guitar is not about getting girls.

It wasn't me!

It's not. Music should not be about women.

Rustar

It wasn't me! wrote:

It's not. Music should not be about women.

Well, you should qualify that. 99% of all the songs in history have been ABOUT women, in some fashion or another....

It wasn't me!

Well, playing music should not be about getting women.

RustinPeace

It's not but if you love playing music and chicks dig guys with guitars(or sometimes drums,sorry for the cheap shot) then all the better.

Briony Noh

Because if right-hand tapping is something to do with getting women, then I've got a lot of technique to brush up on (softly brush the neck with your forefinger, then tap it?) What does the girl do to the man after that? (Stick a stiletto firmly in his sound hole?)

MagnumForce

Briony Noh wrote:

Because if right-hand tapping is something to do with getting women, then I've got a lot of technique to brush up on (softly brush the neck with your forefinger, then tap it?) What does the girl do to the man after that? (Stick a stiletto firmly in his sound hole?)

have you read all the posts on the first page? and if not, why didnt you before posting?

SirLemonhead

I never really use tapping much, but If I ever do I generally have to do it with my plectrum as it sounds a lot more defined with the plectrum than fingers. I suppose I just suck at it.

I guess If I was bothered to practice the technique..

Doc_Savage

if this is the quality of the posting since i've been away then it's no wonder this forum is dying a death!!!!

please if you've nothing to say that's constructive or helpful then kindly post somewhere else!

To the OP: for tapping i have medium gauge strings(10-52) and huge gauge frets(xl jumbo).. aside from that it's just practice.. do it unplugged with your guitar till you hear the volume levels evening out. only then plug in!

Want something good to practice the technique with then i suggest the solo from Van Halens cover of you really got me. Its fast and descending so you'll build up strength in your right hand and the timing in your left!

and to the guys that said that odd techniques aren't worth listening then you don't have to use your oppinion as a basis for teying to belittle or attack the OP! and the excuse of "professional musician" for defending your actions is a worrying safety net to have to fall back on concerning a topic like this!

And songs ARE about girls not the music.. (that'll be misconstrued)

Savman

some of the posts on this thread are embarrassing to genuine open-minded Irish Guitar players who don't play the instrument for solely self-gratification or masturbational purposes.

Most guitar players I've met have some kind of superiority complex and it does my fookin head in, yiz cant even see eye to eye on something like tapping which is both a cheesy 80's fad AND a beneficial technique, not one or the other but both.

Vai taps, Clapton doesn't, both masters of their respective trade yet you don't hear them bitching like angst-ridden teens. I'll always respect a good player, be it internationally or down the local pub but the gas thing is most of you folks talk a great game like we're special people, we're just guitarists ffs, get over it we're more common than the flu :rolleyes:

<cue backlash>

Rustar

Doc! You're back! I missed your exclamation points almost as much as I missed jcoote's regularly spaced ellipses!

Savman wrote:

but the gas thing is most of you folks talk a great game like we're special people, we're just guitarists ffs, get over it we're more common than the flu :rolleyes:

Got that right, bassists pwn you. And sometimes we tap, too.

The upshot is, tapping is a valid musical device because it allows you to do things on a fingerboard that can't be done any other way. 'Nuff said.

truncated spurs

if you want your tapping to sound really clear, try hammering on with your right hand finger and holding the string for a beat, just to get the strength. whe pulling off try to remember it is exactly the same as with your left hand. pulling off towards the low e string sounds a lot clearer and even to me than when i pull off to the floor. (i'm sure some innuendo can be made out of that)