Finger tapping technique on guitar
Finger tapping on guitar is a technique that involves tapping the strings with the right hand to produce notes while simultaneously fretting the strings with the left hand. The fretting hand holds down the string on a specific fret to determine the pitch of the tapped note. This allows the player to play fast, intricate sequences and create legato runs, where notes flow smoothly into each other without any breaks.
Finger tapping requires precise coordination between the hands and can take time to master. It's often used in heavier styles of music like heavy metal and fusion, but can also be applied in a variety of musical genres.
Practice is essential to developing proficiency in finger tapping. This can include exercises that focus on building finger strength and dexterity, as well as learning specific tapping patterns and licks. Overall, finger tapping is a valuable and impressive technique for any electric guitar player looking to expand their skillset and explore new avenues of expression on the instrument.
In the video lesson below I teach you how to finger tap like the mighty Eddie Van Halen! Teaching you some simple licks that can be applied to Rock, Metal and Blues genres. A lot of fun and much easier then you think! Aimed at beginners to intermediate guitar players.
GET RESULTS WITH A metronome
As with everything you practice make sure you use a metronome and start super slow to make sure you are playing the lick correctly with the right fingers, technique and attack (it's fine to not use a metronome at first while first learning it).
I recommend starting at 60pm and use 8ths notes until you can play the lick without mistakes three or four times in a row then speed up the metronome by 5bpm. If you are really struggling playing the whole lick break it down to a bar or two. CLICK HERE to get a metronome.
The best way to really get any licks under your fingers is to practice them over a backing track and this may help inspire your own lick ideas as well. I have a free backing track channel http://www.killerbackingtracks.com
ESSENTIAL GUITAR GEAR FOR FINGER TAPPING
In terms of gear for getting a good finger tapping tone I recommend getting a healthy amount of gain on your amp (not too much maybe at 12 o'clock !) and add an overdrive pedal to really help boost the guitar signal going into the amp making the notes a lot clearer which you can hear in the video.
I used an Ibanez tube screamer in my lesson which I highly recommend
🎛 CLICK HERE to get a TubeScreamer
FRET WRAPS & STRING DAMPENERS
Not essential but you can use fret wraps or string dampeners to keep any unwanted noise at bay. This can be frown upon by some players as they believe you should be able to control the noise without any extra help! I have to agree to some extent but if some of my favourite players such as Guthrie Govan and Greg Howe use them it's ok with me!!
I like to use the Gruvgear Fretwraps which I am using in this lesson. You can get these in lots of different fun colours!
CLICK HERE to get a fretwrap.
