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Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 25 2018, 07:07 PM

We have done a couple of Eddie VanHalen style tapping licks and hopefully your fingers are getting the hang of it! It's time to go beyond the typical Eruption Solo style tapping and get in to something a bit more interesting. You have learned how to strike/pull to create two notes from one finger, now we are going to add in an open string to get another note in to our sequence and we are going to use 3 fingers on the left hand, not the typical 2 finger approach. This lick sounds like you are playing far more notes than you actually are and it's a very fun bit of tapping!! So here we go in to four finger, five note, per string tapping!!

All we are doing is moving our right hand up one fret each time we shift positions. The left hand stays in the same place the entire time.

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Aug 26 2018, 12:39 PM

VID:



Audio with BIAS:

 Tapping_bit_with_BIAS_002.mp3 ( 816.33K ) : 139


Audio without BIAS (NO FX):

 Tapping_bit_without_BIAS.mp3 ( 816.33K ) : 134


Just realized I only did each tap twice when it's supposed to be 4 times. Dang.

Posted by: Phil66 Aug 26 2018, 08:19 PM

OK Todd,

Here's my first take, nowhere near as quick and slick as Ben's take and my little vibrato at the end is shocking in comparison. I know it's not part of it and I didn't know Ben had done it until I watched his take, funny how we both did the same

The wet and dry sound files are in your folder on my OneDrive

https://youtu.be/woShbATL_cc

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 26 2018, 08:54 PM

Twice is just fine I only do it four times in the intro as I'm playing it so fast it would go by really quickly with just two. For the demonstration phase of the vid, I also did two repetitions. So it's all good I just want to make sure you can loop it more than once per position and you did that perfectly. Matter of fact, you played the entire thing perfectly. I could not have asked for better execution of this lick. You really make it look easy. I hope your performance is inspiring to other students as it's a great example of quickly absorbing a lick and playing it with precision. NICE!!!!!!
Also, thanks for making two versions for my tone experiment!! I'm going to apply some of my fave presets to other folks playing and see how it works out. I created a patch just for this lesson so I'm going to try that patch on this piece with other folks doing the playing. Many thanks!! In other words you just....

LEVELED UP!!!!!

Todd


BINGO!!!! You've got it!!!! I think the previous two tapping bits paid off!!! You have a much better handle on tapping now I think, than you did just a couple of quick licks ago. This is an advanced tapping bit. It requires four fingers on the fretboard in addition to our tap/pull technique and we throw in an open string for good measure!!! Put all this together and it's quite a bit of variables to coordinate! The good news is you have it well in hand (no pun intended) and also thanks for the clean/dirty guitar files! I'm going to try them and bens and mine to compare tone results.

As for this one, you SLAYED and you just ..

LEVELED UP!!!!
Todd

Posted by: Phil66 Aug 26 2018, 09:47 PM

Aww thanks for your kind comments Todd.

I like tapping but when improvising I keep thinking about doing it but I bottle it

Cheers

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 27 2018, 02:05 AM

Don't bottle it!! Jump in feet first. The worst that will happen is you don't stick the landing. Big deal? Try it again. The more you throw tapping in to your improv, the less you will think about it and the more you will just do it on instinct. I say go for it!!
Todd

Posted by: DeGroot Aug 28 2018, 11:54 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 29 2018, 09:54 PM

NAILED IT!!!!!!! On this one, you guys can use any finger you want on the right hand to do the striking. Some folks like to keep the pick and use the second finger, some like the first. Either is fine


You really killed it on this. I don't remember seeing you do wads of tapping stuff in the playing I've seen in solos from you so I"m impressed that you are able to pull off a technique like this and make it look so effortless!! It's possible that I've just missed bits where you were doing tapping stuff. Either way, you played this just like I was hoping. Very strong strike/pull and really good left hand legato pulling to the open string. Also, keeping this even and not rushing/lagging is key to making it sound right. You got this and ..
LEVELED UP!!!

Todd

Posted by: fzalfa Sep 2 2018, 08:43 PM

Hi Todd
This is a dry take, i'll done a video soon..... i have too much work on today , my finger shurt a bit !!
 tapping.wav ( 3.22MB ) : 159


Cheers
Laurent

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 3 2018, 09:26 PM

Thanks much!!! Look forward to your vid!
Tiodd

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 11 2018, 07:25 AM

can you put up an audio file of your lick with the fx on it as well?

Todd

Posted by: onetabmat Dec 5 2018, 03:32 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 5 2018, 07:40 PM

Nice!!! This is a four finger tapping lick which is well beyond the traditional VahHalen approach. Some folks find it very tricky to tap using open strings in the middle or to tap using 3 fingers on the left hand. Not you! You seem to have no trouble at all with the open string or using 3 fingers on the left hand. A bit part of this lick is being able to time it properly to allow the open string to make a note before tapping again.

Being able to time the tap on the right hand and all the fretted notes on the left, and leave a gap for the open string makes this a very tricky bit to play. You seem very comfortable with it. Well played!! You just..
LEVELED UP!!!!

You are on a Roll!! keep it up!!
Todd

Posted by: Caelumamittendum Sep 6 2019, 07:43 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Sep 9 2019, 12:45 AM

NICELY DONE!!! This is the full on tapping deal right here. You gotta use three fingers on the left hand and pull off to an open string and move the right hand each time around in a chromatic fashion. This puts all the bits needed to the test. If one can play this tapping lick, one has tapping skills for certain. Well played!!! Per usual you KRUSHED IT!!!!! Zero string noise, timing solid as a rock, clean strikes, spiff.
You just..
LEVELED UP!!!!

Todd

Posted by: Adam Dec 19 2020, 10:59 PM

Posted by: Todd Simpson Dec 19 2020, 11:58 PM

Well played! This is where the EVH tapping gets taken up a notch. EVH didn't use open strings as much as he used closed shapes. He sometimes used open strings, but it wasn't his "go to" lick. This lick requires hammer on and pull power from both hands and you have to use an open string so muting is important as well. Also, the right hand has to traverse frets to hit the right notes so it's not a "static" (stationary) lick. You have gotten some good practice on tapping here in Quick Licks and your tapping is coming along quite well! I still notice that your tone seems to lack a bit of distortion/gain. Are you using a boost/overdrive pedal with your amp and is your gain setting on your amp maxed? It seems to lack just a bit of sustain that comes with having a bit more distortion. Watch some of the other videos above. You'll hear that some folks are using a good bit of gain and some are using ery little. Can you hear the differences in tone in various vids? With licks where the pick is not involved, a good bit of gain can help each note sing. However, it also requires good muting and a noise gate as it creates noise. This stuff about tone is just an aside, it has no bearing at all on your critique of the lesson. You played it well and you just..

LEVELED UP!!

Onward!!
Todd