Ballad Tapping Lesson

Ballad Tapping Lesson

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  • Hello GMC! Today we have a bass tapping lesson on our hands. Tapping is a playing technique generally associated with the electric guitar but can be done on other instruments too and it's very popular on bass guitar too. Artists like Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, Victor Wooten, Dave La Rue, John Myung and others are famous for using this technique. It is considered as one of little advanced techniques on bass. It will add a new voice and ideas to your own bass lines and composing.

    In this lesson you are going to learn a little tune I composed especially for you to get familiar with this technique and start practicing it. It has some ballad feel to it. Also this lesson features very good left hand finger strength exercise hidden in it. You will really get that third (weakest) finger working out. You will be doing double hand tapping on this one and throwing in some slides, pull offs along the way.

    This tune is composed around the D major scale so every note you play here will fit that scale.

    -Key: D
    -Tempo: 120 bpm
    -Time signature: 4/4
    -Tuning: standard
    -Difficulty: Intermediate

    Equipment I used for getting this sound was: Peavey Cirrus bass with active soapbar pickups, equal mix of both of them with added treble and middle on onboard eq - then going to the nemesis(eden) amp with a 1x15" and slightly added bass and treble there (at 1 o'clock position).

    Feel free to ask me any questions in the lesson feedback and in my instructor board at forum.

    Enjoy and I hope you'll have a lot of fun tapping this one.

    Dmajor scale copy.png
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