[Guitar Tapping Tutorial] Learn Finger Tapping In 7 Minutes

[@danweiler4293]

Thanks for showing how mute the strings properly. This cleaned up my tapping a lot already.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You're welcome Dan! :)

[@markmccallum430]

Tom Hess is one of the best guitar teachers out there. He is very organized, methodological, easy to understand and follow, and he usually catches the small nuances that other instructors overlook that make all the difference in the world. Very appreciative for his work!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Thank you for the kind words :)

[@apaleguy]

This has really unlocked my understanding of tapping I tap with my middle finger but when you said it's more of a tap and push than just tap, already my tapping excelled. Been experimenting doing spider walks with tapping so I can learn the fretboard this way faster but like you said just going slow it still sounds good. Thank you so much for the best possible free advice on tapping out there.

[@chuckmcfadden6782]

Thank You Very Much for this lesson, Tom. I'm a fairly experienced guitarist and have been tapping for many years. However, in 1999 I suffered a serious accident laceration to my right (picking hand) inner wrist area & outter forearm area. My tendons were cut and had to be sutured back together. It took me about 2 years of solid physical therapy before I could begin gaining grip strength in my right hand to be able to hold a guitar pick again. I've since then recovered almost 100% but have to still apply small strips of duct tape sticky side out wrapped around the top larger portion of my Dunlop Jazz3 teardrop picks to keep them from turning between my index finger & thumb or dropping them altogether. My tapping technique has also changed as a result of the accident. I used to tap the same way that you do with my right index finger & tucking the pick under my middle finger. But now that I have to keep my index finger & thumb more or less "stuck together" attached to my "sticky-pick", then I now have changed my tapping finger to my middle finger. I've gotten used to using the middle finger for tapping now but keeping it clean is a challenge for me now because I'm forced to mute the strings with my palm as you've mentioned. I basically have to practice more & try harder than I used to. I'll get there though. I'll be purchasing some of your lessons soon when I get my paycheck from work. Thanks for everything that you do Tom. And that guitar of yours is awesome!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You are welcome and I'm sorry to hear about your injury. About tapping with the middle finger - that is perfectly ok. Many players tap this way (and play really well). So there is nothing to worry about here. I look forward to working with you soon :)

[@jonessboness]

I have never tried taping I have always considered it a trick and not guitar playing, chatman stick stuff. BUT this FREE lesion is great and made me reconsider trying to get this trick playing method learned. THANKS SO MUCH TOM YOUR THE GREATIST !

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You are welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@rattleheaddd]

thanks for showing how to mute strings with a thumb, didn't know that

[@rocksteady5200]

You rock Tom Hess! Thank you for helping us practicing musicians. We really need all the help and lessons we can get from masters like you.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, E.C. :) New video coming tomorrow!

[@alexandersilvar]

Wow😮, I was looking for your exact explanation about how to mute strings when tapping... Thank you so much. I was very frustrated and you fix it now. Thanks again. New subscriber here

[@pheldge8806]

Hi Tom Hess, thank you for all the muting tips and explanations. I noticed how you were adding vibrato on the ending tapped notes, not with your right hand but with the left one ...

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You are welcome :) Yes, I add vibrato with the left hand when doing tapping. It's the best way to keep control over the notes and get consistent vibrato every time.

[@davidgough8599]

Bud the finger and thumb placement was the best tip i have received in a year of Tapping

[@angelofmusic477]

Thank you Tom for the lesson. May I know if you have a simple melodic tune for tapping exercise. Example of tune are Skip to my lou, You got the whole world , Canon in D.

[@dzeips]

I know how to double tap if i hold my rifle, thanks for teaching another style of double tapping! Your tutorials are amazing.

[@gabrielavalos9733]

Cool video!! I will practice all examples! Take care all of you guys! Stay home! From Argentina!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Great Gabriel! Glad you like the video.

[@charleswilliamsfranklina3196]

Wonderful everything is great and nice ideas, Tom you're so open in teaching and I understand good, though I need to learn.

[@dhaneshs131]

Very cool lesson... Playing melodically using Tapping was a new thing I learnt.. Thank you Tom Hess

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, Dhanesh! :)

[@bigdaddygranpa5578]

Wow. It may have taken me more like 30 minutes .But I can honestly say that I now have a strong foundation on the technique...Thanks Mr.Hess . GreAt lesson !,

[@ColinRuthem215]

Your consistency is incredible! I've been curious about this type of playing for some time but have never seen any real tutorial of what was actually happening to make it sound great until now, thank you. Great breakdown!

[@michaelhall644]

Amazing video Tom Hess! I really liked this tutorial and and it was great to see your sting muting really indepth :)

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Thanks Michael! :) Glad you like it!

[@shash-onemanband6140]

All ideas are great, I used a couple already. But with your advice, I could be more confident. Thanks for sharing. Can I send you a link to my song where I tap in left channel and pick with long bends in the right channel as done in my latest music album? All suggestions would be welcome as usual.

[@davidjohnfranco]

Great video. Enjoyed it and will check out more. Take care!

[@spiritedsoulsinharmonyinse946]

I'd like to know what you got hanging on the headstock.... thanx for the tips...

[@VegaZen123]

As always great video great lesson !! Thank you Tom 🤘

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, glad you like it! :)

[@Shepherdneff]

Learning this made my friends think I was already a pro! 😂

[@suezeeque1]

Such a great tutorial! Thanks :)

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Thanks Sue! Glad you like it :)

[@normjones6916]

All great , super, million dollar lesson🎉

[@VinceJDII]

How do you apply the string muting concept with sweep tapping? Trying to move the pick away from the index finger in order to use it is tough. Would you use the middle finger to hit the tapped note so as to eliminate excess movements? This also makes thumb muting hard here though.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Yes, you can use the middle finger to tap if you want. And you can also mute with the heel of the picking hand's palm while tapping (and while switching from sweeping to tapping). Then use thumb muting again when you are finished with tapping.

[@VinceJDII]

@@tomhessmusiccorp Thanks Tom Hess!

[@nelsonchinchilla81]

Awesome lessons, finally I understand how to mute the others string!!!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Great! :)

[@mikephilippov8735]

Cool video and I really like the double tapping lick at 8:25!

[@leosmith5266]

Fantastic stuff! VERY helpful to have it broken down and simplified like this so I know exactly how to analyze and fix my playing. :)

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Glad you like it Leo! :)

[@marcusbusatofavarato5924]

Great lesson!

[@f0reverm0r]

Wow, this was awesome! Definitely something I will work on. The examples used are VERY cool sounding to boot :) THANK YOU!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Thanks Mo! Time to get back into tapping :)

[@bramb8613]

Thanks for the video Tom Hess!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You're welcome Bram! :)

[@fgmez080193]

Is it ok to stretch my ring finger for the 3rd note in the sequence as it can articulate the note better instead of using my pinky like you do? Would it be more beneficial in the long run to adjust to using the pinky? Or is it just personal preference(with tapping at least)?

[@luisfgd100]

Very good video. And the left hand (legato hand)? Thank you. Regards

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. :) For legato, check out this video: tomhess.net/WhyYouStruggleToPlayLegatoGuitarLicks

[@A20Y11]

The example 7 is really cool!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Glad you like it! :)

[@michaelpurdy9165]

Hi Tom, love your videos! My mother picked up a guitar a long time ago and was discouraged due to her arthritis in her hands. Her wrists are stick completely straight allowing for absolutely no bending either direction, do you have any advice for older players with issues in their wrists?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Hi Michael, I'm sorry, I am not qualified to give medical advice on arthritis. The best thing to do is to talk to a doctor about this issue.

[@michaelpurdy9165]

TomHessMusicCorp appreciate the reply anyway, I’m a big fan of your videos and I’m so excited to have stumbled upon your lessons

[@JP_Hatecrew]

Do you have a Video about String muting?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

Yes, check out this video (and article): tomhess.net/UnwantedGuitarStringNoise.aspx

[@libinchandran7208]

how will u mute if, pick in between thumb and index finger?

[@leonidasi3590]

Hi, how can I move my hand across the fretboard while tapping? I always feel a lot of tension when I try to move it, so I always move it slowly and imprecisely. What should I do?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

First, establish a baseline of relaxation. That means: learn what "relaxed" should feel like. Then find the fastest tempo you can play at while staying just as relaxed. Practice around that tempo (at that tempo, slightly below and slightly above) to gradually increase your comfort zone. That is how you increase your speed while staying relaxed.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You can do any motion perfectly if you do it slowly enough. :) I suggest a combination of your approaches ( spend time learning the motions slowly and practice tapping frequently for 5-10 minutes per day when first learning it). You will improve faster than you think.

[@arjankanina7142]

You are the best 👍

[@NoTy-s2t]

True integration is shown when Tom says “pretty pretty cool” after each double tap demo

[@jamesmaxwell5415]

YES! This is so cool!!!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

:) Glad you like it!

[@Kalsten]

Super nice video. I am practicing this every day, but I realized that my pinky is not as strong as I though. I have to rain for longer :P By the way, when you refer to the example numbers, are they from a book? If so, which book? I would like to buy it if they come from a book :) Keep the awesome content coming!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

I'm glad you liked the video :) The example numbers are examples in the video (they are numerated :) ). I don't sell any books, but I can help you with your playing in my Breakthrough Guitar Lessons online: tomhess.net/Guitar

[@timnagel7294]

I may have missed this; but what key is this finger tapping in? Is it B Minor?

[@alextarasov4247]

Thank you!

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure! :)

[@MaartenFranken]

But how about moving the pick without chance of it jumping out of my hand? Getting it under the middle finger goes reasonably fast, but not fast enough for a lot of licks. Then, when I need two fingers of my right hand, I have to move the pick and do this without messing up the rythm of the taps, same for when I need a third finger. And regardless from the finger that is holding the pick in the end, getting it back between thumb and index finger and stay in time... its pretty much a guarentee to drop the pick, especially when I have to move it from under my pinky. This has always been the hard part of tapping, for me, and I'm familiar with slight of hand with coins. For starts the finger that is holding the pick has to stretch, so that the pick can tumble on to the tip of finger. The pick is too light to make the tumble, especially when it sticks to the sweat of my hand and then Im already too late and the pick still has to be moved to the index finger... During the stretch of the finger holding the pick, the hand has to move back to normal picking position, so letting the pick make the unguided tumble, especially with the low weight, will make the pick tumble to the side and out of my hand... Would it be possible to make a video about this subject?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

I suggest to get a larger pick (like the one you see me use in the video - Rounded Triangle shape picks are great. They don't fall out of your hand as easily as smaller picks do. Besides that, it's just a matter of practice. Do the motion slowly to figure out exactly how to make the transition the right way, then speed it up. :)

[@jp.guitartv.1872]

How about 8finger arppegio?

[@billitones]

very cool

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

:)

[@billitones]

@@tomhessmusiccorp Tom Hess- you continue to amaze me! Thank you for all that you do

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

My pleasure, Tim :)

[@pirho1009]

I have an acoustic guitar and when I hammer on a high note, I can hear a second note even if all the others strings are muted. Is it because I do it wrong or is it something normal with acoustic guitars?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

You could be hearing a harmonic. Experiment with where you tap (how close or far from the fret your finger is and adjust it to see if that sound goes away). Also, as I'm not an expert on teaching acoustic guitar, I suggest to check out this website with great acoustic guitar lessons: acousticguitarlessonsonline.net

[@miromax811]

Does fret size affect tapping difficulty?

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

No :)

[@miromax811]

@@tomhessmusiccorp So I just suck then.

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

No, it just means you need to do more (and better) practice :) Check out this article on the topic of "suck": tomhess.net/Articles/AnAnalysisOfSuck.aspx

[@udayanmustafi3963]

🎸

[@JoaoGabrielJF724]

I have a question about tapping: Which is the correct way? 1) Hit the string with the picking hand, and then, the fretting hand or 2) Hit the string with both hand at the same time, and then, release the picking hand first, and then, release the fretting hand? I don't know if my question is clear. Thank you in advance

[@tomhessmusiccorp]

It all depends on context. There is no one correct way (they can all work, depending on what you are playing). Experiment with all of them for the specific lick you are practicing until you find one that makes the lick easiest to play. But for other licks your approach might change.

[@JoaoGabrielJF724]

@@tomhessmusiccorp Understood =D Thank you

[@claemayor1650]

You look like rob halford of judas preist

[@γιωργοςπερρος-η2γ]

dude his guitar lessons are so good i can just watch them and not play guitar