This Metal Licks free weekly guitar lesson series is by Scott Allen, who currently has an interactive TrueFire classroom called the “Metal Shop.” Tune in there for more from Scott, or subscribe to this series for more!
Video Guitar Lesson:
This week we’re taking tapping to the next level! Now that we have seen what tapping sounded like with the pentatonic scale it is now time to up the ante and see how this technique works with the diatonic scale. Not only are we making the scale more sophisticated, we are also adding a ton of position shifts to the mix. We will be playing this example in E minor and playing a run that covers the entire neck in next to no time flat.
The three challenges with this lick are your comfort with the tapping technique, your ability to visualize the scales quickly, and your agility in shifting positions smoothly. The main issue with the tapping is making sure your tapped note is just as loud as the other hammered notes, and that your are smoothly plucking with your ring finger as you ascend through the scale. The challenges of the visualization and position shifting will be greatly helped by going slowly through the example and taking each shift one at a time.
While these techniques were mainly popularized by master shredders like Reb Beach, Steve Vai, and George Lynch when you get them up to speed they seem to have just in much in common with Allan Holdsworth, except we mortals don’t have to have fingers that can stretch for a mile. There is no better or smother way to do a long ascending run than to incorporate tapping in this manner. Work this into your repertoire and you will be glad that you did!
This Metal Licks free weekly guitar lesson series is by Scott Allen, who currently has an interactive TrueFire classroom called the “Metal Shop.” Tune in there for more from Scott, or subscribe to this series for more!