Tapping — right hand on the board
Tapping adds a second set of fingers: the fretting hand holds an anchor while the picking-hand finger hammers a higher fret, then pulls off back down the chain. Start on one string until every note speaks.
Path: Legato · Alternate · this page · Tapping lab
t = right-hand tap. Pull-offs after the tap use the same flick as legato pulls.
Lesson 1 · Tap one note
LH holds G fret 5. RH index taps fret 12 once; pull back to 5.
e|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|-5---t12---p5-------------------
D|--------------------------------
A|--------------------------------
E|--------------------------------
LH RH tap pull
Lesson 2 · Classic cell
5 – tap 12 – pull 8 – pull 5. Generic motion from Lead · tapping.
e|-------------------------------- B|-------------------------------- G|-5-t12-p8-p5-------------------- D|-------------------------------- A|-------------------------------- E|--------------------------------
Lesson 3 · B string
Same idea on B fret 5 → tap 12 → 8 → 5. Different string spacing.
e|-------------------------------- B|-5-t12-p8-p5-------------------- G|-------------------------------- D|-------------------------------- A|-------------------------------- E|--------------------------------
Lesson 4 · Two taps
Tap 12, pull 8, tap 10, pull 5. Small shape, four distinct pitches.
e|-------------------------------- B|-------------------------------- G|-5-t12-p8-t10-p5---------------- D|-------------------------------- A|-------------------------------- E|--------------------------------
Lesson 5 · With a picked start
Pick fret 5, then tap chain. Matches how taps appear in solos.
e|--------------------------------
B|--------------------------------
G|-5-t12-p8-p5--------------------
D|--------------------------------
A|--------------------------------
E|--------------------------------
first 5 picked
Lesson 6 · Speed check
Loop lesson 2 at metronome tempo, four notes per beat. Every note even before the bpm rises — the pull-off after the tap is the one that disappears first.
e|--------------------------------- B|--------------------------------- G|-5--t12--p8--p5--5--t12--p8--p5-- D|--------------------------------- A|--------------------------------- E|---------------------------------
Lesson 7 · Triads on one string
Tap the top note, pull to the left hand's low note, hammer the middle note: three notes of a chord from one string, in triplets. Move the cell and the chord changes. On the B string, Em · C · G · D:
e|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------- B|-t12--p5--h8--t12--p5--h8-|-t13--p5--h8--t13--p5--h8-|-t15--p8--h12--t15--p8--h12-|-t15--p7--h10--t15--p7--h10-- G|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------- D|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------- A|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------- E|--------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------------
Em tap 12, pull 5, hammer 8 · C tap 13, pull 5, hammer 8 · G tap 15, pull 8, hammer 12 · D tap 15, pull 7, hammer 10. Left-hand index and pinky (or ring) cover the two fretted notes. Why these three notes make each chord is on Triads.
Lesson 8 · Tapped trill
Left hand holds G fret 7. The tapping finger hammers 12 and pulls back to 7 as fast as it stays even — a trill too wide for one hand. Tap with the tip, pull slightly sideways toward the floor, exactly like a legato pull-off.
e|---------------------------------------- B|---------------------------------------- G|-7--t12--p7--t12--p7--t12--p7--t12--p7-- D|---------------------------------------- A|---------------------------------------- E|----------------------------------------
Muting — what keeps tapping clean
A tap is a hammer on a string nobody is holding, so every other string is free to ring. Two hands share the job:
- Fretting hand — the index lies lightly across the strings above the one you tap; the underside of the fingers touches the strings below.
- Picking hand — the heel rests on the low strings near the bridge, the same place as a palm mute. Pick or tap with the index or middle; the curled fingers stay out of the way.
- Check — play lesson 2, then stop and listen. Anything still ringing is a string neither hand is covering.
Some players add a hair tie or a fret wrap near the nut for practice. It hides the problem rather than solving it, so take it off once the hands do the work.
Ready when
Move on when all of these are true on a normal day, not your best one:
- Lesson 2 looped at 80 bpm in sixteenths with all four notes the same volume.
- Em · C · G · D tapped triads in triplets with clean changes between cells.
- The tapped trill even for four beats without the left-hand note fading.
- When you stop, nothing rings: both hands mute the strings you are not playing.