Tapping sounds a note by bringing a finger onto a string at a fret, much like a hammer-on. In two-handed tapping, a picking-hand finger reaches onto the fingerboard while the fretting hand holds or changes other notes. Pull-offs connect the tapped note to a lower note.
The terms fretting hand and picking hand work for either playing orientation. Tapping can also be done with the fretting hand alone. This lesson starts with a short two-handed pattern on one string.
Start with two notes
Use standard tuning and the high E string. Fret the fifth fret, A, with your fretting-hand index finger. Keep the other strings quiet with light unused-finger or picking-hand contact where practical.
Tap just behind the twelfth fret with your picking-hand index or middle finger to sound E. Keep the fifth-fret finger in place. Then make a small pull-off with the tapping finger to sound the fifth-fret A again. Begin slowly, with a pause between attempts, and aim for two distinct notes at similar volume.
A tap frets the string; it is different from a tapped harmonic, which uses brief contact at a harmonic node. If you hear only a faint knock, check that the tap lands just behind the fret and that the string can ring. Use a clean amplified sound at a comfortable level before adding effects.
Add a fretting-hand hammer-on
Once the two-note movement is clear, try this short A-minor pattern. The notes are E, A and C on the high E string:
| Action | High E-string fret | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tap with the picking hand | 12 | E |
| Pull off to the waiting fretting-hand index finger | 5 | A |
| Hammer on with another fretting-hand finger | 8 | C |
To repeat, tap fret 12 again and keep that tapped E held while you lift the fretting-hand finger from fret 8. Keep the fifth fret held. Your next pull-off can then return to A instead of C. This reset makes no extra sounded note.
Repeat only as slowly as you can keep the attacks even. For a counted practice version, use one sounded action per click of the metronome. The tap, pull-off and hammer-on occupy three clicks; fit the finger reset between the next tap and pull-off. This is a practice grouping, not a transcription of a song or of a retained recording.
If the fifth-to-eighth-fret reach feels uncomfortable, return to the two-note version. Reduce the amount you lift each finger between notes. Stop if you feel pain; do not try to build the movement by striking harder.
Managing the pick
You can set the pick aside while learning. Alternatively, keep your usual thumb-and-index grip and try the middle finger for tapping. Practise returning to normal picking slowly before combining the two techniques in a phrase.
No paid tablature software is needed for this exercise. Hub Guitar’s tapping overview gives another explanation of taps and pull-offs; Yamaha’s playing guide introduces the two-hand technique.