[CRG1400]

Does anyone know of a sight that has a tutorial on two-handed tapping for acoustic guitar? I think it has a very cool sound, and would like to add some of that stuff to my repertoire. I know that Preston Reed has a video out on that stuff, but is there a site that has some pointers?

For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a skill used by many great guitarists including Preston Reed, Phil Keaggy, Don Ross, Micheal Hedges, Kaki King, and a bunch of others that I can't remember off the top of my head. It is kinda hard to explain, so one would have to see it to understand. There is a video on Phil Keaggy's web site, philkeaggy.com, it is the upmost link, some church that he played in. The video is kinda long, like 2 hours. If you go to the last song, at about 1hr.50min. and watch for about 10 minutes you will see it. I am sure there is more of his two-handed tapping skills on the video, but that is all I remember.

Any info. on this skill will be much appreciated. Thanks

This post has been edited by CRG1400: 23 March 2005 - 05:04 PM

[grzegorz_panek]

Try Bobbbb's tapping lessons in the lesson archieve. He's an electric guy, but to some extent the same applies for acoustic.

[dadfad]

I had posted before in this forum a link to an on-line video of Reed playing close-up that was pretty good, but I think the video has been taken down. I've seen Reed play before (he occassionally offers workshops for a limited number of guitarists). A lot of his style is dependent on electronics and effects to sustain and amplify the tapping. If it was done on a purely acoustic guitar (even mic'ed externally) it would not "hold up". His suff is pretty flashy and impressive performance-wise. While it wouldn't be a style I wanted to play in exclusively, I worked on a couple of his tunes, "Border Town" and "Tribes" for awhile because I thought they would be good "set-closers". Much of his left-hand tapping is done from above the neck. I got them down pretty well but the special-electronics and effects needed part made me decide not to add it to my "set-list" or pursue it any farther. He uses a number of altered tunings like CGDGAD (Border Town) and CGDGGD (Tribes). Hope this helps a little.

[evileye]

Search eMule, there are loads of RAR file video lessons on this sort of thing.
Its only the past week or so I've gotten into precussive slaps, and making them (sort of) work, but I find that if you do a firm but not too hard slap of your index finger on the body of the guitar near where the neck joins the body, you get the best sound - try and make all your finger come in contact at once, it makes a really reverbant slap. Also, try slapping the 12th fret harmonic in an open tuning - if you get it right, you can use that too.

[dadfad]

Search eMule, there are loads of RAR file video lessons on this sort of thing.
Its only the past week or so I've gotten into precussive slaps, and making them (sort of) work, but I find that if you do a firm but not too hard slap of your index finger on the body of the guitar near where the neck joins the body, you get the best sound - try and make all your finger come in contact at once, it makes a really reverbant slap. Also, try slapping the 12th fret harmonic in an open tuning - if you get it right, you can use that too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And that right-hand thumb is important too, both as a percussive-beat (I like the upper-bout top near the curve) and also as a way to play the strings (similar to the way a funk-bass might be thumb-slapped).

Every part of the top (or side) of your guitar has its own percussive sound. So does each finger (or thumb) and the way you use them. Like using the same motion as say if your hand was on a table and you were sequentialy drumming your fingers... pinky, ring, middle, index...etc on the top of your guitar behind the bridge will give you a percussive element which can then be punctuated with a thumb "pop" on the upper-bout corner with a totally different tone. Just think of your guitar top (and sides) the same way as you would a percussion-kit set up in front of you... complete with bongos, toms, etc... even chimes (the strings between your nut and tuners, or between your saddle and pins, or 12th-fret harmonics). Percussive use of the guitar top is very important in styles like this, and guys like Reed rely on it heavily.

[spacecrumbs]

I cant really offer any advice on this as I've never been able to master it but this unsigned chap NBF seems to know his stuff, judging by the video's maybe you can pick up something from there