Metal Guitar Lesson - Two Handed Tapping

Two hand tapping is a key metal guitar lesson for anyone interested in lead guitar since it is one of the coolest and most versatile techniques a metal guitar player can have in their lead arsenal. Popularized by Eddie Van Halen in the late 70's and early 80's, two handed tapping quickly caught on and is now a favourite technique of some of the greatest names in metal guitar. Luckily, it isn't overly complicated to learn. If you can perform hammer-ons and pull-offs, you're already half way there.

Basically, two handed tapping is the act of fretting notes with your fretting hand as normal, but instead of picking, using one of the fingers on the picking hand to perform another hammer-on/pull-off further down the neck from the fretting hand.

Which finger you choose to tap with should really be a function of how you hold your pick. The vast majority of players hold their pick between their thumb and index finger, and so tapping with your index finger would require you ditch the pick somehow and retrieve it when you're done. Because of this, it's much easier to simply tap with your middle finger, allowing you to keep a hold of your pick for when you exit your tapping piece. (Note: Eddie Van Halen is one of few players who holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger, and as such, he taps with this index finger.)

Once you've decided which finger to tap with, it's simply a matter of performing a set of hammer-ons and pull-offs with your fretting hand and then introducing another note to the series with your picking hand. For a visual representation, check out some video lessons. After seeing it in action, you'll pick it up right away.

If you'd like to check out some lessons on techniques like this, as well as others, click here to check out Metal Method Guitar Lessons. I personally used this course and can vouch for the quality of it, and the website contains lots of free video lessons!

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