Guitar Lesson: Use Two Handed Fret Tapping to Create Chord Sequences

20131215184822eddie 2For this article a few tips on how you can incorporate two handed fret tapping to outline your chord sequences.
Two handed fret tapping is simply the idea of using the fingers of both your fretting hand and strumming hand to create a larger span on intervals to get your music across.
Two handed tapping became popular in the late 70s and 1980s, but is has been around for much longer but never gained the popularity as it did during that period.
One of the hardest parts of this technique is to incorporate the technique into your own guitar playing without it sounding like a gimmick. One of such a use is the one I want to introduce you here today: Use two Handed tapping to outline chord shapes and sequences.

It is a must that you see your chord shapes in various places across the fret board, especially when you play at higher speeds.
Tapping does not have to be played at super high speed, but yes, you do need to play a bit quicker for the notes to ring. When you play very slowly the notes will die out quickly, because a fretted note on the guitar does not have the sustain as a note being played on the Trumpet!.

One idea you can use is to start your chords on the Root note: use your fretting hand to play the Root note, then add other notes of the chord with the rest of your finger of your fretting hand and strumming hand. Create a little rhythmic idea for the notes to make sense.

You can record a chord sequence using one strum per chord then play the tapping over the top of your recording. Use the tapping to outline the chords you recorded before.

Once you can outline the chords try to add a little melodic motif along the chords. You do not need to tap the same pattern over and over again, make variations based on rhythm and harmony.

Once you get the hang of this technique you will start to discover more and more and how you can use this technique into your own playing.

Have fun and hope to catch you soon again,
Eddie