Tapping is definitely one of the best lead guitar techniques. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can play some pretty amazing guitar solos and licks. Here are some ideas to get started:
One of the easiest ways to make your guitar solos sound super fast and technical is to use open string licks and tapping. For example, on the high E string, alternate between frets 4 and 7, then frets 5 and 8 using hammers and pull-offs just to play the notes. Then add the 12th fret with your tapping finger and BAM! You have an amazing solo lick.
Another great way to tap is to take the edge of the pick and use it to strike the fret instead of using your middle (or index) finger. This sounds much sharper and more mechanical, plus you can do it a lot faster, which is an interesting effect on its own. Listen to the guitar on Iron Maiden solos for examples to hear more of this.
An advanced way to use tapping is to only use legato at the fret and while playing a scale, then play additional notes with your playing hand before moving on to the next string in the sequence. For example, play a pentatonic A minor scale (using 2 notes per string) and then play one of the other notes on the scale with your playing hand. You can make tons of great ideas like this, so experiment a lot with them.
An even more advanced way to use the tapping technique is by playing arpeggio patterns. There are many ways to do this, but one is to take a 3-string arpeggio pattern (like A minor starting at the 9th fret of the g string) and then play the arpeggio notes with your playing hand. For example, try this: play the 14th fret on the g string and pull the 9th fret, play the 13th fret on the b string and pull the 10th fret, then play the 12th fret on the high E string and pull the 8th fret, and repeat. . Pay attention to your fidgety hand as well, and make sure to mute any noise (so it doesn’t sound sloppy).
These have been just a few ideas that you can use playing to make your performance sound better. Practice each idea together and separately so that you can master them in different musical settings.
