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"How To Do Two Handed Tapping On Guitar: Advanced Finger Tapping Guitar Tricks"

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Two handed tapping on guitar is an advanced finger tapping technique that looks cool and sounds totally unique. If shred guitar is your thing, be sure to learn this visually stunning approach to playing shred guitar in a unique and creative way.

Advanced finger tapping -- What's this all about?

Two handed tapping on guitar is performed without picking any notes. All you have to do is press them using left and right hand combinations!

You don't have to drop your pick to do two handed tapping, you can use your middle and ring fingers to tap with.

...but if you want to drop your pick completely that's fine too. Just remember never pick any notes for this whole lesson. Only press them using hammer ons (with your left hand) and taps (with your right hand).

Two handed tapping guitar lesson -- Start with the pentatonic scale

Let's start with something that should be pretty familiar: the pentatonic scale in A minor. It's an easy shape to get started two handed tapping, so it shouldn't throw you off too much.

Start by pressing your left hand index finger onto the 5, then hammer your pinky onto 8, and tap 12 using either your middle finger or (if you dropped your pick) your index finger on your right hand.

Keep going through the pentatonic pattern until you can play it fast on your guitar.

Click tablature to enlarge:

Two handed tapping on guitar -- two tap fingers

Now let's start tapping two notes using two separate tap fingers. If you are holding your pick, use your middle and ring. If you dropped your pick, use index and middle. It's up to you.

Two handed tapping on guitar is all about staying in perfect time even without the feeling of picking your notes. Us guitar players tend to get used to the feeling of driving the rhythm with our picking motions. Two handed tapping leaves all that behind.

Click tablature to enlarge:

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Two handed tapping -- Using odd rhythmic groupings

Think of it like playing drums on your fretboard.

Even in special cases where the rhythmic grouping of your tapping phrase is odd, you still have to "feel" the downbeat of the quarter notes.

The next example is grouped into sevens, but you should "feel" it in 4/4 time. The first bar shows you the pattern. Learn the seven notes, then play it in a 4/4 rhythm.

Click tablature to enlarge:

Want to learn how to play any song, at any speed, just by listening to it?

Two handed tapping without a pick

Now we can look at ways to use two handed tapping completely without a pick. Three left hand fingers and three right hand fingers.

If you look at the tabs one note at a time, it's going to seem overly complicated. But, learn the pattern of each hand and it becomes easy.

Look at it this way:

• Left hand and right hand fingers always alternate
• Left hand always goes: index, middle, pinky
• Right hand always goes: ring, middle, index, ring, middle

So the left hand gets a three note pattern and the right hand gets a five note pattern...

If you keep all your fingers over the designated notes then all you have to think about is the patterns.

Each finger only ever plays the single fret that it belongs to.

Click tablature to enlarge:

Click tablature to enlarge:

You don't have to go super fast. Play it slow enough that your brain can "get it" and just have fun!

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