Tapping is a playing method used on stringed instruments, most often on the guitar. It involves pressing a string with one hand and making it vibrate in one smooth motion. This differs from standard methods, where one hand presses the string and the other hand plucks it. Tapping is the main technique for instruments like the Chapman Stick.

Tapping is an advanced method where either hand strikes the strings against the fingerboard to create smooth, connected notes. It usually includes pull-offs or hammer-ons. For example, a right-handed guitarist might quickly press ("hammer") the index finger of the right hand onto the 12th fret. As the finger moves away, it plucks ("pulls") the same string, which was already pressed at the 8th fret by the left hand's little finger. The left hand's finger then moves to the 5th fret, producing three notes (E, C, and A) quickly and easily.

Tapping is most often seen on electric guitars, but it can be used on many string instruments. Some instruments were created specifically for tapping. The Bunker Touch-Guitar (invented by Dave Bunker in 1958) is designed for tapping, with an elbow rest to keep the right arm in the usual guitar position. The Chapman Stick (developed by Emmett Chapman in the 1970s) is made mainly for tapping and uses the Free Hands two-handed method, where both hands approach the fretboard with fingers parallel to the frets. Other instruments, like the Hamatar, Mobius Megatar, Box Guitar, and Solene, were also designed for this method. The NS/Stick and Warr Guitar are built for tapping but can also be played in other ways. The harpejji is a tapping instrument played on a stand, like a keyboard, with fingers parallel to the strings. All these instruments use lighter string tension and lower action (the distance between the strings and the fretboard) to make the strings more responsive to light tapping.

History

Tapping has been used in some form for many years. Niccolò Paganini, who lived from 1782 to 1840, used similar techniques on the violin. He struck the strings with a bouncing bow and used his left hand to pluck the strings. Paganini thought he was a better guitarist than a violinist. He wrote several guitar compositions, including the "Grand Sonata for Violin and Guitar." His guitar music is rarely played today, but his violin music is performed often. Some music experts believe he wrote his 37 violin sonatas on the guitar first and then adapted them for the violin. Paganini often visited taverns, where he may have learned gypsy guitar techniques from Romani people. He preferred playing for tavern customers instead of performing in concert halls.

A technique called selpe is used in Turkish folk music on an instrument called the bağlama.

Tapping techniques and solos on stringed acoustic instruments like the banjo were recorded in films, records, and performances during the early 20th century. Some musicians are believed to have started modern two-hand tapping. Roy Smeck, who used a tapping style on a ukulele in the 1932 film Club House Party, was one of the earliest known players. Harry DeArmond, an electric pickup designer, created a two-handed tapping method to show how sensitive his pickups were. His friend Jimmie Webster used DeArmond’s technique in the 1950s and wrote about it in the book Touch Method for Electric and Amplified Spanish Guitar in 1952.

Vittorio Camardese developed his own two-handed tapping style in the early 1960s. He demonstrated it on an Italian television show in 1965.

Tapping was sometimes used by jazz guitarists in the 1950s and 1960s, such as Barney Kessel, who supported Emmett Chapman.

In August 1969, Chapman created a new two-handed tapping method. He held both hands perpendicular to the guitar neck from opposite sides, allowing each hand to play independently. To improve the technique, Chapman designed a 9-string electric guitar called "the Electric Stick," later refined as the Chapman Stick. This became the most popular instrument for tapping. Chapman’s method involved aligning the right-hand fingers parallel to the frets, like the left hand, but from the opposite side of the neck. His work led to the Chapman Stick and the "Free Hands" method. Chapman influenced guitarists like Steve Lynch of Autograph and Jennifer Batten.

Tapping became popular with rock and blues guitarists in the late 1960s. Canned Heat guitarist Harvey Mandel was one of the earliest players. Ritchie Blackmore and George Lynch said they saw Mandel use tapping onstage as early as 1968. Mandel used two-handed tapping on his 1973 album Shangrenade. Another early example is Terry Kath’s "Free Form Guitar" from Chicago’s debut album in 1969.

Randy Resnick, a guitarist from the band Pure Food and Drug Act, used two-handed tapping extensively between 1969 and 1974. Lee Ritenour said in 1980 that Randy was the first guitarist he saw who based his style entirely on tapping. Resnick also used tapping on the John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers album Latest Edition in 1974. He said he was trying to copy the fast, smooth playing style of John Coltrane.

Steve Hackett of Genesis claimed to have invented tapping as early as 1971.

Some guitarists, like Stanley Jordan, Paul Gilbert, Buckethead, and Steve Vai, became very skilled at using both hands in a way similar to playing the piano.

In the mid-1970s, two-handed tapping became more popular when Frank Zappa included it in his songs and performed them on TV. Eddie Van Halen later made the technique famous in the late 1970s. He said he was inspired by Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Van Halen also said he got the idea from Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, who played a solo in 1971 that inspired him.

• Niccolò Paganini, a 19th-century violinist, was one of the first to use tapping techniques.
• Roy Smeck, a jazz guitarist, popularized tapping in the 1926 film His Pastimes.
• Enver Izmailov, a Ukrainian guitarist, used tapping exclusively in 2009.
• Stanley Jordan, a jazz guitarist, uses tapping frequently.
• Greg Howe used a scrunchie on the first fret to mute strings while tapping with both hands.

Techniques

Tapping can be used to play music with multiple melodies played at the same time on a guitar. This method allows the use of eight or even nine fingers as stops. For example, the right hand can press down on the higher strings to play the main melody while the left hand plays the background music. This makes it possible to play music written for keyboard instruments, such as J. S. Bach's Two-part Inventions.

A major challenge with tapping is the limited variety of tones it can create. It is common to use a compressor effect to make notes sound more similar in volume. Tapping often creates a "clean tone" effect, and the first note usually sounds the loudest, which can be unwanted in some styles of music, like jazz. Controlling the loudness of notes is an important challenge with this technique, though guitarists like Stanley Jordan and Stick players have successfully used it in this style.

The way the right hand is positioned can affect how well dynamics are shaped. Early experimenters, such as Harry DeArmond, Jimmie Webster, and Dave Bunker, held their right hand in a traditional position, with fingers parallel to the strings. This limits the types of musical lines the right hand can play. The Chapman method places the fingers parallel to the frets instead.

One-handed tapping, combined with normal finger placement by the left hand, helps create note intervals that would be difficult to play with one hand alone. This technique is often used during fast and complex guitar solos. On an electric guitar, the sound is usually overdriven in these situations, though it is possible to tap acoustically. The overdriven sound helps amplify the softer legato notes played without picking.

The goal of tapping is to keep all the notes smooth and synchronized, especially when played quickly. This requires a lot of practice to master.

Some guitarists use the sharp edge of their pick instead of fingers to tap, creating faster, more rigid notes similar to trilling. This method is called pick tapping or pick trilling. Using the pick allows for faster speeds, as seen in the techniques of guitarists like Joe Satriani and John 5 Lowery, who nicknamed this method "Spider-Tap."

Tapped harmonics are created by holding a note with the left hand and tapping a note twelve frets higher with the right hand. For example, the note on the 4th fret of the A string is tapped on the 16th fret of the same string. Instead of using the right hand to hammer-on or pull-off, the harmonic is created by striking the fret with a finger. This technique can be heard in Van Halen's songs "Women In Love" and "Dance the Night Away." Early Metallica bassist Cliff Burton also used tapped harmonics on bass guitar in his instrumental piece "(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth."