This video course is the first of three that will examine the linear tapping technique. Linear tapping is the style of tapping that was utilised by guitarists such as Steve Hackett and Ace Frehley in the early seventies and was later more widely popularised by Eddie Van Halen. It differs from the two-handed tapping techniques that have been covered so far in that it is based on long sequences of notes played on one string at a time. Using linear tapping, it’s possible to play very fast solo lines, making it a very popular technique with lead guitarists! This is not a technique that bass players are often called upon to use, although virtuosos such as Billy Sheehan and Stuart Hamm have made it a key part of their technical arsenal.
As you work through this material, you might find the following courses useful (all included in the monthly subscription cost):
Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get the PDF worksheet and audio files for this course (available to subscribers only).
This course is 38 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:
This short lesson will demonstrate the basic concept behind the linear tapping technique. As you’ll hear, it’s a technique that works well for soloing.
This lesson adds a third note to the figure presented in the previous exercise, making it a triplet. This concept is explored further through four additional exercises.
This exercise is an ascending scale passage in the key of G major. The two linear tapping patterns covered in the previous exercises are used here.
This video demonstrates how the linear tapping technique can be used to play scales. Two ways of playing a two-octave G major scale will be demonstrated here.
This video will demonstrate two ways to play a two-octave A minor scale. Exercises such as these are great for exploring what is possible with the technique.
This exercise uses linear tapping to outline a series of chords. This is a popular application the technique and works well as part of a solo.
This exercise has a chord sequence that uses several major seventh chords. For each one, chord tones are used to clearly outline each chord.