Tapstyle...

[fenderbender4]

So I have been curious about learning "tapstyle" ala Justin King, Michael Hedges, Trace Bundy, etc. The only acoustic I have right now is an old 80's yamaha. In all honesty the action is kind of high, frets are low, and it plays really stiff for lack of a better term.

Should I still be able to to execute the techniques etc.? I know it's kind of subjective, but even a cheap "off the rack" acoustic guitar seems easier to do the slap harmonics, hammer on's/off's, like a lot. Is it "essential" to have a somewhat more playable guitar? The yamaha does sound good, and has a booming sound. That said, it seems well suited for hard strumming and somewhat simplish chords. I think I keep it around for a "finger strengthening" tool.

What have other peoples' experiences been in pursuing these techniques?

[rick-slo]

Better if you have a guitar pickup installed.

[Picker2]

Two things are crucial for tapping:

1. An ultra-low action all over the neck
2. An on-board pickup system and an amp. At home you can use any small acoustic amp.

Third, you probably want to do it in an open tuning, and fourth, most tappers use 011 gauge or even thinner.

I spent some time on tapping 10 years back or so. However, the initial fascination was soon replaced by the insight that tapping has a very limited musical range. Yes, the first time I heard Preston Reed play Ladies Night, it blew my mind because of the unexpected percussive component, but honestly, today no tapping performance can keep me interested for longer than 10 seconds. The first five seconds are WOW, the next four are HMMM... and then comes the YAAHWNNN...

Yes, it brings great new possibilities, but also an order of magnitude more limitations, which unavoidingly lead to a poor melodic component in the music (it's always almost lacking) and a lot of repetition and monotony.

Having said that, a lot of today's popular music consists of endless repetitions of short sound loops, in various permutations and with only some slight variations here and there. Millions of people love that. So if that's what you're after, tapping may be something for you. Personally I believe a good melody is essential for all music and certainly for solo acoustic guitar. So I probably won't buy your upcoming album. :-)

[GuitarsFromMars]

Hedges was a composition major at Peabody. He was known for a plethora of tunings, as many as necessary(even per song) through his evolution. There are lists of the tunings on the internet.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Better if you have a guitar pickup installed.

Nope.

Originally Posted by Picker2

Two things are crucial for tapping:

1. An ultra-low action all over the neck
2. An on-board pickup system and an amp. At home you can use any small acoustic amp.

Third, you probably want to do it in an open tuning, and fourth, most tappers use 011 gauge or even thinner.

Almost none of this is true.

The open tunings do help as they can give you a nice chord when you slap over a harmonic node.

But the rest of the advice is mostly bunk. I play with medium-high action and medium gauge strings, and almost never plugged in. Most of the "tappers" I know don't play with terribly low action or extra light strings. And if you can't make it sound good unplugged, it's not going to sound good plugged in.

If the action is very low, you'll get bad buzzing when you tap. If the strings are too skinny, you'll have volume and intonation problems when you tune down (and most common open tunings tune most strings down from standard).

Get a setup on your Yamaha. A good tech should make it playable, which is really all you need to play those techniques. Get it set up for medium action with 12-54 strings. Then practice. PM me if you want to chat.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by Picker2

I spent some time on tapping 10 years back or so. However, the initial fascination was soon replaced by the insight that tapping has a very limited musical range. Yes, the first time I heard Preston Reed play Ladies Night, it blew my mind because of the unexpected percussive component, but honestly, today no tapping performance can keep me interested for longer than 10 seconds. The first five seconds are WOW, the next four are HMMM... and then comes the YAAHWNNN...

Yes, it brings great new possibilities, but also an order of magnitude more limitations, which unavoidingly lead to a poor melodic component in the music (it's always almost lacking) and a lot of repetition and monotony.

Having said that, a lot of today's popular music consists of endless repetitions of short sound loops, in various permutations and with only some slight variations here and there. Millions of people love that. So if that's what you're after, tapping may be something for you. Personally I believe a good melody is essential for all music and certainly for solo acoustic guitar. So I probably won't buy your upcoming album. :-)

Don't blame the technique for the player's compositional shortcomings. There's plenty of great music with tapping, and without tapping. There's plenty of boring music with tapping, and without tapping. Preston Reed is a great player but not a very interesting composer. I suggest you listen to Don Ross, Andy McKee, Robert Taylor, Mike Dawes, the first Erik Mongrain record, Calum Graham, Billy McLaughlin, and Michael Hedges, for examples of great music that happens to have unusual techniques.

OP: get the John Stropes book Rhythm, Sonority, Silence. It has five Hedges tunes transcribed as closely as imaginable, and lots of explanations for how to play them.

[Picker2]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Nope.
Almost none of this is true.

OK. You clearly interact with other tappers than I did. It all worked for me though.

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

Don't blame the technique for the player's compositional shortcomings. There's plenty of great music with tapping, and without tapping. There's plenty of boring music with tapping, and without tapping. Preston Reed is a great player but not a very interesting composer. I suggest you listen to Don Ross, Andy McKee, Robert Taylor, Mike Dawes, the first Erik Mongrain record, Calum Graham, Billy McLaughlin, and Michael Hedges, for examples of great music that happens to have unusual techniques.

OP: get the John Stropes book Rhythm, Sonority, Silence. It has five Hedges tunes transcribed as closely as imaginable, and lots of explanations for how to play them.

Clearly, 'good' music is a most subjective thing, just like all art forms. I know the artists you mentioned, some even personally. And as long as you use tapping as an addition to conventional guitar playing I think you're fine. But I though the TS referred to 'tapping only' playing styles. And in that case I never heard a single performance that could make me smile for more than 10 seconds. But like I said, it's personal.

BTW - I intended to write "alternate tunings", not "open tunings". I always mix the two up. :-)

[Picker2]

P.S. I forgot to mention that there is one tapper I do like. Stanley Jordan! He manages to prevent the monotony, repetitions and lack of melody typical for most tapping performances I have heard. I think he was also one of the first, I remember seeing him back in 1981.