Tapping efficacy

[Francois]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Tapping efficiency ? Finger muscles !

About the action : high action won't work, you need an easy low action, but an extremely low action may ruin your tapping. You have to make some tests.

With a too action and on the low E string tapping may produces a vibration on both sides of the fret and the additional one will be almost always out of tune.

EVH explained that he got the right action this way: Lower your action and when you see it creates some trouble get it a bit higher again.

You need a compressed sound from either distortion, low pups...

You can tap with any gauge 9 - 10 - 11 - The gauge will affect a lot your bending but less the tapping.
Van Halen had the light ones.

Like for bends, a very narrow neck won't help (I mean string spacing sorry).

I agree with NegativeEase that it is nice to experiment different styles of tapping than the original 79 full arpeggio parts. You can just tap a few notes amongst normal soloing as spice. You can also try to have two string interracting, fun but not easy.

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Yeah maybe if you wanna go plink-plink-bzzzz lol


Super low action on tight 11's is devastatngly tappable, same guitar with 10s sounds thinner

I use 9s. My guitars don’t sound thin. Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons use 7s or 8s! Thin strings don’t sound thin... they sound like a guitar. Lol Plus how much low end do you need? It’s fine for sitting in your bedroom but it muddies up a band situation.

Getting a “plinky” tone is a combination of using thin picks and poor fretting hand technique.



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[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Tapping efficiency ? Finger muscles !

About the action : high action won't work, you need an easy low action, but an extremely low action may ruin your tapping. You have to make some tests.

With a too action and on the low E string tapping may produces a vibration on both sides of the fret and the additional one will be almost always out of tune.

EVH explained that he got the right action this way: Lower your action and when you see it creates some trouble get it a bit higher again.

You need a compressed sound from either distortion, low pups...

You can tap with any gauge 9 - 10 - 11 - The gauge will affect a lot your bending but less the tapping.
Van Halen had the light ones.

Like for bends, a very narrow neck won't help (I mean string spacing sorry).

I agree with NegativeEase that it is nice to experiment different styles of tapping than the original 79 full arpeggio parts. You can just tap a few notes amongst normal soloing as spice. You can also try to have two string interracting, fun but not easy.

Dunno narrow works just fine for me on an R1 Schaller nut and two 42mm plain nut necks with pretty big white male fingers.... as to action, that's pretty true, dialing in action is like turning tuners down --- keep going down, but always finish by moving back up

However, there are still mechanical factors beyond that. Something about frets, strings, and bridge/saddles and possibly woods too just makes it ring out on some guitars more than others, and not necessarily guitars whose fretted & picked notes ring the most

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Tapping efficacy

I use 9s. My guitars don’t sound thin. Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons use 7s or 8s! Thin strings don’t sound thin... they sound like a guitar. Lol Plus how much low end do you need? It’s fine for sitting in your bedroom but it muddies up a band situation.

Getting a “plinky” tone is a combination of using thin picks and poor fretting hand technique.

Thin strings work for you, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, and whoever else likes them. They do not work for me, Adieu, or any other number of players who prefer more tension. Do you want me to make a list of guys who use 10s or heavier that sound great?

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Thin strings work for you, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, and whoever else likes them. They do not work for me, Adieu, or any other number of players who prefer more tension. Do you want me to make a list of guys who use 10s or heavier that sound great?

No, but I’m tired of hearing this macho attitude about string gauges. I think any heavier than 10s sound too clunky. Plus you lose finesse.

And I’m also a bass player. Try playing a 5 string bass and get back to me about heavy strings. Lol.


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[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

No, but I’m tired of hearing this macho attitude about string gauges. I think any heavier than 10s sound too clunky. Plus you lose finesse.

And I’m also a bass player. Try playing a 5 string bass and get back to me about heavy strings. Lol.


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Oh pleaaaaase something 135-140ish tuned somewhere between A B and C is a lot easier to handle, especially with bass string spacings and fret to fret distances

Fretwear don't lie, a heavyish tight (guitar) G string is the gnarliest of em all

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Oh pleaaaaase something 135-140ish tuned somewhere between A B and C is a lot easier to handle, especially with bass string spacings and fret to fret distances

How about tuned to concert pitch? I don’t down tune my instruments. [emoji23]

Plus the low B is low enough.


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[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

How about tuned to concert pitch? I don’t down tune my instruments. [emoji23]

Plus the low B is low enough.


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I meant tuned to whatever the hell, regardless (within reason)


That thick big-ass rope may be enough to hang people with, but it just doesn't have the sharpness or PSI of a tight unwound guitar string in one of the larger gauges when it comes to tearing your hands up

Basic math and physics agree. 5-10x the contact area means it'd have to be stretched 5-10x more pounds pull to exert the same level of pressure on your fingertip

[ErikH]

Re: Tapping efficacy

One thing that is forgotten when using really heavy strings (like 11's or 12's) and tuning down to C or something like that is string tension. At that point, the tension feels like 9's or 10's. Don't forget to take scale length in to consideration as well. Same gauge tuned to same pitch will feel slinkier on 24.75" versus 25.5" scale.

Like DavidRavenMoon, I tune to concert pitch on all my guitars and play bass as well, also tuned to concert pitch. Occasionally I'll drop down 1/2 step if I'm working on a song that is recorded at that pitch but in the band, A 440 pitch.

[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

One thing that is forgotten when using really heavy strings (like 11's or 12's) and tuning down to C or something like that is string tension. At that point, the tension feels like 9's or 10's. Don't forget to take scale length in to consideration as well. Same gauge tuned to same pitch will feel slinkier on 24.75" versus 25.5" scale.

Like DavidRavenMoon, I tune to concert pitch on all my guitars and play bass as well, also tuned to concert pitch. Occasionally I'll drop down 1/2 step if I'm working on a song that is recorded at that pitch but in the band, A 440 pitch.

Hate to be a show-off, but you're misunderstanding what "concert pitch / A 440" MEANS

It's simply the DEFINITION (hertz value) of an A note. WHAT CONSTITUTES an A note, not where on the fretboard it can be found... instrument doesnt even have to have a single note as low as 440hz to be tuned in accordance with A=440hz value concert pitch


Which value, yes, changed and flip flopped A LOT historically and geographically and even according to certain divas' demands for specific acts/organizations --- from barely over 400 to as high as 480 iirc. Certain orchestras still run weird crap like A442 or A438, or in other words, play EVERYTHING a few cents out of tune according to our ears

Defining A=440hz (or using an electronic tuner) does not in any way shape or form define what notes you set different strings to....


For example, EVERY metalhead who ever used a Korg to tune to Drop A is ALSO....drumroll... tuning to A440 comcert pitch. It's just 440hz on his 4th string A not his 5th (or yes 5th string for a 7 string). So, btw, is drop F, drop C, Drop D, Eb standard, C standard, whatever, so long as theyre tuning to an A440 tuner or fork.... his A notes wherever they're found are A440 or octaves thereof

[ErikH]

Re: Tapping efficacy

The A note above Middle C to be exact (A4). The next octave up of A (A5) is 880, A6 is 1760. Just because it's the same note at a different octave does not mean it's the same frequency. When drop tuning, the location of A4 (440) on the neck changes based on that frequency.

[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Well, technically, A440 defines ALL notes' hz values. Define one, define all.

[Blille]

Re: Tapping efficacy

It is novel for a few notes in a solo, but overall, it is simply the wrong instrument to get good at tapping. A Chapman Stick/Warr Guitar/Touch Guitar are the right ones, and someone who has practiced those instruments for 3 months is light years ahead of the meek tappers we have on guitar.

I bought a Chapman Stick like 20 years ago. Not as automatically transferable from guitar as I had hoped. Hard to play. And back then I had pretty solid tapping skills. I sucked at it.

I shipped it to myself as I moved and UPS lost it. They reimbursed me what the Stick cost and I bought a strat with the money

[Adieu]

Re: Tapping efficacy

I bought a Chapman Stick like 20 years ago. Not as automatically transferable from guitar as I had hoped. Hard to play. And back then I had pretty solid tapping skills. I sucked at it.

I shipped it to myself as I moved and UPS lost it. They reimbursed me what the Stick cost and I bought a strat with the money

Hmmmm


I think you just stumbled on how to upgrade unwanted items for the price of shipping


Black Friday is coming, hurry up and ship your broke down old TVs to your mother in law and crappy discontinued amps to your cousins

[timtheshredder]

Re: Tapping efficacy

Any guitar with big frets, low action, and light strings. You should be good to tap.