JOEL HOESKTRA’S CONSIDERATIONS ON TWO-HAND TAPPING

“Tapping is just one part of my playing and for me is often thrown in for 10 seconds or so during an actual rock song. That said, I used it exclusively for my performance of Excalibur so I’ll explain some aspects that might help you duplicate what I’ve played. First off, I’m using .011-.048 gauge strings with a standard action that is high enough for bending and playing traditional rock guitar. However, tapping is often best done with light gauge strings, very low action and a consistent graphite neck, not a Les Paul. The problem with a Les Paul is the toggle switch - it’s in the way for good hand posture. I also had to film in landscape but ideally, I would have held the guitar vertically and filmed in portrait. That would get the toggle switch out of the way and allow for a clear view of the fretboard and make it easier for the picking-hand fingers to pull UP when pulling off. That’s very important when multi-finger tapping. My ideal tone for tapping is not much distortion with a little compression added in front to even out the levels. If you’re looking for the best way to improve your picking hand hand’s tapping strength, there’s not a better exercise than trilling every finger combination for extended periods of time. This is great to do while watching TV as it’s not exactly the most musical thing to listen to. I also recommend tapping scales with your picking hand.

I get a lot of questions regarding the fact that I don’t use a wrap to reduce string noise. Well, tapping is just a part of my playing. I’m no tapping expert. All of the muting I do comes from fretting further down the first finger and using the tip of it to mute the neighbouring strings. I also extend any unused fingers across the strings at all available times. All of this could be considered dated so by all means, go for the wrap. It would probably help me immensely, but it would be like teaching an old dog new tricks. That said, putting a wrap on and taking it off does take precious seconds when you’re playing so it can be hinderance too. For full disclosure, when I worked on my multi-finger tapping it was around 1986. Few people were doing it back then and wraps weren’t even available. In closing, see how you get on with Excalibur with or without a wrap. And thanks!