This video pretty much explains what the technique involves...But I havent ever really considered this way of using the left hand...It makes trill exercises even more hard on the left hand...Is this a cool way to trill with adjacent strings or is it simply bad technique?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQEppu9ZeYs&feature=youtu.be

What would your right hand be doing during this pull-off from nowhere which prevents it from being able to pick the first note? Aside from purposely changing the tone of the initial note (pick vs pull-off), I can't think of what such a technique would buy you in the end. I mean it might be good for showmanship where you start/stop licks with your fretting hand while playing to the crowd with your other hand (for example, with a yo-yo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83zX_JZX38k ).

Perhaps the licks you were hearing included right hand tapping and/or kill-switch usage.

Sometimes my only reason is that it is really hard for me to comfortably execute it. Since I am going to everntually be a lord of this instrument , I'll have to learn every little technical nuance sooner or later anyway. But in these instance its for the sake of phrasing.

also...the pick could be curently tied up on some other non adjacent string that seems like a valid reason.

Whoa...pls leave this vid up for a little while Ursin, I need some time if I am going to make heads and tails of some of whats going on in it...As for the Becker video mentioned by dlraben; I am forced to admit I have long given up on my dream of being able to yo-yo that well.

This is the original REH Reb Beach instructional VHS tape I was talking about. This is the part where he shows his tapping style which I immediately thought was the coolest thing ever. I didn't know what to do with it at first. Completely ripped it off and started doing things with it.

As far as you trying to figure out Buckethead licks, Brian does all sorts of crazy shit with his right hand and I'm sure this is one of them.

As for the left hand, he likes to play those groupings of 9, 10, 11, 13 etc and mix them all up. I saw you playing one of them in your video. You have it. Just keep drilling it every day for hours to get it faster. Then, start mixing the groupings up.

The right hand is a whole other monster I guess. I wanted to help you answer your question but, maybe we should start at TAPPING BASICS and then work from there...?

Hope that helps.

Basically, you're giving your left hand index finger some help by plucking the string with your pick hand instead of having to slam the index finger down to get the string to sound.

Having said that, you SHOULD be able to slam the index finger down to get the note to sound HOWEVER, this is just another technique to have in the bag.

Holy cow!

Ok, so I'm hoping that there are drill sergeant tapping exercises that will incrementally lead up to that sick level of technique. Is there a set of videos dedicated to tapping hand ladders, spiders, trills, or whatever else is necessary? I can imagine just trying to get creative by stacking several positions in a row of whatever scale or symmetrical pattern one likes, but I figured I'd ask if there's an order to this like everything else in Pebber's lesson plan.

You talking about the Reb video or my video? Cuz the Reb clip is fairly straight forward. He's just running up an E minor scale.

Neither really. Both your and Reb's videos were easy to understand, but were just difficult to reproduce. However, both you and Reb exemplify what had to have taken dozens if not hundreds of hours to develop. So, before I dump hundreds of hours into learning that technique (spent a couple yesterday ... pretty fun actually) I figured I'd ask if there was a series of Pebber videos out there that I could request in my upcoming monthly deliveries. I figured it would be best to see the correct practice techniques slow and in baby steps like he does for spiders, ladders, trills, and everything else. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if there were tapping hand spider, ladder, trill exercises...

Anyway, here's a more specific trouble spot I found. I was using triple stacks of pentatonic patterns; fingering two patterns with my fretting hand while tapping the third with my right. To make this easier to type, consider C# minor pentatonic:

Fretting
E: 9 - 12 - 14
B: 9 - 12 - 14

Tapping
E: 16
B: 17

The problem I have comes in when I'm switching from the tapped E (17) on the B string to the anchored C# (9) on the E string. Since my fretting index finger needs to hold down that C#, the action of the E string is fricken' low. Since my tapping hand is firmly anchored with its thumb & pinky so that my free fingers hover around the 16/17th fret area, sounding the E string with the ring finger isn't as easy on that region of the fretboard as it would be down by the pickups. The E string is so close to the fretboard that it's tough to get it to ring clearly without missing/snagging. Snagging it too hard is just so terribly awful sounding that I found myself grazing/missing it more often than not. When I do that though, I found myself occasionally hitting the B string; also terrible. I suppose that since I hit the E and missed the B here and there that it just takes practice. Truth? Just shut up and post results after another 100 hours?

Man I just cooked up a freakish Major 7th Arpeggio diddly from the idea in Ursin's vid, I gots to shed it up super fast before I make a short vid.

I understand. Pebber hints at some tapping ideas in some of his videos. Pebber isn't a big tapper or sweeper (he'll even admit that to you) BUT a lot of his students ARE! Because, we take the same TECHNIQUE PRINCIPLES and just apply it to the tapping and the sweeping or whatever it is we want to develop.

A few years ago I had some tapping tutorials on Youtube...but I removed them. I never felt like I could properly convey my actual ideas on how to build it up.

I'm gonna try again. As with anything, gotta start SLOW SLOW SLOW.

Actually, the best way to start is to...you guessed it...start doing TRILLS with the tapping fingers!!!! Take your right hand index finger and tap one note back and forth...just like the trills but with the right hand! That's #1 place to start. Start doing that every day. 2mins, 5mins, 10mins, 15mins. Then do it with the middle finger. Then the 3rd finger and finally the 4th finger.

Right now it sounds like accuracy and muting are your problems.

It will get better!!!

Let's see everyone's tapping videos!!!!

Here is tap video i made about 2 minutes ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qNOVfJ085g&feature=youtu.be

That's it bro. With more gain/volume, you don't have to actually "pluck" the string. You can just graze your finger across the string and get it to go off. That's your "pull off from nowhere" idea.

Then you can kick it up a notch and start sliding the tap finger around

Take a pentatonic shape on one string or two strings and slide back and forth to the b5. Instant George Lynch. Solo starts at 2:37

Save my soul!!!!

So yeah, I certainly need to work on this for a lot longer, but let me know if I'm on the right track. I for one plan to hit you up for advice basically as long as you're willing to give it! Super appreciated man. Really. You could be earning some nice dough for this and you're "giving back" so to speak for nothing. Kudos.

http://youtu.be/4UlnBTVYqR0

That's it bro. You got it.

Tons of possibilities with this. You can start tapping with various fingers and mixing it all up...tap, slides, plucked strings, ghosted notes. Endless possibilities.

But, good job. You are on the right track. Sounds good.

The muting is tough. Like most muting, it's a combination of both hands.

I'm glad to see you guys taking this technique and running with it! Good stuff. Endless applications when you start adding in other tap hand fingers.

I do earn nice dough teaching here in Baton Rouge. I help Pebber moderate this forum because he asked me to...talk about being super busy! Pebber is working on his phd in theory. He has to sit around and transcribe crazy orchestral scores all day long! He asked me to help him so I do because he taught me all this stuff anyway.

Hey Ursin,

Earlier you said: "That's it bro. With more gain/volume, you don't have to actually "pluck" the string. You can just graze your finger across the string and get it to go off."

Does this apply to left-hand pull-offs also? I was under the impression you have to make a very definite pull with a left-hand finger to be sure the lower note sounds clearly.

You can do that. You can make a definite "pull" and it will be fine. Most players do this. But you don't have to. In fact, Holdsworth doesn't really pull that often. It's a lot of hammering and less pulling. But, the standard rock guitar legato technique is a lot of both.

Legato is Italian for "tied together." You want it to be as smooth as possible. You want to try to remove as much "staccato-ness" ??? for lack of a better word, as possible.

Or not. It's up to you but, it needs to be smooth.

If you scroll up and watch my video, look close. I'm not plucking the string but merely "grazing" my finger across it. It sounds smoother than the pluck although the pluck will work as well.