Guitar Tapping on the
Same Notes of Legato (part 1)
Josip Pesut
JosipPesut.com

1. Intro

In this article I am going to explain the technique that I often use in improvisations – playing legato on one or more strings and adding tapped notes same as notes played with legato technique. You can achieve some great and speedy effects this way, but you can use it in slow solos – it both sounds great, and it isn't so demanding technique!

Guitar Tapping Techniques
2. Building the strength of your left hand

Legato technique is a way of playing scales without actually picking strings or picking very few notes (for accentual purposes). This way the phrases played get more fluidity. To be able to play legato technique, you must have strong left hand fingers. I most often used following licks and shapes (fig. 1 – fig. 5) and their improvised variations to build up the strength

Fig 1:

guitar tapping tablature - fig 1

Fig 2:

Fig 3:

Fig 4:

Fig 5:

Listen to Guitar Tapping Licks 1 thru 5

Also play those licks on as much octaves as possible, focusing mostly on the clarity of notes and the flow of scales. Lowest notes are hardest to play on this technique because it takes wide stretching to make them sound clear. Also make sure your legato playing is well heard when you play without distortion.

When I was learning legato technique, I often felt pain in my left fist. Every guitarist who I've heard talking about legato playing told that you shouldn't do what hurts, which is worth for all other techniques, too. Therefore, I played legato without stopping for a few seconds or minutes (depends how strong or warmed up my hand already was) until it started to hurt, and then I stopped for a few seconds. After my hand got 'refreshed' I repeated the process again and again. Practicing for just few hours a day will let you overcome this technique within few weeks, and the pain will probably not appear again if you practice regularly.

Page 2 - Guitar Tapping - Building the strength of your right hand