Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #1

================================
Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

This is the first in a series of lessons on tapping and related techniques for bass
guitar. I hope to explain both the physical side of things, and some of the theory
behind the notes. I'm starting from ABSOLUTE basics so it should be very easy to
follow - get this stuff nailed and the rest is easy too. Please mail me if you thing
I'm going too fast or too slow. The very existence of this course depends on feedback
- unless I know people are reading this then I won't even write part 2. I'll try and
address any problems or suggestions I receive in future lessons.

Tapping is often seen as a technique used exclusively for solos but this isn't
necessarily the case and I'll try and provide examples of each lesson point that
demonstrates its use in a supporting SONG context. On a related note I will feel free
to digress into other techniques as and when I feel that they are interesting or
necessary to place a piece of tapping in context.

The techniques I'll outline form a PART of a good bass players toolbag. You don't
have to be an experienced bass player to follow this course, but if you are starting
from near absolute scratch then make sure you spend time acquiring other techniques.
This stuff will sound great, and may make an audience notice you if the band is
working well - but if you can't pedal quavers then the band isn't going to work, and
you're just going to look daft.

Tapping can be roughly divided into two styles - the Billy Sheehan (+Eddie Van Halen)
and the Stu Hamm (Joe Satriani) style. I'll touch on both, but concentrate on the
latter, as it tends to be more harmonically driven, and is more applicable to a
typical band situation.

OK - enough waffle lets start...

Sit down with your bass and with the index finger of your LEFT hand play the A string
at the 12th fret by hammering on (don't use your right hand at all):

__
|-----------------| |--/--\-------O------------
|-----------------| | \ | .
|--12-------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
H |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Easy huh? Make sure that it sounds clean. Practise ending the note as well as
starting it by lifting you finger a small fraction away from the fretboard so the
string is damped. There should be no rattles, and the note should end when you want
it to.

Now keep your left hand in about the same position and bring your right hand round so
your elbow is over the bridge(ish), and your fingers are over the fretboard. Rest
your thumb on the top side of the neck and place your fingers over the 14th fret -
index finger over the D string, middle over the G string. This is your basic arm
position (though like all basic things you'll grow to learn when not appropriate).
Now bring your right index finger down onto the string to tap your first note.
 -O-

---
__
|-----------------| |--/--\--------------------
|----14-----------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
T |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Once again practise starting and stopping the note cleanly - it should be just as
good as the note hammered with your left hand.

Now lets put those two together...

-O-

---
__
|-----------------| |--/--\----------O---------
|o------14-------o| | \ | .
|o--12-----------o| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / . .
H1 T1 |-----/--------------------
| / .
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Repeat this until you feel comfortable with it. Listen to the sound of the interval
(the gap between the notes) - I'll deal with this in a few weeks, but you should
start listening now, so that you'll be ready.

Now its time to bring in another finger - the middle finger of your right hand. It
should have been hanging over the 14th fret of the G string up till this point so try
tapping there.

O
---

---

---
__
|------14---------| |--/--\--------------------
|-----------------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
H2 |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Once you're comfortable with this, start put it together with the other notes.

First:
 O
---

---

---
__
|-------14--------| |--/--\-----O--------------
|-----------------| | \ | .
|---12------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
H1 T2 |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Then:

O
---

-O- ---

--- ---
__
|----------14-----| |--/--\--------------------
|------14---------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

And then finally:

O
---

-O- --- -O-

--- --- ---

__
|----------14-----| |--/--\-----O--------------
|------14------14-| | \ | .
|--12-------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Loop all of these until you're completely comfortable with them - Your going to be
able to play these in your sleep (with your eyes shut goes without saying -
seriously! you shouldn't need to look at the fretboard, though it is excusable to
start off with, or when learning something new).

[This might be a good time to take a break if you've had problems with the previous
stuff - get it right before progressing]

Right now lets shift that whole pattern down a whole tone
 -O-

---
O O
--- --- ---
__
|---------12------| |--/--\--------------------
|-----12------12--| | \ | . O
|-10--------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Get that sorted, and we'll move down again...

O
---

-O- --- -O-

__
|----------10-----| |--/--\--------------------
|------10------10-| | \ | .
|--8--------------| |---@--|---O---------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

Now as a final exercise lets put those last three together to form our first song:

e e e e e e e e e e e e s s s s s s s s
|--------14----------12----|------10--------10-------12----|
|o----14----14----12----12-|---10----10---10--10---12--12-o|
|o-12----------10----------|-8----------8--------10-------o|
|--------------------------|-------------------------------|

Next time the band play's All Along the WatchTower (in the key of A) you'll be able
to hold down the chords, and keep the sound interesting during the guitar solo :-)

I'll develop this riff during the next lesson.

Have fun, and mail me when you get this far...

Ian Stehenson
[email protected]
 Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #2
================================
Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

At the end of the last lesson you should have played the following riff from "All
Along the WatchTower":

e e e e e e e e e e e e s s s s s s s s
|--------14----------12----|------10--------10-------12----|
|o----14----14----12----12-|---10----10---10--10---12--12-o|
|o-12----------10----------|-8----------8--------10-------o|
|--------------------------|-------------------------------|

While that's all very pretty, we need to get a little more intense as the song
progresses. This lesson looks at two variations of this riff.

The technique we can apply to this riff is "Double Stopping" - playing more than one
note at once.

Previously we brought two fingers of the right hand down separately. Now bring them
down in exactly the same way, but both together.

O
---

-O-

---
__
|-----14----------| |--/--\--------------------
|-----14----------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
T |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

You should find this fairly easy, and should be able to play:

q q e e q q q e e e e
|-------14-----------12----|------10--------10-------12----|
|o------14-----------12----|----------------10-------12---o|
|o-12----------10-10-------|-8----------8--------10-------o|
|--------------------------|-------------------------------|
H3 T12 H1 H1 T12 H1 T12 H1 T12 H1 T12

Note I've marked an alternative left hand fingering here, using the third finger to
fret the A at the 12th fret. This reduces the necessary hand movement, but you
should make sure that you get the sound consistent between both fingers.

I've only notated the most basic of rhythms here. Playing it straight will give the
heaviest sound, but the riff may be looped indefinitely so try shifting the rhythm
around. You should be able to make the two hand parts "bounce off each other".

The notes we're playing are taken from the chords Am, G and F as follows
 O
--- -O-
O
-O- --- ---
O
-o- --- -O-
__ o

|--/--\----------O---|--------|----o----||
| \ | . | O | ||
|---@--|-------------|--------|----O----||
| / . | | ||
|-----/--------------|--------|---------||
| / | | ||
|---/----------------|--------|---------||
| | | ||
|--------------------|--------|---------||
| | | ||
| Am | G | F ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
|----------------14--|---12---|---10----||
|----------------14--|---12---|---10----||
|----------------12--|---10---|---8-----||
|--------------------|--------|---------||

(The Major and minor chords are differentiated by the notes I've indicated as "o"
(little "o") - we're not playing those yet. You may like to analyse how this works)

Double Stopping will help to thicken the sound, but the basic problem with this riff
is that if you play this, then nobody is playing the bass part! That's fine for a
while, but not exactly great for the big intense ending.

The answer of course is to split your hands, and use the left hand to play the bass
line one octave below where we've being playing it:

O
---

-O-

---
__
|-----14----------| |--/--\--------------------
|-----14----------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|--5--------------| | / .
H T |-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
| O
|--------------------------

That's pretty easy in itself, and gives a much fuller sound.

Unfortunately you may find it a little harder when used in context.

q q e e q q q e e e e
|-------14-----------12----|------10--------10-------12----|
|o------14-----------12----|----------------10-------12---o|
|o-------------------------|------------------------------o|
|--5-----------3-----------|-1----------1--------3---------|
H2 T12 H1 H1 T12 H1 T12 H1 T12 H1 T12

This is will take some getting used to - particularly those of you who have been
looking at the fretboard, as you can't watch both hands at once (I did warn you!).
The only answer is familiarity with the bass - learning to feel your way round.
Don't worry if you can't get this right now, but keep it in mind as something to
practise, alongside future lessons.

The new chords may be written:

O
--- -O-
O
-O- --- ---
O
-o- --- -O-
__ o

|--/--\----------o---|--------|----o----||
| \ | . | o | ||
|---@--|-------------|--------|----o----||
| / . o | | ||
|-----/--------------|---o----|---------||
| / o | | o ||
|---/----------------|---o----|---------||
| O | | o ||
|--------------------|---O----|---------||
| | | O ||
| Am | G | F ||
| | | ||
| | | ||
|----------------14--|---12---|---10----||
|----------------14--|---12---|---10----||
|--------------------|--------|---------||
|----------------5---|---3----|---1-----||

(Again I've marked notes that are implied as "o", played notes as "O"). Its pretty
obvious why it sounds better.

Once you have mastered the splitting of your hands, you may like to try the first
riff again with the bass line an octave down:

e e e e e e e e e e e e s s s s s s s s
|--------14----------12----|------10--------10-------12----|
|o----14----14----12----12-|---10----10---10--10---12--12-o|
|o-------------------------|------------------------------o|
|--5-----------3-----------|-1----------1--------3---------|

Particular effort must be put into playing the F at the first fret of the E string -
Hammering on requires a little more effort close to the nut, as there is less
available movement from the string (it being anchored not very far away). You may
have to hit the string just a little harder (or those with rapid detuning machanisms
may take the string down a tone - Kubickis are great for this, as the nut is moved
while the note remains in the same place).

While very basic, these riffs are in fact quite hard, and should be enough to keep
you occupied for quite a while.

More Hendrix stuff next time...

Ian
 Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #3
================================
Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

In the previous lessons we've used double stopping to form chords. We have also
considered moving the left and right hand parts further apart. We'll continue with
this idea now by moving the two hands even more independently.

Consider the following chord:

-O-

---
O
---
__
|-------12--------| |--/--\--------------------
|-------12--------| | \ | .
|----7------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / . O
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

It should sound fairly dissonant, but provided your sound isn't overly bassy it
won't be too bad in context.

We can then move the bass note (resolving it) to a G while keeping the right hand
harmony notes constant:

-O- -O-

--- ---
O O
--- ---
__
|-----12-----12---| |--/--\--------------------
|o----12-----12--o| | \ | .
|o-7-------------o| |---@--|-------------------
|---------3-------| | / . O
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|-------------------O------

Once you're happy moving your left hand while holding your right still, we can move
to an Am in the same way we did last week to get the classic opening riff to "Purple
Haze" (or at least sufficient outline to carry the rhythm while the guitarist shows
off)
 O
-O- -O- -O- ---

--- --- --- -O-

O o O
--- --- --- ---
__
|--/--\-------------------------|-------------------------------||
| \ | . | ||
|---@--|------------------------|-------------------------------||
| / . O O O O | ||
|-----/-------------------------|-------------------------------||
| / | ||
|---/---------------------------|-------------------------------||
| | O O ||
|-------------------------------|--O--O-------------------------||
| | ||
| e e e s s+q q | e e q e e q ||
| | ||
|-----------------12-----12-----|--------12--------------14-----||
|o----------------12-----12-----|--------12--------------14-----||
|o----------7--7------7------7--|-------------------------------||
|-------------------------------|--3--3----------5--5-----------||
L4 L4 R12 L4 R12 L4 L1 L1 R12 L3 L3 R12

(The timings are an approximation - with all lessons you should experiment to find a
comfortable groove).

Once you've got this working you may feel that the initial E lacks the emphasis
you'd like to place upon the begining of such a great riff.

Last week we tackled the problem by taking the note down an octave. In this case
that's an open string so we can't hammer it on. We could tune down, but the
proximity of the nut would reduce the volume, and in any case - tuning down is
inconvenient. The answer is to sound the open E with your right hand.

Moving in and out of the position used for tapping is often inconvenient - going to
a walking finger style is too slow, and a plectrum is out of the question! However,
you should find that your right hand is in a pretty good position to slap the bottom
E - it's perhaps a little further up the fretboard than is desirable but it is quite
workable (See Doug's slapping lesson #1 for details of the VERY simple slap we're
now going to use). Simply twist your right hand,bring the thumb down on the E string
and let it bounce back.

Of course if the right hand is slapping then the left hand is going to have to play
the double stop. This is accomplished by bringing your third finger down flat across
the G and D strings at the 12th fret. With both this and the slap, experiment to
find the optimum amount of force.

-O- -O-

--- ---
O O
--- ---
__

|-------12-----12---| |--/--\--------------------
|o------12-----12--o| | \ | .
|o-----------------o| |---@--|-------------------
|--0--0-----0-------| | / .

|-----/--------------------
RT RT L3 RT L3 | /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------
-O- -O- -O-
Putting the whole thing back together we get:

O
-O- -O- -O- ---

--- --- --- -O-

O o O
--- --- --- ---
__

|--/--\-------------------------|-------------------------------||
| \ | . | ||
|---@--|------------------------|-------------------------------||
| / . | ||
|-----/-------------------------|-------------------------------||
| / | ||
|---/---------------------------|-------------------------------||
| | O O ||
|-------------------------------|--O--O-------------------------||
| | ||
| -O--O- -O- -O- | ||
| | ||
| e e e s s+q q | e e q e e q ||
| | ||
|-----------------12-----12-----|--------12--------------14-----||
|o----------------12-----12-----|--------12--------------14-----||
|o------------------------------|-------------------------------||
|-----------0--0------0------0--|--3--3----------5--5-----------||
RT RT L3 RT L3 RT L1 L1 R12 L3 L3 R12

That's all for now.

Ian
 Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #4
================================
Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

Virtually all the notes that we've been playing so far have been related
harmonically as either fifths or octaves. This is largely because at bass
frequencies, smaller intervals do not give a sufficient gap (in terms of Hertz) to
allow your ear to tell them apart. This can be most clearly seen on a piano where
the left hand (the bass) often plays octaves while the right plays a much closer
harmony (usually thirds or less). If you were to play thirds at bass frequencies
they would sound a muddy mess.

If we look a little more closely at the idea of left hand fifths, there are two ways
they can be played in the context of the tapping we've done so far. We can either
place the root on the E or the A string. We'll consider each of these in turn.

We'll use the A Major Chord (as it's the one we're most familiar with), so placing
the root on the E string, and tapping the fifth andoctave on the top strings we get:

O
---

-O-

---
__
|--------14-------| |--/--\--------------------
|--------14-------| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|----5------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
| O
|--------------------------

The fifth of the A chord is E. This is easiest played on the seventh

fret of the A string, so we may alternate between this and the root.

O O
--- ---

-O- -O-

--- ---
__
|-------14-----14-| |--/--\--------------------
|-------14-----14-| | \ | .
|-----------7-----| |---@--|-------------------
|----5------------| | / . O
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
| O
|--------------------------

Looping this round should give you a pretty good idea of where we're heading this
week.

The alternative to placing the root on the E string is to play the root on the A
string. We can't play this using open strings, as you can't hammer on an open
string, so we'll play this at the twelfth fret
 O
---

-O-

---
__
|-------14--------| |--/--\------O-------------
|-------14--------| | \ | .
|----12-----------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

We've played that plenty of times, so we can quickly add the fifth on the E string.
Moving up a fifth is harmonically the same is moving down a fourth, so this note is
again found at the twelfth fret.

O O
--- ---

-O- -O-

--- ---
__
|-------14-----14-| |--/--\------O-------------
|-------14-----14-| | \ | .
|----12-----------| |---@--|-------------------
|----------12-----| | / . O
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

This is the same E as we previously played on the A string, 7th fret, but now the A
is above it, and we've reached it by moving down. This is particularly obvious when
we move between the two patterns:

O O O O
--- --- --- ---

-O- -O- -O- -O-

--- --- --- ---

__
|--/--\------O-----------------------------------|
| \ | . |
|---@--|-----------------------------------------|
| / . O O |
|-----/------------------------------------------|
| / |
|---/--------------------------------------------|
| O |
|------------------------------------------------|
| |
| |
| |
|----------------14-----14------14----14---------|
|----------------14-----14------14----14---------|
|------------12--------------------7-------------|
|-------------------12-------5-------------------|
When we move between chords we can choose which INVERSION we use to minimize hand
movement, and to keep the bass line moving in a melodic fashion. In the following
example we move from a C major chord with the C on the A string, playing a G on the
string below (this is known as 2nd inverson), to an A minor root position (A at the
bottom on the E string, with a fifth on the A string).

O O
--- ---
O O
-0- -0- --- ---

--- --- -O- -O-

--- --- --- ---

__
|--/--\----------------------|---------------------|
| \ | . | |
|---@--|---------------------|---------------------|
| / . .|. O |
|-----/----------------------|---------------------|
| / O .|. |
|---/------------------------|---------------------|
| | O |
|--------------------0-------|---------------------|
| |
| |
| |
|----------------17-----17---|------14-----14------|
|----------------17-----17---|------14-----14------|
|------------3---------------|----------7----------|
|--------------------3-------|---5-----------------|

This vamp forms the basis of the Stu Hamm track "Country Music (A Night in Hell)".
Repeat it round until you've got a really comfortable rhythm going.

Before considering the whole tab we need one more trick - a major third for the
right hand. I'll cover these in more detail next time, but for now place your right
hand in a position to play a fourth (as we have done so far), and just stretch your
middle finger a little further so it plays one fret further down:

O
--- #O-

-O- -O-

--- ---
__
|---14-----13-----| |--/--\--------------------
|---14-----14-----| | \ | .
|-----------------| |---@--|-------------------
|-----------------| | / .
|-----/--------------------
| /
|---/----------------------
|
|--------------------------

You should now have few problems with the full rhythm part to "Country music". It's
mostly based on the stuff we've covered this week. Watch out for the slapped parts
(marked with a T). You should be able to slap these without moving your hand too
far away from the tapping position (see lesson 3).
|---------|---17---17---17---17-----|---17---17---17---17-----|
|---------|---17---17---17---17-----|---17---17---17---17-----|
|-------2-|-3---------3-------------|-3---------3-------------|
|-3--5----|------3---------3--------|------3---------3--------|
T T T

|---14---14---14---14-----|---17---17---17-17---17-----|
|---14---14---14---14-----|---17---17---17-17---17-----|
|------7---------7--------|-3---------3----------------|
|-5---------5-------------|------3------------3--------|

|---14---14---14---14-----|---17---17---17---17-----|
|---14---14---14---14-----|---17---17---17---17-----|
|------7---------7--------|-3---------3----5--------|
|-5---------5-------------|------3------------------|

|---16---16---16---16-----|-------------------------|---||
|---17---17---17---17-----|-------------------------|---||
|------5---------5--------|-----------2--3--------2-|-3-||
|-3---------3-------------|--3--3--5--------3--5----|---||

T T T T T T T T T

Have Fun
Ian
 Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #5
================================

Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

Last time we just touched upon the all important technique of tapping major thirds.
Physically it's pretty straight forward, and you should have mastered it with few
problems. This week we'll consider how the interval is used within simple chords.
To do this I'll need to run over some basic music theory - I hope it doesn't scare
anyone too much.

Previously all the right hand paterns that we've considered have been based on the
interval of a fourth (thats five frets!). This is the easiest interval to tap, as
it's the interval between adjacent strings. It's the interval between the root and
the fourth note of the scale, but is harmonically more common as the interval
between the fifth and the octave:

-O-
__ O
|--/--\-------------------O--------
| \ | . O
|---@--|------------O--------------
| / . O
|-----/-------O--------------------
| / O
|---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O
^ ^ ^ ^
\_______/ \_______/
4th 4th

Triads (the basic three note building blocks of chords) are formed bystarting on a
note of a scale, and playing every other note above that. Ifwe consider the key of C
Major (as it has no sharps or flats), and starton the first note (ie C) we get the
notes C, E and G.

-(O)-
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . O
|---@--|---------------------------
| / . O
|-----/----------------------------
| / O
|---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O
^ ^
\_______/
4th

This shows clearly how 4ths are important in basic (ie I'm generalising, and
glossing over things) harmony. Where ever we start on the scale we always form
triads in the same way by skipping every other note:
 O
-O- ---
O
-O- --- --- -O-
O O
-O- --- --- -O- --- -O-
__ O O
|--/--\--------O-------O-------O------
| \ | . O O O
|---@--|-------O-------O--------------
| / . O O
|-----/--------O----------------------
| / O
|---/---------------------------------
|
|-------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6

(Note I left the 7ths out - they work slightly differently, but that'sfor another
time!).

No matter which note you start on you'll always find a fourth interval at the top of
the chord between the fifth and the octave.

A Major third is found between the root and the third degree of a Majorscale, so
going back to our C Major example:

-O-
__ O
|--/--\--------------------O--------
| \ | . O
|---@--|------------O--------------
| / . O
|-----/-------O--------------------
| / O
|---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 O
^ ^
\____/
Maj 3rd

Hence we find a Major third at the bottom of all Major chords. However,we have to be
a bit more careful with thirds than we do with fourths, because if we start on a
different degree of the scale we get a different interval between the notes of our
triads. The reasons for this are a bit complex, but the results can be most clearly
seen by considering a piano keyboard:

=========================================
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| +++ +++ | +++ +++ +++ | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| C | D | E | F | G | A | B | C |
| | | | | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

If you start at C and count the number of semitones between it and its third (E)
you'll find you move 4 steps. However, if you count the number of steps between D
and its third, F (remember there are no sharps or flats in the key of C) you'll find
there are only three steps. If you work it out (as I suggest that you do) you'll
find that C, F and G have four steps to their third, while D, E and A have only
three (as I said before - ignore B,it's a bit odd).

As you've probably guessed, 4 steps are a Major third, and hence C, F and G are
Major chords in the key of C Major. A three semitone gap is a Minor third, and
therefore D, E and A are minor chords. To generalise this, in a major key the
chords I, IV and V are Major, and the chords II, III and VI are minor.

As a final twist before moving on to some fretboard based examples, look again at
the C Major chord, but this time consider the interval between the third (E) and the
Fifth (G). Count the semitones and you'll find you've got a MINOR third. If you
look at a MINOR chord (D minor) you'll find that the interval between its third and
fifth is a MAJOR third! This gives us a neat trick where we can use the same Major
third interval to play completely different roles in two chords - say Amin (ACE) and
CMaj (CEG) - A Minor is the RELATIVE MINOR of C Major.

If we play an E at the 12th fret we can tap its octave on the 14th fret. By
stretching the middle finger a little further than we would for a fourth we can
comfortably tap the third (g#) at the 13th fret.

(#)-O-

-O-

---
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . #
|------13-------| |---@--|--#------------------------
|------14-------| | / . O
|---------------| |-----/----------------------------
|---12----------| | / #
T |---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------

From here we could easily move to the other major chords of this key (A and B - IV
and V remember) by moving the bass note up a string, and tapping fourth intervals.
However, we can alternatively bring in the relative minor (C#) by just moving the
bass note:

(#)-O-

-O-

---
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . #
|------13-------| |---@--|--#------------------------
|------14-------| | / .
|---------------| |-----/----------------------------
|---9-----------| | / # O
T |---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------

If we string these four chords together we get:

 -O-
O
-O- -O- --- ---
O O
-O- --- -O- -O- --- -O- -O- --- -O- ---------

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---------
__ O
|--/--\----------------------|---------------|-O-------------|-----------|
| \ | . # | | | |
|---@--|--#------------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
| / . O | | | .|
|-----/----------------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
| / # | O | | .|
|---/------------------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------|---------------|---------------|-----------|
| E | C#m | A | B |
| | | | |
|---------------------13-----|--------13-----|--------14-----|-----16----|
|-----------------14------14-|----14------14-|-----14----14--|---16--16-o|
|----------------------------|---------------|-12------------|-14-------o|
|-------------12-------------|-9-------------|---------------|-----------|

All very well I hear you say, but it's hardly rock'n'roll. Well Satchknows a good
thing when he sees it, and he used a very simple Relative Minor trick on the main
riff from the track "A Day at the Beach (New rays from an ancient sun)" on "Flying
in a Blue Dream":

|---------16-------14-------12-------14-------16-------|
|o-----5--17----5--14----5--12----5--14----5--17------o|
|o----------------------------------------------------o|
|---3--------3--------3--------3--------3---------(7)--|
^Second Time

|---------16-------14-------12-------14-------16-------|
|o-----9--17----9--14----9--12----9--14----9--17------o|
|o------------------------------------------------(5)-o|
|---7--------7--------7--------7--------7--------------|
^Second Time

This isn't strictly accurate (I've changed the key, and simplified it somewhat), but
it clearly illustrates how the Major third is used in two roles - as part of the G
Major chord in the first section, and then as part of the relative minor E minor
chord in the second section. Notice how the right hand is identical for both
sections, but by moving the bass note we change the sound completely.

I hope that this all made some kind of sense to you all. I've covered a lot of
information this week - don't worry if it didn't all sink in straight away, it'll
take time before you feel comfortable with it. However, I think you need to at least
have seen this stuff to get the most from tapping. Going polyphonic gives you a lot
greater choice of notes to play, theory gives you some sort of hints as to what might
work.

If this does cause you a great deal of hassle then send me some email, and I'll try
and clear up any gray areas. I had this stuff drummed into me about ten years ago
so I'm not really sure how much of a challenge this will present to those of you who
haven't seen it before (That which is obvious does not need discussing! - cool quote
:-)).

Don't Panic
Ian

LESSON POINTS: Triads (Chord Construction)

Major Thirds
Relative Minors
 Tapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #6
================================
Ian Stephenson
[email protected]

Having covered the third pretty thoroughly last time, we're now going to consider the
interval of a fifth - largely from a practical point of view, I'm sure some of you
will be glad to hear!

Fifths are found throughout the major scale (any note, except the 7th, and the note 4
places above it form a "perfect" fifth). However, more importantly right now - a
fifth is found between the root and the third note of any triad:

-O-
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . O
|---@--|---------------------------
| / . O
|-----/----------------------------
| / O
|---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------
1 3 5
^ ^
\__________/
5th

Quite usefully, because of the way major and minor thirds combine to form major and
minor chords, it doesn't matter if the chord is major or minor - the fifth is always
the same. It's (almost) always safe to play a fifth! Often in rock the chord is
left unspecified (Maj/Min), as this sounds good on an overdriven guitar. Hence the
root and fifth together form the basis of the rock guitarist's arsenal - the Power
Chord.

OK - enough waffling. I promised this would be a practical lesson so let's play some
fifths.

Hammer on (with your left hand) an E at the twelfth fret of the E string. Now play
its octave at the 14th fret of the D string with your right index finger as normal,
but raise your elbow slightly to angle your arm more, and play a B at the 16th fret
of the G string with your third finger. You might also find it useful to angle your
wrist down a little so your fingers run diagonally across the fretboard.

-O-

---

-O- ---

--- ---
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . #
|---------16----| |---@--|--#------------------------
|------14-------| | / . O
|---------------| |-----/------#---------------------
|---12----------| | / #
T T |---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------
Once comfortable with that try playing both notes at once:

-O-

---

-O-

---
__
|--/--\----------------------------
| \ | . #
|-------16------| |---@--|--#------------------------
|-------14------| | / . O
|---------------| |-----/------#---------------------
|---12----------| | / #
T |---/------------------------------
|
|----------------------------------

Harmonically, we can use a fifth anywhere we would use a fourth (as moving up a fifth
is equivalent to dropping down a fourth and vice versa), so to go back to an old
standby we could play:

-O-
O O
--- --- -O- -O- ---

-O- --- -O- --- --- --- ---

O O O O
--- --- --- --- --- --- -O- --- -O- -O- -O---- ---
__
|--/--\----------------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
| \ | . # | | | |
|---@--|--#------------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
| / . O | | | . |
|-----/------#---------------|-O-------------|--------------|-------O--------|
| / # | | O | O . |
|---/------------------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
| E | D | C | C D |
| | | | |
|---------------------16-----|--------14-----|-------12-----|----12-----14---|
|-----------------14------14-|----12------12-|----10----10--|--10--10-12--12-|
|----------------------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
|-------------12-------------|-10------------|-8------------|-8-----10-------|

Yes, it's "All Along the WatchTower" AGAIN! However, this is the second most common
chord pressing in rock music so it's worth learning to play well (Try listening out
for it sometime - it's everywhere!). Go back to the previous exercises and try
applying the variations we applied to them to this new version (remember we're now
playing it in the key of E, but the previous version was in A).

If you compare the two versions of this progression (fourths vs. fifths), you'll
probably find you prefer the old version. Excessive use of fifths tends to sound
thin (at least in this context), so they're usually used only in passing and as part
of more complex chords (you'll see what I mean next time).

Because of this, it's hard to find a good final example that uses fifths to a great
extent. The example I've chosen is the end of the bass intro to "Had Enough" by Mr.
Big, and uses both left and right hand double stopped fifths. The full intro is
pretty hairy, but this bit is quite easy and is instantly recognizable:
 Harm.....
|---16----------------|--16-----------|----------------|-----5-------|
|---14----------------|--14-----------|----0-2-0-2-----|--3-----5----|
|-------12----10------|-----12---10---|----------------|-------------|
|-------10----8-------|-----10---8----|-0--------------|-------------|
T H H T H H H P H

You should now be able to put together most basic chord progressions, by playing
roots (and perhaps fifths) with your left hand, and by playing fourths (5th +
Octave), Thirds (Root + Third), and Fifths (Root + Fifth) with your right. For
homework, try working out some I, IV, V progressions with the root on both the E and
A strings, and using, in turn, each of the right hand intervals you've seen here.

For example, in the key of A, you could start in any of these places:

|-----14-------| |-----21-------| |-----18-------|

|-----14-------| |-----19-------| |-----19-------|
|--------------| |--------------| |--------------|
|--5-----------| |--5-----------| |--5-----------|

|--------------| |--------------| |--------------|

|-----7--------| |-----14-------| |-----11-------|
|-----7--------| |-----12-------| |-----12-------|
|--5-----------| |--5-----------| |--5-----------|

|-----14-------| |-----21-------| |-----18-------|

|-----14-------| |-----19-------| |-----19-------|
|--12----------| |--12----------| |--12----------|
|--------------| |--------------| |--------------|

Enjoy...
Ian

LESSON POINTS: Right Hand Fifths