Tapping - Using the Pick
Interested in creating a real flurry of notes?
Try tapping Satriani-style!
Here's what to do:
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Instead of tapping with a right hand finger, use the side of your pick instead.
It's the kind of technique that really can create a big impact with actually very little effort on your part.
Additionally, it's also quite an elegant solution to a bunch of common problems aspiring new tappers initially face.
 | I wanna tap. So, where am I supposed to put the pick in order to free up my index/middle finger?
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| How do I make the transition from “normal” playing to tapping without sounding awkward?
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| Ouch! After a few taps my finger starts to hurt! |
Or even worse :
| @&$%! Where did the blister the size of Texas come from? |
Just make sure you use pick tapping tastefully, when appropriate, and don't overdo it. Otherwise you kill the effect it creates.
No replacement for tapping
Don't think of pick-tapping as a replacement for conventional tapping, because it's not. Rather it's a supplement, having its own sound and uses.
You ask why it isn't a replacement?
Simply because it's mostly practical for notes located on the high “E” string.
On the inside strings the chances of also hitting an adjacent string by accident are quite high.
But enough talk...time for some examples!
Audio examples
Your first option is to simply tap with your pick as fast and furiously as possible. Simply for the effect and to add some excitement.
To get you started let's use an ascending C minor pentatonic scale played with pick-tapping on the high E string.
<insert tab and players with captions>
<unmetered Cmin penta example>
