Tapping & Legato Fusion

Welcome back. In our previous session, you learned to play tapped triad arpeggios, which was a fantastic step toward using tapping for harmonic purposes. You practiced both single-hand and two-handed methods, establishing the coordination and muting discipline required for clean execution.

Today, we will build directly on that foundation to achieve a new level of fluidity. Our goal is to combine one-hand tapping with legato (hammer-ons and pull-offs) in a single, continuous phrase. This technique is the key to creating the seamless, lightning-fast runs that are a signature of modern guitar virtuosos. Instead of thinking of tapping and legato as two separate actions, you will learn to fuse them into a single, efficient engine for creating complex melodic lines.

1. The Core Mechanic: Tapping as a Legato Engine

The fundamental shift in perspective for this lesson is to see the tap not just as a way to sound a note, but as a mechanism to inject energy into the string, allowing your fretting hand to continue a legato phrase without needing to pick again. The tap re-triggers the string's vibration, providing the necessary volume for subsequent hammer-ons and pull-offs.

The two basic patterns that form the building blocks of this technique are:

• Ascending/Mixed: Tap -> Pull-off -> Hammer-on
• Descending: Tap -> Pull-off -> Pull-off

You've already encountered variations of these in the triplet arpeggios from our last lesson. Now, we'll consciously apply them to create continuous melodic motion.

The video below offers a great demonstration of this core concept. Pay close attention to how the phrase is constructed from a tap followed by a hammer-on/pull-off combination.

2. The Classic Approach: Incorporating Open Strings

A common way to start with this technique, popularized by players like Eddie Van Halen, is to use a pull-off to an open string. This provides a constant, resonant note that underpins the fretted-hand melody. It's a great way to get comfortable with the hand synchronization.

The following resource explains this pattern clearly.

Practice Exercise 1: Open-String Legato Tapping

Let's put this into practice. Set your metronome to a slow tempo, such as 60 bpm, playing one note per click (treating them as eighth notes in a triplet feel).

1. String: High E string
2. Tapping Hand (RH): Tap the 12th fret.
3. Fretting Hand (LH): Use your index finger for the 5th fret (A) and your ring finger for the 7th fret (B).

Pattern A (Ascending feel):

• Tap the 12th fret (E).
• Pull-off to the open high E string.
• Hammer-on to the 5th fret (A).
• Repeat this three-note loop: Tap(12) -> Pull(Open) -> Hammer(5).

Pattern B (Moving melody):

• Play Pattern A for four repetitions.
• Then, keeping the tap and open string the same, move the fretted note.
• New sequence: Tap(12) -> Pull(Open) -> Hammer(7).
• Practice transitioning smoothly between hammering the 5th and 7th frets. Your goal is a continuous, unbroken loop of notes with even volume.

3. The Modern Approach: "Linear Tapping" with Fretted Notes

While the open-string style is foundational, much of the modern sound you're pursuing avoids open strings to allow for better muting control and the ability to transpose patterns easily across the fretboard. This is where we go directly from a tapped note to a fretted note. The concept is sometimes called "linear tapping," as it creates smooth, linear runs up and down the neck.

This approach requires a subtle but important change in your fretting hand's role. It's no longer just hammering onto a ringing open string; it must be perfectly positioned to catch the pull-off from the tap.

To frame this concept, it's useful to think of the workload being systematically divided between your two hands.

Practice Exercise 2: Closed-Position Legato Tapping

Let's apply this "closed-position" thinking. We'll use a simple three-note scalar pattern on the G string. Keep the metronome at 60 bpm.

1. String: G string
2. Tapping Hand (RH): Tap the 12th fret (G).
3. Fretting Hand (LH): Position your index finger on the 7th fret (D) and your ring finger on the 9th fret (E).

The Pattern:

• Tap the 12th fret (G).
• Pull-off cleanly to the 7th fret (D), which should already be fretted by your index finger.
• Hammer-on to the 9th fret (E) with your ring finger.
• Repeat the loop: Tap(12) -> Pull(7) -> Hammer(9).

The main challenge here is the pull-off. Ensure your tapping finger flicks the string slightly to the side as it lifts, giving it enough energy to sound the fretted note clearly. Your fretting hand must be ready and waiting.

4. Creating Continuous Phrases Across Strings

The final step is to chain these patterns together to form longer, more musical phrases that cross strings. The biggest hurdle here is maintaining consistent volume and rhythmic integrity during the string change.

A crucial piece of advice comes from the Premier Guitar article. When your fretting hand starts a new pattern on a new string, you may need to hammer-on that first note with more force than usual to get the string vibrating properly without a pick attack.

Practice Exercise 3: Two-String Continuous Phrase

Let's link two patterns to create a simple, two-bar phrase.

Bar 1 (G string):

• Play the pattern from Exercise 2 four times: Tap(12) -> Pull(7) -> Hammer(9).

Bar 2 (B string):

• Immediately move to the B string.
• New pattern: Tap the 12th fret (B), pull-off to the 8th fret (G), hammer-on to the 10th fret (A).
• Play this new pattern four times: Tap(12) -> Pull(8) -> Hammer(10).

Focus on the transition from the G string to the B string. Can you make it sound like one continuous idea? Try to execute the first note on the B string (the pull-off to the 8th fret) with the same clarity and volume as the notes on the G string. This is where precise muting with both hands becomes critical to prevent the G string from ringing over into the next bar.

5. Case Study: A Modern Legato Tapping Lick

To see how these building blocks assemble into the kind of playing you're aiming for, let's analyze a phrase from a modern player. Sarah Longfield is a great example of a guitarist who seamlessly blends these techniques.

Conclusion

Today you've connected the dots between tapping and legato, transforming them from separate techniques into a single, fluid system for melodic expression. You have learned how to use a tap to initiate and sustain a legato phrase, practiced both open-string and closed-position variations, and begun linking them across strings.

Key Takeaways:

• A tap can function as an "engine" to power subsequent hammer-ons and pull-offs without picking.
• The Tap -> Pull-off -> Hammer-on pattern is a fundamental building block for fluid runs.
• Moving from open-string patterns to closed-position (fretted-note) patterns gives you more control and harmonic flexibility.
• Smoothly transitioning between strings requires precise timing and a conscious effort to maintain volume, often by hammering-on assertively on the new string.

In our next lesson, we will address a crucial aspect of musical phrasing: learning how to transition smoothly between picked notes and tapped notes within a melodic line. This will allow you to integrate your new tapping skills with your existing picking techniques, unlocking a huge range of dynamic and textural possibilities.