Lessons

[wmlusk]

Do any forum members have lessons or playing tips that could be compiled into an article?

Thanks,
Wm

[kuno31510]

Hi
last year i wrote some lessons for tapping instruments tuned in 5th (NS-Tuning).

www.kunowagner.com

[wmlusk]

Now that I have my crafty 8, these lessons are going to be really handy. Thanks Kuno! Thanks `Jersey Ray` for reminding me about Kuno's site.

-b

[Tiptannick]

There is some exercices by French Player André Pelat on Tap-Mag (http://www.tapmag.fr.st) , in the Practice|Exercices section.
I have to complete some of it ! André will send it to me soon and I'll change the pics !

[rockola]

I have a couple of tips.

If you're an absolute beginner: Get a teacher. At the very least, pester someone in your town who plays to show you how to hold the instrument, how to touch the strings, the basics. This was the biggest obstacle I had when I got my first tapping instrument - I didn't know zilch about how to play and I didn't get anywhere on my own. An even better way to start is to go to a seminar, where you can learn from professional teachers and fellow players. This is what I did after half a year of total frustration, and I learned more during that one week than on my own in months.

After the initial hurdle, there is but one thing: practice. Set things up so it's easy for you to pick up your instrument. If you have to rummage through the basement to find the flight case, then go hunting for the right cord(s), then patch your rack... you'll never play it, the inspiration will be gone by the time you're done. Instead, have the instrument handy on a stand or something, already plugged in, so all you'll have to do is turn the amp on. If you're like me, don't even try to set up a regular schedule. Instead, pick the instrument up whenever you have time, even if it's just for a few minutes.

Don't try to build up a vast repertoire all at once. (I know I've been guilty of this.) Instead, practice a few songs so you know how to play them reasonably well. A good indication of "reasonably well" is that you don't need to look at the fretboard all the time, which you shouldn't do anyway, just as you shouldn't eat anything but nutritious foods. (I have a couple of tips on that as well, but I'll leave them for another time...) You don't have to do the same two songs all over until you're sick of them. For variety, try some new ones, but don't think you can learn to play tens of songs at once, because it's not going to happen.

If you don't read sheet music, now is the time to start. In my opinion this is the single most important thing a musician needs to be able to do. I know there are lots of hotshot musicians (did someone say Mick Karn?) who don't read at all, but I don't think that's anything to aspire to. Also, if you practice the fine art of prima vista (playing unknown pieces straight from the sheet) you'll automatically also practice playing without looking at your fingers!

A good posture is very important. Your whole body should be relaxed, and special attention should be paid to your shoulders and arms. Try to find a position for the instrument that feels good for you. For guitar-like instruments, I'm a big fan of the Slider strap now that I've been playing with one for a few months.

Try to play in front of an audience as often as possible. Your spouse, family, and relatives will be a good place to start, since they will be too polite to say anything negative and to leave the room before you're finished. From there you can progress to your friends, and to playing to complete strangers. If you're the daring kind, starting with public appearances is of course no problem. But, playing for people you know will also improve your playing. Seminars are good for this since you will automatically get the chance to play for other fellow tappers, and often also in front of an unsuspecting public.

I don't know if any of this is especially tapping-oriented... but these tips come from my 7 years of experience playing a dedicated tapping instrument. Let me know if any of this was helpful, or if you think I haven't a clue of what I'm talking about.

[traktor]

I think Ola's tips are pretty much right on. Here's a bit more --

1. I would say numero uno for starters is to get the posture correct, which includes positioning the body upright (the most healthy posture has you looking at the *back* of the fretboard). Peeking at the fretboard while playing is the worst posture crime, and it will haunt you forever. With upright posture, the left wrist can operate straight and strong, and the right hand need never be cramped. Avoids all kind of problems.

2. Play from the beginning by *touch*, not by sight. I remember the first time I had to learn a 10-key adding machine. I was learning the 'night audit' in a hotel (balancing the day's business after midnight), and the guy teaching me was a Cajun from Lake Charles, Louisiana. He made me place my hand on the adding machine, then throw a towel over the whole thing so that I couldn't look. True, you have to go a bit slow at first, but learning is very quick when you *disable* the visual crutch. And in the end playing by touch is both faster and more accurate (as it is for an adding machine).

3. Play in public. I was very nervous when I started, so to get over it I went busking in San Francisco. Down at Fisherman's Wharf with a portable Mouse amp and a tophat out for tips, I played to get over being nervous. Worked pretty good. Even got a few tips.

There are a lot of old lessons for Inverted Fifths tuning on my old site at http://www.traktor.com and on the Megatar site there's a free method book plus lessons in the newsletter archive at http://www.megatar.com/documents.. These materials work for instruments in fifths and instruments in fourths, as well as 6 to 8-string basses. There's a nice article by Daniel Schell which covers the mirrored and uncrossed string arrangements.

In the stickwire archives, there are references to old Theory on Tap ascii lessons, and someone there had some great stuff about geometry.

Stanley Jordan has some tapping instruction at http://www.stanleyjordan.com, and he might permit reprint.

Lastly, I'm currently working on a new resource to be contributed to Tappistry. But more on that later.

-- Traktor