Tapping on Bass: Advanced Guide to Two-Handed Tapping

A bass player using a two handed tapping technique

Want to add a unique, melodic, and percussive element to your bass playing? Two-handed tapping lets you play fast arpeggios, chords, and even counterpoint melodies like a pianist. Used by bass legends like Billy Sheehan, Victor Wooten, and Stu Hamm, this technique unlocks a whole new level of creativity!

1. What Is Tapping on Bass?

Tapping is a technique where you use your fretting and plucking hands to “tap” notes directly onto the fretboard, rather than plucking or picking. This allows for:

  • Fast arpeggios & melodic lines – Perfect for solos and lead-style bass playing.
  • Chordal playing – Play full harmonies and intricate patterns.
  • Percussive & expressive tones – Great for progressive rock, metal, and jazz fusion.

📌 Famous Tapping Bassists

  • 🎵 Billy Sheehan – Fast, aggressive tapping.
  • 🎵 Victor Wooten – Taps combined with slap and harmonics.
  • 🎵 Stu Hamm – Beautiful chordal tapping.
  • 🎵 Michael Manring – Uses fretless bass tapping for melodic phrasing.

2. Basic Tapping Technique

🎯 Hand Position

  • Keep your thumb behind the neck for support.
  • Your plucking hand (right hand for right-handed players) should hover above the fretboard.

🎯 How to Tap a Note

  • 1️⃣ Tap firmly on the fretboard with your plucking-hand finger (usually index or middle).
  • 2️⃣ Pull off slightly to allow the note to ring out.
  • 3️⃣ Try hammering-on with your fretting hand for a second note.

📌 Beginner Exercise

  • Tap 12th fret on the G string with your plucking hand.
  • Pull off to 7th fret (G string) with your fretting hand.
  • Repeat slowly, making sure both notes sound even.

3. Essential Tapping Exercises

A. Basic Two-Handed Tapping Exercise

Pattern:

T = Tap, H = Hammer-On, P = Pull-Off
T (12th fret) → P (7th fret) → H (9th fret)

B. Tapped Arpeggios (Common in Rock & Metal)

C Major Arpeggio Example (Root, 3rd, 5th, Octave):

T (12th fret on G) → P (9th fret on G) → H (7th fret on G) → T (12th fret on D)

C. Right-Hand Independence Drill

  • Play a steady bassline with your left hand (fretting hand).
  • Tap a melody with your right hand (plucking hand).
  • This builds coordination for polyphonic tapping.

4. Applying Tapping in Real Songs

5. Advanced Tapping Concepts

  • Two-Handed Tapping Chords – Play full chord voicings like a guitarist.
  • Tapped Harmonics – Combine tapping with harmonic nodes for bell-like tones.
  • Multi-Finger Tapping – Use multiple fingers on both hands for fast runs.

💬 Are you working on bass tapping? Drop a comment below and let’s talk technique!

Further Reading – Advanced Bass Guides: Take Your Playing to the Next Level

Jake is an SEO-minded Football, Combat Sports, Gaming and Pro Wrestling writer and successful Editor in Chief. Most importantly, he is a Bass and Guitar player with over 20 years of experience of both. Currently, he is using an Ibanez Talman Bass and Trace Elliot Series 6 715 Bass Amp when playing in his punk band Creature Arcade. Jake has more than ten years of experience covering mixed martial arts, pro wrestling, football and gaming across a number of publications, starting at SEScoops in 2012 under the name Jake Jeremy. His work has also been featured on Sportskeeda, Pro Sports Extra, Wrestling Headlines, NoobFeed, Wrestlingnewsco and Keen Gamer, again under the name Jake Jeremy. Previously, he worked as the Editor in Chief of 24Wrestling, building the site profile with a view to selling the domain, which was accomplished in 2019. Jake was previously the Editor in Chief for Fight Fans, a combat sports and pro wrestling site that was launched in January 2021 and broke into millions of pageviews within the first two years. He previously worked for Snack Media and their GiveMeSport site, creating Evergreen and Trending content that would deliver pageviews via Google as the UFC and MMA SEO Lead. Jake managed to take an area of GiveMeSport that had zero traction on Organic and push it to audiences across the globe. Jake also has a record of long-term video and written interview content with the likes of the Professional Fighters League, ONE and Cage Warriors, working directly with the brands to promote bouts, fighters and special events. Jake also previously worked for the biggest independent wrestling company in the UK, PROGRESS Wrestling, as PR Head and Head of Media across the social channels of the company.

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