The Awe-Inspiring Technique Known to the World as Finger-Tapping!


Yes, thank you very much Mr. Van Halen for breaking out in the late 70's and showing the world just how musically slow paced they were.
Yes, thank you for incorporating finger tapping into nearly every single guitar solo you dished out.
Yes, thank you Mr. Van Halen for providing the world with the razzle-dazzle display of guitar virtuosity that is the song, Eruption.
Because yes, you did just that Mr. Van Halen, you erupted into the hearts and minds of many guitarists, and now everyone is finger tapping, and that is a great thing!
 While many argue that Van Halen was not the first guitar player to incorporate finger tapping into his or her music, he sure was the first to bring it into the mainstream slow paced world at the time. There were many bands out in the 1970's, but none in my simple minded opinion made an impact quite like Van Halen.
See, the beauty of it all, is that no one at the time had heard guitar playing at this breakneck speed. Many wonder after listening to Eruption, just how in the world was this level of virtuosity achieved? Well after a series of great live shows, many fellow musicians were blown away at Mr. Van Halen's finger tapping showmanship!

So what exactly is finger tapping? In my own words(ahem), "a flurry of hammer-on's and pull-off's in conjunction with the tapping of a given string off the fret board, which makes you look and sound awesome."(whew!) I like to think of the technique as one of those easy to pick up, but difficult to master concepts. I picked up this technique early on in my playing, and boy did it sure did impress those around me! (Well at least those people who don't play guitar, because fellow guitar players know the simple patterns behind the speed) Love it or hate it, finger tapping is still going strong in today's guitar playing world.
Van Halen inspired many guitar players with his finger tapping technique, and many have considerably passed him in terms of technicality. But hey, everybody loves to slay their idols. In the end, finger tapping is sheer amounts of fun to pull off. Lets all just try to incorporate it musically shall we?
I am a simple minded guitarist, and I enjoy finger tapping like a fast food meal; its fast and leaves me satisfied.

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