8 Finger Tapping:

A technique and a magic trick

The very appeal of 8 finger tapping is it’s appearance of being an almost superhuman feat of dexterity and control.  But appearances can be deceiving.  In fact, much like how a magician can amaze an audience by fooling them, 8 finger tapping is designed to create an illusion of an impossible level of skill. 

The illusion itself has proven to be good enough to keep its own secret.  Most guitarists never even attempt to learn 8 finger tapping because they are intimidated by what appears to be something that only “specially gifted” or “obsessive players” can achieve.  

Guitarists who master the technique are more than happy to keep the secret whether intentionally or unconsciously.  It’s no secret that ego is a prime motivator for achieving high levels of skill in any area and guitar is a perfect example of that fact.  There is a sense of significance that is downright addictive when being seen as “one of the very few” who can amaze an audience so perfectly with something that “only they can do.”  

But it’s all smoke and mirrors.  The truth is, 8 finger tapping is no more difficult than learning to play the piano at a basic level of competence.  And if the player learning it has already reached a level of proficiency on the guitar, they already know most of what they need to know – they just don’t know it.

Now, none of this is to say that 8 finger tapping is an invalid or worthless technique.  It’s quite the contrary.  Not only does 8 finger tapping work as a brilliant show stopping performance technique but it also allows things to be played on the guitar that would otherwise be impossible.  It opens up doors for creativity and composition and can practically transform the guitar into another instrument altogether.  It is invaluable.  

It’s just that it’s a LOT easier than it looks.  That is, assuming you know an effective way to approach it.

If you’ve ever attempted learning an 8 finger tapping pattern and quit after getting frustrated, there’s a very good reason of why.  You were skipping a key step that you didn’t know about and assumed that the technique itself was too difficult.  

The secret is in how you train your “tapping hand” and how you transfer what you already know from one hand to the other.  The rest is no different than learning any new pattern.  

You can play things with ease by fretting with your fretting hand because you’ve developed those fingers over time with practice.  But more than that, you’ve developed an understanding of the fretboard that becomes intuitive over time.  The reality is, you do not need to develop that understanding all over again to achieve 8 finger tapping.  You just need to “transfer” what you know.  

First and foremost, simple scale patterns can be played with only your tapping hand.  Just a little bit of time spent every day.  This will build up the muscles in those fingers and develop muscle memory.  It’s true that it will be very awkward at first, but that goes away much more rapidly than you’d expect.  

You’ve no doubt used scales as warm-ups throughout your time developing your current skills.  It’s the same process, only now with your tapping hand and approaching the fretboard from a different angle.  

Once your tapping hand becomes comfortable running these warm-ups, you can simply begin learning basic multi-finger tapped patterns and start working your way up. 

A very motivated guitarist could master the technique in a matter of months.  Sometimes in a surprisingly shorter period of time, depending on their level on the guitar and how much time they are willing to spend.  

You can master 8 finger tapping and it doesn’t have to become your job for the next few months.  Simply incorporating some basic warm-ups and exercises into your current practice routine is enough to get you there.

This approach is integral in my course, The Infinite Tapping Method.  This revolutionary course is designed to give you all the tools necessary to master all types of finger tapping, taking you from the basics all the way up to advanced 8 finger patterns.  All the while, giving you the warm-ups, exercises and instruction on how to build up your tapping hand gradually over the course of the lessons.  

It doesn’t include or require any leaps in skill.  It’s meticulously designed to help you work your way up gradually and organically so you build the muscle memory, dexterity and intuitive understanding that is enjoyed by the masters of these techniques.  

If you follow the course as intended, it can and will make a tapping master out of you.  But more than that, it will give you the understanding and ability to craft an infinite array of new tapping patterns in real time, as you need them. 

The skills and understanding you will gain from this course will also carry over into all areas of your playing and help you towards your goal of total mastery over the guitar.

Take a moment now to check out The Infinite Tapping Method.  With nearly 3 hours of video material and 121 optimized exercises (with no filler), The Infinite Tapping Method will truly be your last stop for total tapping mastery.