Steve is an amazingly skilled all-round player, but it’s his terrifying stellar tapping technique that he’s most feared well known for. (Check out the solo Hammerhead, for example.)

Not being one to turn his back on the audience to hide his ninja tapping secrets, Steve has freely shared his “secrets” in a variety of instructional materials, including video, books, and columns for various prestigious guitar magazines. You can purchase the excellent video The Two-Handed Guitarist as well as Steve’s other instructional books and CDs in his online shop. [No, these are not affiliate links -- I've seen Steve's video and can heartily recommend it to aspiring tappers.]

Interview

1) How do you keep the strings quiet for multi-fingered tapping when you don’t/can’t use a damper unit (or sock!)?
I use the side of the palm of my right hand to mute the lower strings wherever I may be tapping on the neck; it takes a while to get the angle down.

2) What do you know about tapping technique now that you wish you’d known when you first started?
All of the different scale positions and intervals that can be combined for a unique effect.

3) Is there anything else you’d like to add, rant about, or promote?
The most important thing to remember when creating a solo with tapping is to record the rhythm part you will be soloing over first. This way you can experiment with different ideas to find which work the best. Always create from the heart and others will share the experience.

Recent photo of Steve in his studio. (Cool, we have the same keyboard stand!)

So there you have it: more qualified advice from someone who definitely knows their stuff. Now I’m off to try putting Steve’s advice into practice.