Finger tapping is a technique first made popular by Eddie Van Halen and has since been developed into complex solo pieces by artists such as Stanley Jordan. There are two components in a right-hand tap:

1. The tap itself involves hitting the note and holding it down for the duration of that note.

2. Removing the right-hand finger with a slight flick takes the place of plucking or picking the string which then reveals the left-hand note or open string below it. This is best done by moving the finger away from your body towards the ground. The time signature of tapping pieces is largely determined by the number of notes in the sequence. Patterns of three fit easily into a triplet pattern. Changing the order of these same notes produces 16th notes in 4 groups of three and one group of four. Other variations in finger tapping include using an open string in a tapping riff, sliding between notes, using both hands to play the same note, swapping hands over, and using multiple fingers.

Example 20a

Example 20b

Example 20c

Example 20d