Left hand tapping...?

[Whiteblooded]

Hey guys,

I'm learning some stuff which involves both hands tapping independently.. (I'm right handed)

I've found that both hands are fine at tapping from the 7th fret upwards.. I find tapping with the right hand on the higher frets a lot easier than tapping the lower strings with my left, but I find it absolutely impossible to tap anything lower than the 5th fret and actually make an audiable note with my left hand (on any string).

This is surprising, because I can tap the heavy strings around the 12th fret with my right hand just fine.. but tapping with my left hand (1st finger especially) seems a lot harder.. as if my left hand was weaker. I would have thought my fretting hand would be stronger than my plucking hand.. but apparently not.

Did anyone else have this problem when they started two-hand tapping?

Perhaps there's something wrong with the set up of my bass?

Thanks in advance.

[jnuts1]

well you should definitly be able to tap with your left hand, it will get easier with time. i use it so i can fix problems & change settings on my amp or volume on the bass & such without missing a beat.

but the problem with your 1st finger was typical for me, it is also my weakest tapping finger but i do use it quite regularly. the angle of your hands & wrist really inhibit the first finger from coming down with any force. your hand wants to tap hardest with your two middle fingers. close your hand really fast & you will see that they have the most strength doing that motion.

you also might benefit from turning up & playing softer. that way you do not have to tap as hard but you still get volume.

[champbassist]

Originally Posted by Whiteblooded

Hey guys,

.. but tapping with my left hand (1st finger especially) seems a lot harder.. as if my left hand was weaker. I would have thought my fretting hand would be stronger than my plucking hand.. but apparently not.

Hate to be Captain Obvious, but when tapping you're basically trying to get a note to sound without plucking, so the left hand has to do a lot more work than when you're playing normally, i.e. plucking. As far as I can see, it's more or less a strength issue.

Like every other aspect of playing bass, practice will make perfect. To build left hand strength, I strongly recommend practising trills. Don't hurry yourself with difficult trills lower down on the neck. Play them at a position on the fretboard where you're at a fair degree of comfort and slowly progress to lower positions.

Also, practice building up recovery muscles: it helps immensely in strengthening every aspect of fretting hand technique.