INTRODUCTION

The technique of tapping on the electric bass is still in its infancy. Two-Handed
Tapping is a monumental contribution to the pedagogy of this style.

All of the music contained in this book was written for the tapping bassist.
This means that the music fits on the four-string electric bass and was tapped
before notated. As the notated music can be quite difficult to read, the video
recordings of each song will make the process of learning clear and concise.
Just copy the fingers and motions.

Each song focuses on a specific technical challenge found in the tapping

style. By learning just one of the songs in this book your tapping chops will
improve immensely. Any of the songs can serve as an excellent lesson and
result in a beautiful solo piece for you to perform.

I want to encourage you to be patient and persistent in your study of tapping.

It may be more difficult than you think; be patient. It will be challenging; be
persistent. It will be worth your effort.

Charles & Jim

10 Two-Handed Tapping

Chapter One - Right Hand

One of the most useful applications of two-handed tapping is the ability to play a melody in
the right hand. These first few pieces are designed specifically to develop this application.
The first challenge with this piece is the presence of the grace-note slides in the right hand. It is
perfectly fine to learn the piece without these grace notes and add them later. The second challenge
is the harmonizing between the left and right hand. The ability to play in 3rds will be necessary to
master many of the pieces in this book. I would recommend practicing the cycle of 4ths, in 3rds, until
it begins to feel natural. Then, practice just bar six - slowly increasing the tempo.

Melody of the Mountains

Melody Of The Mountains
q = 90

#### 4
Charles Berthoud

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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music
Two-Handed Tapping 11

I am so excited to contribute my tapping compositions to this book. I suspect you will find Perfect
World not too difficult to learn. Strive for a good clean attack and sustain the long notes for full value.
If you are new to tapping, you may need to practice basic technique exercises to develop the strength
that will allow you to sustain. As with any ballad, try to produce a beautiful tone. This one should
sound sweet ... “dolce”.

STINNETT Perfect World

Jim Stinnett

MUSIC
Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music
16 Two-Handed Tapping

When we think of tapping on the bass, most people do not think of jazz. This song titled, Blues, has
that jazz blues feel. The song is actually not a typical blues form but the walking bass line is jazz
blues language. The notes in the right hand are simply the thirds and sevenths of the chords.

After you learn to play this one well, you will find numerous places to use this technique in your solo
playing. Learn it so well that you can groove!

Blues

STINNTT Jim Stinnett

MUSIC

Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

18 Two-Handed Tapping

Chapter Three - Hand Independence

In order to fully master two-handed tapping, your hands must be free to move completely
independently of each other, just like a pianist. The next few pieces are the first step in developing
your hand-independence.

TheThe
Battle Within
Battle Within
q = 116 Charles Berthoud
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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

20 Two-Handed Tapping

This piece has a lot of scalar motifs and patterns, meaning that many hours of practice of the cycle of
4ths will greatly increase the ease with which you execute this piece. The passage of bar 21 to 25 is
technically challenging for the right hand; I’d recommend carefully studying the video of this section to
see exactly what fingering I am using.

DDMinor #1
Minor #1
q = 152

STINNETT
Charles Berthoud
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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

24 Two-Handed Tapping

Galapagos
Jim Stinnett

STINNETT

MUSIC

Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

32 Two-Handed Tapping

Tapping Into The Universe

Tapping into the Universe
Charles Berthoud

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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

36 Two-Handed Tapping

Chapter Six - Advance Hand Independence

The earlier hand-independence pieces have prepared you to now develop your ability to create
counterpoint between your hands. The following pieces contain contrapuntal lines that will give you
more freedom in your playing.

If Bach Played Bass..

If Bach Played Bass...
q = 92

b
Charles Berthoud

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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

44 Two-Handed Tapping

Chapter Seven - Three and Four Part Chords

A very useful application of tapping is the ability to play three and four-part chords, in well-spread
voicings, that sound much less muddy than most chords that can be achieved through other
techniques on the bass. These pieces will give you an introduction into the possibilities of chords in
two-handed tapping.

Suite
Suitein
In F Major
F major

STINNETT
4
q = 120

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Charles Berthoud

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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music

46 Two-Handed Tapping

The The
Worried Warrior
Worried Warrior
j j j
q = 132

b 4 j j
Charles Berthoud

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Copyright © 2015 Stinnett Music