Alternate Shift Tapping

Tommaso Zillio
Hi all! I am about to show you a simple idea to spice up your solos with flashy tapping
licks that are much easier to play than it seems at first sight. As a starting example, lets
take an E minor pentatonic scale (notes: E G A B D), and lets map it out on the 2nd string
of your guitar, the B string:

Here every square represent a fret, so the notes of the scale are at the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th,
and 12th frets (the open string is in the scale too).
Now, play this tapping lick on the scale we just visualized (all notes are played legato,
i.e. no picking!):



T 3



2

8

T 3 1

1 3



6
0

3 1

10

1 3

T 3
1

6
0

1 3

10

3 1

1 3

6
0

T 4
1

12

 12 10 8 0 8 10 15 10 8 0 8 10 15 12 10 0 10 12 17 12 10 0 10 12 17 15 12 0 12 15

19 15 17

T 4 4
1 4
3

The notes at the beginning of each sextuplet (group of 6 notes) are tapped (notated
with a T) using the middle finger of your right hand. The numbers above the other
notes indicate the finger of the left hand used to fret them.
Now, here is the trick behind this lick: the only difference between the 1st and 2nd
sextuplet is that we moved our tapping finger form the 8th fret to the 10th fret, but we
did not move the left hand. Then, on the 3rd sextuplet we keep our tapping finger on
the same fret, and we move only our left hand higher one position in the scale we visualized above. Then we move only our tapping finger, but not the left hand, and so on.
So every sextuplet we are repositioning only one hand, while the other can go in autopilot; the next sextuplet we move only the other hand but now the first stays in the same
position and can go in auto-pilot. Only one hand at a time moves, but it is not obvious

to the listener since we are moving them in an alternate fashion: the right, then the left,
then the right again. This alternate shift concept makes the lick easy to play, but very
complicated-looking to someone listening or watching.
Heres another example, always using the E minor pentatonic but this time on the first
string and descending instead than ascending. Again, no picking, just tapping.




2

15 12

10

12

15 10 7

10

12

10

10 7

10

12 7

6
0

6
10

10 0



After you have toyed with this concept for a while, youll find that it is pretty easy to
apply it even while improvising. Next time you are jamming with your friends, use this
idea to surprise them with a flurry of tapped notes. They will never know what hit them.
Until next time, have fun and happy practicing!
c
2009
Tommaso Zillio - All Rights Reserved.