Betcha Can't Play This: Tapping and Skipping with Andy Wood

This is a tapping run that incorporates string skipping and a couple of fret-hand finger slides.

It’s based on the A natural minor scale [A B C D E F G], but the notes are organized into arpeggios, which imply some interesting "tall" chord sounds.

Although it is played in steady 16th notes, it sounds and feels out of time because of the unusual melodic contour.

When skipping to another string, often the first note is hammered on "from nowhere" by one of the fret-hand fingers [indicated by "H"]. Strive for an even attack and volume note to note, making each hammer-on quick and firm. When pulling off, flick the string slightly sideways, in toward the palm.

I tap a couple of the notes on the high E string with my ring finger, which makes the jumps across the strings a little easier. Mute the strings you’re not playing on with your pick-hand palm to keep them from ringing.

The lick ends with a big bend on the B string, which I perform by tapping the string then bending it upward with both hands, using the fret hand’s fingers to help the tapping finger bend the string.

For more on Wood and his band, Down from Up, visit andywoodmusic.com and downfromup.com.