Watch Yasmin Williams demonstrate her signature lap-tapping technique on an Epiphone G-1275 doubleneck guitar
The up-and-coming acoustic guitar hero seamlessly applied her own distinct approach to this none-more-rock-n-roll instrument
Usually, up-and-coming acoustic guitar great Yasmin Williams can be seen unleashing her trademark mix of fingerpicking, tapping and against-the-guitar's-body percussive work on either her beloved Skytop Grand Concert model or a Timberline harp guitar.
Recently though, Gibson kindly sent Williams a pristine-looking Epiphone G-1275 doubleneck electric guitar. Naturally, the Virginia native was compelled to take the none-more-rock-n-roll model for a spin, but in her own way, of course.
Laying – as she often does with both her Skytop and Timberline models – the guitar flat across her lap, Williams beautifully coordinates her tapping on the twin necks, creating a cascade of gorgeous notes that wouldn't sound out of place coming from the keys of a skilled pianist.
The demo's certainly not your typical double-neck fare, and you can watch it for yourself below.
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"Gibson sent over this double neck Epiphone and I am living for it!" Williams wrote in the video's caption. "Thanks so much Gibson, more double neck coming y’all’s way after I figure out how to play this thing."
Williams's lap-tapping approach certainly doesn't look easy at first glance, but she insists not only that other players should try it, but that it's a lot easier than it looks.
"Give lap-tapping a try – it’s really not that hard," she told Guitar World last year. "It might look a little weird but it’s not too challenging. It’s just hammer-ons and pull-offs, really. It can be fast sometimes, but the idea behind it is easy. Listen to Erik Mongrain – he’s a great player who used to lap-tap. I used to watch his videos as a kid."
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Williams released her second album, Urban Driftwood, and a beautiful stand-alone single, Virga – the performance video for which was premiered by Guitar World last August – in 2021.
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Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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