Tapping on Acoustic Guitar (Tips for One-Handed Playing)

Neil Chan
Aug 13
1 min read

Using my song King of Israel from the album The Word, I explore a unique technique that opens up new creative possibilities on the guitar. By using the left hand alone to tap out full chords, you free up the right hand for a wide range of expressive ideas. In my case, I chose to use a Peruvian pan flute, known as a siku, but this method also works well for adding percussion, strumming patterns, or simply opening up new phrasing ideas.

In the video lesson, I explain how to anchor your thumb for stability, where to position your fingers for clean tone, and how to apply just the right amount of pressure. These technical tips form the foundation of this technique, which allows for a highly musical and expressive approach to chord playing.

Whether you’re a vocalist, an instrumentalist, or both, this method allows for real-time accompaniment with only one fretting hand. I encourage you to try it, follow along with the free tab and notation, and see how this expands your creative range on the guitar.

For those interested in going further, I also offer an in-depth course, Fingerstyle for the World, which teaches you how to arrange music for solo fingerstyle guitar. You can find all the links below.