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In This Issue:
Other Issues of this Newsletter (Link to MegaTapper News Archive)
From the Editor
We're Giving Away a TrueTapper 'Eclipse' Instrument!
How would you like to be the winner of a new 12-string tapping instrument? Complete with tone controls, magnificent sound, a choice of tunings, and a quality gigbag?
First Prize -- the TrueTapper 'Eclipse'! (See 'New Models' details in Mobius NewsBytes below.) Our grand prize is crafted with superior design to give superior sound, equiped with dual-rail pickups to give you great tone, and your choice of Creme or Black pickguard. Also includes strap, stereo output cord, method book and gigbag. Wow!
If you're new to two-handed tapping, this is a perfect instrument for this new world of music. Given the proper method, an experienced bass player or guitar player can be playing basslines and simultaneous rhythmic chords within one day. The surprisingly easy method is detailed in full in our new method book "Easy Touch-Style Bassics" (included).
For a detailed description with photos and soundclip, click here --
TrueTapper 'Eclipse' Bass Info
Second Prize -- Two tappers will win a fantastic Tapper's Library consisting of five important music books: (1) Jim Grantham's JazzMaster Workout, (2) Werner Pohlert's Basic Harmony, (3&4) Daniel Schell's My Space (two book set) and (5) Easy Touch-Style Bassics! Improvisation,  Theory, Music for Reading, Inspiration ... it's all here! Full details --
Tapper's Library Info
Third Prize -- One dozen tappers will win a Wiggling Hula Girl! This elegant plastic figurine comes complete with simulated grass skirt! Can be attached to the dashboard of your car, and she will dance and sway to the music on the radio! Just check out this beauty! --
It's Easy to Enter ...
Just write or email us with your name, postal mailing address, and phone. That's all it takes to enter!
Plus, add your email address and you'll be entered into the contest twice - so you'd be twice as likely to win!
Even More Chances to Win!
How would you like six more chances to win? Well, it's easy! In our website's documents section you'll find the 'Song Archive' where we've recorded six songs to show off the instruments. Each song has a 'temporary' title, but we're not too happy with these titles.
That's where you come in ... Just name those tunes! These six songs are original, so your challenge is to make up some original names! For each song, make up a new title, along with a comment of why it seems like a good title. You may submit only one title per song, but for each title you send in, we'll enter your name again for the drawing!
Great Odds, and Up to Eight Chances to Win!
This offer is not going out to thousands and thousands of people. This is a small mailing, so your odds are probably better than any contest you've ever entered.
Plus, add your email address to your mailing address for a second chance, and then get up to six more chances for submitting titles for our recorded songs - eight chances in all!
For full details, complete rules, and to hear songs for extra chances, plus a handy entry form, go here --
Win a TrueTapper 'Eclipse' -- Info and Entry Form
Somebody is going to win; it might as well be you!
-Traktor Topaz, US Manager for Mobius Megatar
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News Bites
New Models, New Lower Pricing!
The price of two-handed tapping has never been more affordable, and the outstanding tone and easy playability of these instruments is unmatched. Sorry to brag, but we're proud of the sound, and the value, of these new models ...
TrueTapper 'Eclipse' -- Introductory Price -- only $995
 Clearly the world's best touch-style value, Eclipse is crafted with superior design for superior sound. Blonde maple neck and fingerboard on alder body give bright and clear tone with long sustain. Dual truss-rods and fully-adjustable bridge provide a smooth playing surface. Complete string set - six bass and six melody strings. Clear and powerful toned TrueTalker pickup array of 'dual-rail' design with dual nested tone and volume controls. Your choice of Creme or Black pickguard. Includes adjustable strap, method book, stereo output cord, and quality gigbag!
TrueTapper 'Dragon' -- Introductory Price -- only $1195
 Warmly exotic, the twelve-string Dragon has pickups of our 'TwoGold' design, giving you matched gold-case, wide-coil pickups with adjustable pole pieces for precise adjustment of each string's sound. The TwoGold pickup array creates a warm, mellow, and rich tone. Black pickguard with gold knobs. Maple neck on alder body with dual trussrods, dual tone/volume controls, and complete with our patented MegStrap, method book, stereo output cord, and gigbag!
TrueTapper 'Storm' -- Introductory Price -- only $1395
 Atmospheric disturbance. To the inherent clean tone of TrueTapper's maple and alder woods, Storm adds powerful Bartolini pickups! Bartolini's legendary tone yields a surprising clarity, with more of the thundering bass you crave, and a lightning clarity of melody expression. Strictly magnificent, a take-no-prisoners sound of power! Of course, Storm provides you with twelve strings, dual truss-rods, adjustable bridge, dual nested tone and volume controls, black pickguard, adjustable strap, method book, stereo output cord, and gigbag!
The Eclipse, Dragon, and Storm are in-stock, ready for custom assembly and shipping now. Mobius can provide any of these instruments tuned as 'BassBottom' (bass strings just like any 6-string bass), 'Inverted-Fifths' (unusual tuning popularized by Emmett Chapman), or as 'Bi-Melody' (both sides set as melody range, with the 'lo-melody' side slightly lower so that fingering is identical to normal bass tuning.) Any instrument can be upgraded with Graph Tech 'Tusq' or 'StringSaver' custom nut and saddles for enhanced sustain and string life. Prices are for US delivery. Pricing for delivery to foreign countries will vary.
Questions? Call us! (415) 435-8803 Pacific Time Monday-Friday. Pictures and soundclips? They're here --
TrueTapper 'Eclipse', 'Dragon', and 'Storm'
Roland GR33 Synth and VG88 V-Guitar System at Discount Pricing!
Accompanying our announcement of the new, affordable Mobius MidiTapper, we wish to announce that Mobius is now an authorized Roland dealer, so that we can now supply you with the best guitar synth on the planet, plus the astounding V-Guitar system. And, even better, we can offer you discount pricing, too. At last! Touch-Style MIDI is within your reach!
The GR33 Guitar Synthesizer
 This floor-based marvel produces rich soundscapes with lush effects, and all with amazing speed. Featuring an upgraded sound engine, new effects including an onboard arpeggiator and harmonist to build arpeggios and harmonies based on a single note. Great sounds, superlative tracking!
Turn your megatar into a horn section, a synth, even a full chorus of do-wop singers. The richest, most compelling sounds you've ever heard let you paint mindblowing sonic landscapes. Assignable expression pedal, sound changes via floor pedals, 25 multi-effects, massive wave memory, and 350 stunning and gig-worthy instrument sound. Best of all: Just listen to the astounding tracking of this unit on the MidiTapper soundclips above!
At last! Now you can make a musical statement that no one with ears will ever forget.
The VG88 V-Guitar System
 Advanced modeling technology now lets you create the most popular guitars, basses, and amps in history, and create new 'guitar-meets-synth' sounds as well.
Not only classic guitars, overdriven and tube amp sounds, but marvellous nylon string, hollow body guitars, brass, and bass sounds. Onboard effects include reverb, chorus, pan, delay, flanger, and parametric EQ all available simultaneously. Plus 200 presets and 100 user patches, built-in expression pedal, and fast patch changes with floor pedals.
With the press of a button, play in open tunings, jam on 12-string, slap the bass, or assign octaves to specific strings with the VG-88's Polyphonic Intelligent Pitch Shifter. Just plug in the cable from the megatar, and start ripping! A phenomal unit, now you can let your megatar be anything you want it to be.
See our website for discount pricing, or call for package deals with your new MidiTapper! (415) 435-8803 USA.
NewsLetter Expands!
 It seems that we now have more to give you than will fit in our printed newsletters, so we're expanding with more email issues. This means that email and printed newsletters will now have different content! You will find different articles, lessons, and reviews in the two kinds of newsletters. So this means ...
If you want to receive ALL the newsletters, we need to have both your email and your postal address in your subscription file! And, alas, for many of you, we only have email addresses. That means you're missing half the newsletters!
Don't miss out! To get both email and postal issues, simply send us an email with your name and email address -- and include your complete postal address -- and we'll sign you up to receive all of the newsletter issues!
Until next time, Happy Tappistry!
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Announcing ... the MidiTapper!
Opening a new Universe of Sound ...
Now you can have a working Mobius tapping bass, with its masterful tone and easy playability, and you can have MIDI output too, to drive synthesizers or the amazing Roland V-Guitar system!
You get a twelve-string Mobius bass with 'dual-rail' magnetic pickups and wide-range tone controls, plus the Mobius 'Photon-Midi' hex pickup, either one (on the melodty side) or two (on both sides of the instrument which is tuned in 'Bi-Melody' tuning).
Now you can play anything! Kazoo, brass, acoustic bass, synth lead, trombone, drums!
MidiTapper is built of maple and alder and has the same clear tone as the TrueTapper Eclipse. You can play any gig using the magnetic pickups for a great sound. And introducing our innovative 'Photon-Midi' hex pickup, which meters light itself to track the moving string. Tracks at the speed of light. You will be surprised and delighted with the tracking ability of the Photon-Midi pickup with either the Roland GR33 guitar synthesizer or the VG-88 'V-Guitar' system.
 MidiTapper 'Solo' has a set of six bass strings and a set of six melody strings, with a 'dual-rail' magnetic pickup on each side.. The Photon-Midi hex pickup is then installed on the melody strings with a 13-pin output, so you can easily cable up to the Roland GR33 or VG88. Layer strings on top of your guitar sound, or play horns, bells, flutes, and synth tones on your melody strings.
Introductory Price, for limited time only -- Only $1695 US
MidiTapper 'Twin' with two sets of melody strings, normally tuned in our 'Bi-Melody' tuning. With this tuning and the Twin's dual-rail magnetic pickups, you can now play guitar duos with yourself!
And since you also get Photon-Midi pickups on both sides, either side (or both) can layer strings, horns, bells, tubas, violins, basses, keyboards, sitars, glockenspiels, vibes, or drums. Want to play bass and melody? No problem, set either side to play synth bass, acoustic double-bass, slapped electric, or fretless. The ultimate gig machine.
Limited time introductory price: Only $1995 US
MidiTapper Soundclips (all soundclips courtesy Rick Wade, Las Vegas):
Rhodes Groove - RealAudio
(Length 1:12)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar, Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
Rhodes Groove - Mp3
(Length 1:12)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar, Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
Symphonic - RealAudio
(Length 1:26)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar, Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
Symphonic -Mp3
(Length 1:26)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar, Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
SlapBass Solo - RealAudio
(Length 1:50)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar , Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
SlapBass Solo - Mp3
(Length 1:50)
Bass Voice - VG88 V-Guitar, Lead Voice - GR33 Synth
Da Blues - RealAudio
(Length 3:00)
Bass Voice - GR33 Synth, Lead Voice - VG88 V-Guitar
Da Blues - Mp3
(Length 3:00)
Bass Voice - GR33 Synth, Lead Voice - VG88 V-Guitar
Distortion Guitar - RealAudio
(Length 1:24)
Bass Voice - GR33 Synth, Lead Voice - VG88 V-Guitar
Distortion Guitar - Mp3
(Length 1:24)
Bass Voice - GR33 Synth, Lead Voice - VG88 V-Guitar
Rick Wade is a professional bassist, for many years performing in Las Vegas' top venues, and with some of the biggest names in musical entertainment. Rick took the MidiTapper Twin for a spin -- just foolin' around, y'know -- just Rick and a Yamaha drum machine, all live two-handed touch-style, and we turned on the recorder. One pass, live. Wow. No magnetic pickups were used, only the Photon-Midi pickups driving Synth and V-Guitar voices. Does the MidiTapper track well? Just listen to the electric piano in 'Rhodes Groove' and the lead voice in 'SlapBass Solo' and the bass on 'Da Blues'. And can you get good bass sounds from 'Bi-Melody' strings? Just listen to the basses -- all on melody strings. Is that Bass in Yo' Face?
Artist Contact: Rick Wade can be reached at 702 822-2774 in Las Vegas, or via email at rockthegridman@lvcm.com Stay tuned for upcoming newsletter articles by Rick about gigging with MIDI.
Now -- at last! -- you can afford to Open a New Universe of Sound. Imagine having these sounds and hundres more at your fingertips. Sound good? MidiTapper -- All the Sounds of the Rainbow! Want more MidiTapper info, big pictures, and more soundclips? They're here --
The 'MidiTapper' Series
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Free Music Lesson: Left-Hand Gordo Chordo
Cocktail Piano on your Tapping Instrument!
 That other two-handed instrument, the piano, suggests a useful model for us tappers. Think about the most standard way to play piano. It's probably like this: Chords (harmony) with the left hand, and melody with the right hand. Let's try it ...
Back to our Roots
In playing bass strings tuned in fourths, you generally play three fingers on three notes, then go to the next string and do the same. (We will cover bass strings tuned in fifths further down.)
On a 'Bass-Bottom' tuned instrument in fourths, because left-hand bass notes just above fret two are identical in shape to the right-hand melody notes just above the twelfth fret, we've previously concentrated on playing an identical nine-note pattern with both hands. (See Graph A -- Low Roots.)
This makes learning quick, because both hands are playing the same shape. And for our left hand, if we're playing scalar passages or even playing just roots, this works great. This is our preferred way to think of bass notes when reading bass clef, playing Walking Bass, for doing Intros and Outros, and for runs between chords.
But scale playing is clumsy for left-hand chords. It works out better to move your hand for each chords, like a guitar player does, and using your first finger for the root of each chord.
For reasons as you will see, it will work out nicely to set up the roots along two adjacent strings, and then use those root locations as the basis of our chords. In this way we can place an octave of chords within a reasonable space along two strings. (See Graph B -- Low Roots Revised).
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 Next, let's place one simple chord on these revised root locations. Notice on Graph B the location of the note 'C'. Then place your left-hand first finger on that 'C', and you'll have the root of our chord. See Graph C -- the C minor 7 chord. As per our finger symbols, finger one is shown as a circle, and because it's playing the Root of our chord, the circle is shown as hollow.
A C-minor-seven chord is spelled: C (the root), Eb (the minor third), G (the fifth), and Bb the flat seven. If you don't know why this is, just take our word for now. These are the notes to play if we wish to play a C-minor-seven chord. However, for our purposes, we can skip the fifth of the chord, because the Root, minor third, and flat seven will sound just fine.
Root: So firstly, with your left-hand first finger, you play the root of C. The note on the next string up, and immediately above that root of C would be an F, which is the fourth of the chord, and we don't want that, so we skip up another string.
Seventh: The note immediately above the F would be a Bb, and that's the flat seventh of our C-minor-seven chord, so you'll play that with your next available finger, which is your second finger (shown as a bar).
Third: And if you'll go up one more string, the note above the Bb will be Eb, and that's nice because that's our minor third, so you play that with your next available finger, which is your third finger (shown as a triangle).
Congratulations! You can now play a C-minor-seven chord!
Try arpeggiating the notes in any fashion that pleases you. Take your left hand away and place it back and play the C-minor-seven chord again. Try this several times until you can place your hand and play the C-minor-seven chord easily.
Next, try placing your left-hand first finger on the 'D' note, as shown on Graph B, and play a Dminor7 chord. Then place your first finger on the 'E' note, and play an Eminor7 chord. And last, place your first finger on the root of 'F', and play an Fminor7 chord. Go up and down playing Cminor7 to Dminor7 to Eminor7 to Fminor7, and back down.
When this feels comfortable, try the four chords on the next lower string. Place your left-hand first finger on the Root of 'G' to play Gmin7, on the Root of 'A' to play Amin7, on the Root of 'B' to play Bmin7, and then on the root of 'C' to play another Cmin7. Again go up and down, playing in order Gmin7, Amin7, Bmin7, Cmin7, and then back down.
When you can do this easily try playing through all the minor seven chords, in different patterns and directions. In the next newsletter, we'll go over how to transform this simple minor-seven chord into Major-Seven, dominant-seven, and major and minor sixth chords. Not bad!
Back to our Roots on Bass Strings in Fifths
If you are playing bass strings in Inverted Fifths, when playing any scalar passage, you normally play four notes with four fingers along one string, and then go on to the next string for the next four notes. However, in our learning method, we've so far been using a pattern where the two hands can move in an identical fashion. This makes learning quick.
See Graph D -- Low Roots. This shows the place where you might play bass roots if you were just playing roots. But it will work out better for chording if we go back to laying four notes along two adjacent strings. See Graph E -- Low Roots Revised.
The Low Roots Revised as shown in Graph E will work out better for scalar playing, Walking Bass, and for playing left-hand chords, as you will see.
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Next, let's place one simple chord on these revised root locations. Notice on Graph E the location of the note 'D'. Then place your left-hand first finger on that 'D', and you'll have the root of our chord. Now see Graph F -- the D minor 7 chord. As per our finger symbols, finger one is shown as a circle, and because it's playing the Root of our chord, the circle is shown as hollow.
A D-minor-seven chord is spelled: D (the root), F (the minor third), A (the fifth), and C (the flat seven). However, for our purposes, we can skip the fifth of the chord, because the Root, minor third, and flat seven will sound just fine.
Root: So firstly, with your left-hand first finger, play the root of D. The note on the next string down (higher in pitch), and immediately below that root of D would be a A, which is the fifth of the chord, but we don't want it, so we skip that string..
Third: The note immediately below the A would be an E, and the note one fret higher would be an F which is the minor third of our D-minor-seven chord, so you'll play that with your third finger (shown as a triangle).
Seventh: And if you'll go down one more string, the note below the F will be C, and that's nice because that's our flat seven, so you play that with your second finger (shown as a bar).
Now try arpeggiating the Dminor7 notes in any pattern you like. When you can do that easily, place your left-hand first finger on the note of 'E' (as shown on Graph E) and you can play an Eminor7 chord. Then try Fminor7, then Gminor7, then play up and down. When that's comfortable, try the Roots on the next string and play Amin7, Bmin7, Cmin7, and the (now higher) Dmin7 chords. Then go all over the place on these minor seven chords.
Harmony and Harmonics
Notice that the lower chords are 'growly' and higher chords are 'cleaner'. There are many harmonics on powerful bass strings, and these harmonics don't all align perfectly. The result is a partial out-of-phase sound for your ear, which is that cool growly sound.
Too much harmonic confusion in low strings produces a 'muddy' indistinct sound. We avoided the chord's Fifth because notes close together on low bass strings sound muddy to the ear. Muddiness is no problem when you are arpeggiating the chords, but you'll later play chords in different ways. So to get a good sound, generally play roots low (where they're powerful), and play harmony notes an octave up (two or three strings up), out of the mud.
Thus we'll often use four strings for a chord. One for the root, one to skip, and one each for the harmony notes (the third and the seventh). Compared to piano, this is few notes. But our long low strings shake a lot. Meaning they're harmonically fat. Gordo Chordo!
Stretching out to Toon Town
The next newsletter lesson will show how we easily transform the minor-seven chord into Major Seven, dominant seven, and major and minor sixth chords. (Five Chords to Rule the World!) And as you will see, with these five chords you can take on most any tune in a fakebook and wrestle it to the ground. So easy! Sounds good too!
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Contact us:
Mobius Megatar USA
Post Office Box 161
Weed, CA 96094 USA
http://www.megatar.com/
Business Office (530) 938-1100
Member Better Tapping Bureau
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