Pull up tabs for some 80's songs you enjoy listening to or palying along to and learn those solos number one to discover which techniques will be necesary to learn. Number 2, tapping is easy, if you are having trouble making it sound flowign and smooth practice slower so that your fingers are all coordinated to hold notes longer, which means you must sti ana gruelingly clean your bad habbitual playing up. Sorry to say this but i have had to do the same over the last year or so with my playing too, it's lame, but in the end your playing will be 100% better if not better just smoother. And smooth solid playing is better than chopy annoying playing.
Good luck...
Hope that helps any...