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Harmonics Confusion

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(@tyler-n)
Trusted Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 45
Topic starter  

Hi guys a little question about harmonics?

I'm a little confused. Example in standard tuning.

Playing harmonics on the 1st open string E

on the 5th fret - would that be called a 5th Fret "A" harmonic
on the 9th fret - would that be called a 9th Fret "Db/C#" harmonic
on the 12th fret - would that be called a 12th Fret "E" harmonic

and so forth and so forth.

I'm very new to guitar and I just wanted to know if harmonics have note names?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TxmW-rIGFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvejpRYsQM
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(@greybeard)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 5840
 

Harmonics are called by their order in the harmonic chain. The open string is called the first harmonic or, more frequently, the fundamental. The harmonics are multiples of the fundamental frequency (e.g. 440Hz), so the 2nd harmonic is 2 times the fundamental (e.g. 880Hz), the 3rd harmonic is 3 times the fundamental (e.g. 1320Hz) and so on.

In terms of intervals:
2nd harmonic - 12th fret: octave above open string
3rd harmonic - 7th or 19th fret: Octave plus a perfect fifth above open string
4th harmonic - 5th or 24th fret: Two octaves above open string
5th harmonic - 4th, 9th, or 16th fret: two octaves plus four semitones above open string

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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

Just to add to what greybeard said, harmonics on guitar are VERY rarely called by their note names: generally they are just referred to as "5th fret harmonics", etc.

Steve-0


   
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(@noteboat)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 4921
 

That's only true of guitarists who don't read standard notation. Readers are very comfortable with playing an "A harmonic", because that's how it's written.

In standard notation, harmonics are written just like they sound - the 5th string 12th fret harmonic is written in the "A" space on the staff... they just use a diamond shaped note head, or more rarely a regular note with a small circle right above the note head. There's often no distinction between natural and artificial harmonics - so the performer is left with a choice of playing that note as a natural (open 5th string), a natural in a different place (6th string 7th fret), or an artificial harmonic (fret the A on the sixth string, play the harmonic at the 17th fret).

Any of those will give you the same pitch, but with different volume and timbre - because the vibrating string is longer and/or thicker with one versus another. Some publishers are note "A.H." above the staff to indicate artificial harmonics, and some use string numbing (a number inside a circle is the usual notation) to make it more specific.

Now if you're trying to play from classical string music - violin or cello - they write harmonics a bit differently. The diamond shaped heads are used only for natural harmonics; for an artificial harmonic, they often write a regular note, and above it on the same stem they'll write the harmonic - and the harmonic uses a half-note head.

That can be really confusing at first, but it's really a very accurate way to do things: you fret the string as directed by the regular note, and you identify the kind of harmonic by the relationship to the half-note head... if it's a fifth higher, you need to be 7 frets up; if it's a third higher you need to be about 4 frets up, etc. (That means the harmonic note head is NOT actual pitch - it's going to sound higher than it's written)

Of course, that can be confusing too, since sometimes there's only one or two harmonics in a measure, and the half-note heads can be interpreted as double stops with one note held longer - especially if a harmonic is followed by a rest... so sometimes the'll combine the notations, and use a diamond-shaped half note head on the same stem :)

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(@tyler-n)
Trusted Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 45
Topic starter  

I think you guys summed harmonics up pretty well! ~ I had no idea there was so much to it and all questions were more than answered =) you guys are awesome.

It's almost like a science isn't it.

p.s luvin this place. I wish i found it sooner.

I been playing for over 4 months now and I feel the science and theories and how the guitar works is really important if i ever want to grow into a real musician.

=)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TxmW-rIGFA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAvejpRYsQM
my idol


   
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