I know the basic process required to produce a harmonic, by using the 5 or 7 or 12th fret and all, but i cant produce the shiny, bell like sound I'm suppose to have, instead, i get just a regular fretted note. What my problem
ps, I know your supposed to do it on the fret, not behind it
"The Beauty of Music is my Sanity. Without it, I would simply lose my gravity, and blow away with the breeze." - Ness K(Aka Matt Harris)
Barely touch the string with your fingertip. Don't push it down on the fret. Lift the fingertip off the string right after you pick the note.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Let me put it another way. Barely touch the string with your fingertip. Don't push it down on the fret. Lift the fingertip off the string right after you pick the note. :lol:
Sorry, I don't know why I did that. I think it was because Ric's answer was absolutey perfect. +100
Teamwork- A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.
so just touch the string, dont push it down whatsoever?
"The Beauty of Music is my Sanity. Without it, I would simply lose my gravity, and blow away with the breeze." - Ness K(Aka Matt Harris)
Yes just barely touch it. There's alot of technique to it so it may take awhile to get it down perfectly
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
so just touch the string, dont push it down whatsoever?
Yes, with the lightest touch possible.
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
alright ill give it a try. Thanks guys
"The Beauty of Music is my Sanity. Without it, I would simply lose my gravity, and blow away with the breeze." - Ness K(Aka Matt Harris)
Try it and see, it works!
What you're actually doing is damping other harmonics so you don't hear them. Not making a "new" sound, you're taking parts of it away. The only harmonics or overtones that are left are the ones that have a "node" or place where the string doesn't move at the place you damp it with your fingertip. Those "bell-like" tones are always there as part of the sound when you pluck the open string, mixed with the fundamental frequency and many other harmonics.
This is a good place to plug one of David Hodge's lessons: https://www.guitarnoise.com/lessons/harmonic-convergence/
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
All the posts seem to deal with the fret hand that I can see.True enough, simultaneously lift off your finger tip as co-ordinated with your pick hitting the string. BUT!!!!!! You can ALSO get HUGE-sounding (I'm talkin' freakin' HUGE) harmonics if you "pinch" off what you are picking with with your pick hand, too. (Face your amP, too, to get feedback.) This is certainly HARD to do...but it'll be like riding a bike once you do get it right.
A PRIME example, and the easiest way to explain what I mean...is ZZ Top.
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
We've been discussing so-called "natural harmonics." Cat's talking about "artificial harmonics." Different technique, also very useful. Lessons are online for that, too.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
12th fret is the easiest. Practice there then try 7th fret and 5th fret.
Unimogbert
(indeterminate, er, intermediate fingerstyle acoustic)
Yes I think that's called pinch harmonics. I posted a question about a Judas Priest song that has a lot of pinch harmonics in the solo. If you're interested check out the solo to the song Hot Rockin and you will hear the squaling from the harmonics.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Well I can do it on all the suggested frets now through practicing a little bit, thanks again
"The Beauty of Music is my Sanity. Without it, I would simply lose my gravity, and blow away with the breeze." - Ness K(Aka Matt Harris)
How do you know where to apply the "pinch" to get pinch harmonics? Seems that if you play at the usual place (say, over the middle pickup), you'll only get a harmonic if you happen to be playing a note on that string that frets at one of the right places (the equivalent of the 5, 7, or 12 fret intervals between the fretting finger and the middle pickup).
Is this correct, and if so, how to know where I should be picking/pinching to get a particular harmonic on a given note?
It's the same principle as the "natural" harmonics that occur at particular fractions of the overall string length. You're forcing harmonics that occur at the same fractions of the fretted string length. You have to learn where those are.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
