T.H. - Tapped harmonics??? (new question about Van Halen)

Depends on where the harmonic is written.

Tapped harmonics are almost always done at the octave - others are possible, but going consistently up 12 frets keeps it simple.

So you fret the core note, and you quickly tap 12 frets above. Tap directly ON the fret wire with a very quick finger motion, and you'll get the harmonic.

(by very quick I mean it's tap & release rapidly - you don't hold it at all)

I know there is another way to get an interesting harmonic, I think its also called a tap but not completly sure

After you pluck the string if you just lightly tap the string with the thumb fingernail on your right hand the harmonic should also ring out, takes a bit of practice to get the right amount of touch though

I know there is another way to get an interesting harmonic, I think its also called a tap but not completly sure

After you pluck the string if you just lightly tap the string with the thumb fingernail on your right hand the harmonic should also ring out, takes a bit of practice to get the right amount of touch though

Isn't that called pinch harmonics?

I think of pinched harmonics as more of an all-in-one motion of picking or plucking with a follow-through that brushes the string with the trailing thumb flesh. It sort of feels like 'pinching' the string as one plucks it. This is done near a harmonic node for best results. Lord A sounds as if he's describing more of a two step operation.

I know there is another way to get an interesting harmonic, I think its also called a tap but not completly sure

After you pluck the string if you just lightly tap the string with the thumb fingernail on your right hand the harmonic should also ring out, takes a bit of practice to get the right amount of touch though

Are you thinking of where say for example you pluck an open G string, then lightly and tap a fret like the 12th, without actually fretting to create a tapped natural harmonic? So it goes from one note to another

Oh and thanks note boat I think thats what the tab meant

Yes Simon that is what I am talking about, it doesnt just have to be an open string though, it can be with any note. Gnease is right a pinch harmonic is done in one motion so you only get one note out of it, kind of sounds like the guitar is screaming :)

Dimebag used allot of pinch harmonics if you want an example listen the Cemetery Gates by Pantera

Another way to get this harmonic is this (I've never been able to get the hang of it).

If you fret a note at say, the 5th fret, you pick in front of the harmonic at the 17th, like at the 12th fret. At the same time you gently let the side of your hand (like in palm muting) touch the string (at the 17th). Immediately after picking you raise your hand to get the harmonic.

I can do this, but am not great at it by any means. The advantage to this style of getting a harmonic is that you maintain the same grip on the pick and do not have to extend a finger for the tap. So this is an advantage when picking very quickly.

Hope I explained that well.

Another question on tapped harmonics - Van Halen style this time.

I've seen him hold on one fret and then tap up and down the neck creating harmonics. How does he do this? He isnt doing octave tapping and you can clearly see he taps quit hard, so he's not just carfully resting his finger without fretting to create a regular artificial harmonic...Does anyone know about this?

dimebag never used his picking hand for harmonics,he would;
1 drop the bar until his strings were just above sticking to the pickups
2place finger above desired fret i.e his fav was 3.75 on g string
3 lift bar and finger off just as it comes up to tension an pull bar up to full
4 pull great faces as he did it!

its hard an you gotta do it fast but looks awesome

Dimebag did do that allot, at the end of cemetery gates is a good example, but you can't say he never used his picking hand for harmonics, because he did, quite frequently.

yeah i dont think even he was that fast!point taken

Dimebag used allot of pinch harmonics

So did/does Zakk Wylde ;)