artificial harmonics

[Cheryl]

i know the steps to doing a pinch harmonic, the thumb and pick thingy. sweet spots(i cant seem2 find it!) but try as i might, i jus cant pull it off.
ive done a search here, but it wasnt mucha of help.
so can someone pls enlighten me on how to do a proper wailing a.h?

thanks all!

 

[strats]

bridge pickup + gain from dist. for the wailing screaming stuff, gotta vibrato it. this is also something i'm failing badly at

 

[SpaTanS]

hmm ... try this ... HIT it with your pick and thumb as u wud do b4 ... but much further away ... yes, the sweet spot still counts ...

 

[detroit_red]

I think the ones where you press your finger softly on the string then release when you pick is much harder .. I think that's natural harmonics ...

 

[Mobius]

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/features/steal_this_video_harmonics.html

 

[Phil]

On the contrary, I think natural harmonics are easier. And the thing with the ultimate-guitar video is that it's demoed using an acoustic.

 

[Stairwaytoheaven]

the sweet spot is most likely around the middle area..

i dunno la.. maybe different guitar/pickup different spot..

 

[Phil]

Yeah, every guitar has a different sweet spot.

 

[ShredCow]

Actually, the sweet spots are all at the same spots.

You just have to execute the pinch harmonic on the right harmonic node.

As in...

We all know @ 12 frets have all your natural harmonics? So any note on the fretboard, just 12 frets up, eg, 2nd fret, the harmonic will be 12 frets higher, eg, 14th fret.

Likewise for pinch harmonics... You fret a note on the 7th fret? Just move up say, 24 frets, and pinch there, to get a harmonic 2 octaves higher than the fretted note.

Its the same for all guitars.

 

[Phil]

But he's referring to the spot in which u pick for the a.h. It wouldn't be the same when you every strings it differently.
Okay, I'm lost lol. :wink:

 

[ShredCow]

Thats the thing I'm talking abt... the spot where you pick the a.h. is a harmonic node...

its the same across all strings....

 

[MikePhilippov]

For me, the best way to get solid pinch harmonics is to have as much gain/distortion as possible, use the bridge pick up and hold the pick very close to the tip.

Also the thicker guage strings you use the better. I pretty much do pinch harmonics only on strings Low E through G. There are different sounds you can get depending on how close or far away you are from the bridge, but the general guideline (that works for me) is to hit the pick with the part of your thumb where the first joint is. Doing it this way along with the considerations made above (I play with a rediculous amount of gain!) help me get consistent pinch harmonics almost every time.

Also a very wide vibrato is effective to get them to scream Zack Wylde style!

Good luck!

Mike.

 

[ciel21]

If im nt wrong, to pick the harmonic at an octave higher, halve the distance of the string between the fretted note and the bridge, pick there, that will give u the note 1 octave above.

 

[RazrAsh]

hmm.. try picking closer to the bridge pickup.. about 1 cm away from the bridge pickup for the e string.. usually ppl do pinch harmonics on the E,A and D string.. the rest a lil hard to get the sound u want..

 

[ShredCow]

Ciel, you got it almost correct. Its the same concept as a natural harmonic. You want to pinch a harmonic at the harmonic nodes. Which would be 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, etc, frets above the fretted note.

Its not some mystical hit and miss thing. You just have to know where to hit it.

 

[Vapress]

Artificial Harmonics

Find the "sweet spot" by playing with you pick on 3rd string as you will normally do. Then use your left fingers to try and find the Natural harmonics near the middle pickup area. Once you found that, try to play a note on the 7th fret. Do this the matrix way - when you pick on that string, pick the string OUTWARDS at that area you've spotted, and use the left side of your thumb to slightly touch the string, as you would when doing Natural Harmonics. Now slowly do it until you get that "Screaming Note". With practice, you will be able to play faster and more natural.
Hot spots for Artificial harmonics - 1st string 5th and 8th, 2nd string 5th and 8th, 3rd string - 5th and 7th. Every part of the fretboad can "scream" but those are the easier spots. Good Luck

 

[letterhead]

yeah, but there are just a few things to note when doing a pinch harmonic, i think the peope b4 me have passed all the good ideas, here are a few

1. hold the pick as close to the tip as possible(mayb try arching your thumb and your forefinger) this way, the flesh on the outer part of your thumb is exposed, making it easier to get the sound

2.Try practising doing it on the G string first, it the easiest on that string. If yours is a three way pickup, play a little below the rhythm pickup. take your time to find the perfect sweet spot. Can try to play on the B string after that

3. Switch to the bridge pickup, crank your distortion to the max, really helps

4. Try not to get too big a pick, its very difficult to play with a big pick

Yup, thats about it from me, but seriously, the video was quite good... can go try...