help with harmonics

[fenderrules]

hey guys..

i know this has been answered before........artificial harmonics, natural harmonics and the like.

but just curious..

how do you all do harmonics on the top 3 bass strings (E, A, D)? its very hard to create the squeal, especially on the low E.

heard theres something called fret harmonics which makes the squeal. if so, how do i execute the technqiue?


thanks

 

[haziq]

if you're referring to artificial harmonics or pitch harmonics, its all done by your picking hand, fret normally.

if you're referring to the squeals, like the dimebag squeals, you need to lightly place your fretting finger on string. Lets say, you want to do the squeal on the A string, 3rd fret. All you got to do is to place your finger lightly on the string around the 3rd fret, somewhere above the 3rd metal bar, the metal fret itself. You need to find the spot where the note will ring. The ringing sound should sound like when you hit a metal plate with a metal bar, in other words, metal hit metal. Pick normally.

hope this helps

 

[Dime]

if you're referring to the squeals, like the dimebag squeals, you need to lightly place your fretting finger on string. Lets say, you want to do the squeal on the A string, 3rd fret. All you got to do is to place your finger lightly on the string around the 3rd fret, somewhere above the 3rd metal bar, the metal fret itself. You need to find the spot where the note will ring. The ringing sound should sound like when you hit a metal plate with a metal bar, in other words, metal hit metal. Pick normally.

do and artifical harmonics above the note.the best note to do this is the G string 6th fret.remember to have a huge dose of distortion.and you forgot to mention the part when you dip and pull the whammy.

 

[zac89]

hey guys..

i know this has been answered before........artificial harmonics, natural harmonics and the like.

but just curious..

how do you all do harmonics on the top 3 bass strings (E, A, D)? its very hard to create the squeal, especially on the low E.

heard theres something called fret harmonics which makes the squeal. if so, how do i execute the technqiue?


thanks

hitting the harmonics on the bass strings is similar to how you hit it on the treble strings just that the motion is a bit more exagerated(sp) and it doesnt usually produce a "squeal" but the sound is a more... mellow squeal well for me at least, as for fret harmonic i'm not too sure, but if it's something like tapping the string while you fret a note and still produce a harmonic, or squeal if you must, I call that a tap harmonic.

 

[haziq]

DIME- thanks for the add ons, forgot the diving and pulling the bar part.

 

[ShredCow]

Dimebag's style is slightly different but a very efficient way of getting harmonics.

Pick string, dive, upon slow release to original pitch, fretting hand touches a harmonic node (e.g. G string 6th fret), harmonic sounds and sustains thru the rest of whammy-age.

Bad thing is that you have to pick the string & dive first, so you don't get the harmonic straightway, if you want to do it Dimebag style.



Anyway, regarding fretted (tapped) harmonics... simply fret a note and tap x frets away. X = the standard places you can do natural harmonics. e.g. 5th fret, 7th fret, etc. So if you fret the 3rd fret, tapping 7 frets away (10th fret) gets you a harmonic. Note: you have to take on the fret.

I'd like to suggest that when doing harmonics, massive gain isn't necessarily a requirement for harmonics to occur. Harmonics occur whether you got gain or not, its just that more gain = more compression = louder and "more sustain".
So if you can't get harmonics out in the first place, its can be a matter of technique, not how much gain you use. Even on pinched harmonics... on clean, it should sound out.

 

[fgl]

try to get a litttle index finger nail action with your picking hand for that added zing...

 

[AaronSoFat]

I think it's easier if you just crank up your gain.. the harmonics will just come out.. whether u want it or not. heh.

 

[Dime]

I think it's easier if you just crank up your gain.. the harmonics will just come out.. whether u want it or not. heh.

thats feedback.nobody wants that.yeah the dimebag well is to dive at the same time you pick the artificial harmonic before going up.sounds like a b***h screaming.

 

[stranger12]

Hmm dunno if this sounds very un-scientific... but.. I just think about it and the harmonics come out on the notes that I want to play
hahaha

 

[ShredCow]

Well, that can work but at times you want to have a specific harmonic... e.g. you want to get the same note, an octave higher... then still the same note but yet another octave higher.

Or you want to pinch a different note...

Then in this case, you gotta know some stuff.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

Using the bridge pup to get harmonics is slightly easier since the signals they produce are hotter than mid/neck. Also, don't create a node on top of the pickup you are using because they pickup will not be able to get any signals and your sound will be very soft although your string is vibrating.

 

[Elias]

You can also get different pitch squeals depending on where you pick the harmonics (not talking about fretting the tap harmonics but positions where you do the picking eg, near the bridge, above bridge pickup, between the pickups, above the neck pickup, etc)

 

[Xypher]

I can do an average standard pinched harmonic but im trying to get that pitch that zakk wylde reaches. I cant get them no matter how hard i try.. What could be wrong?

 

[Dime]

zakk wylde even said that the right set-up is required to get that harmonics.set-up too high the harmonics wont come out and the area where you pick is also essential to the pitch of the harmonics.

some areas produce a low pitch while some are higher.like for higher strings pick somewhere near the neck pickup area.gives you that squeal.but you must know how to control that thumb too.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

Technically, if u want a very high order harmonic, you can try pinching very very close to the bridge, hard. Must be hard!

 

[Dime]

dude seriously thats hard.your thumb might go sore trying to do that.