Pinch harmonics and sweet spot?

[Gruupi]

I was playing around with some pinch harmonics just now and had some fun. I varied the pressure of my thumb from full on harmonics to just barely touching and even to just normal picking on that same spot. I was able to come up with all sorts of tonal variations on the fly. I have kind of played around with this some before but didn't pay much attention to it.

 

Anyway it was really cool. I had sort of an EJ violin tone setting on my POD so a nice rich gain structure helps. This was with headphones, I imagine with speakers and feedback it would be even cooler. I'm gonna have to work on this some more now. Has anyone else messed around with this. I'm sure they have, but its always fun to just be playing and have something pop into your head or under your fingers. I know Danny Gatton did all kinds of neat things with pinches, he called them "whistlers".

[The Geoff]

The band I saw last Saturday had a a guitarist who was particularly effective doing that kind of thing - all sorts of squeaks and growls going on and all perfectly under control.

 

G.

[Darcy H]

I'm having a heck of a time with pinch harmonics since I went from a pick to using the meat of my fingers, I can do it but it's tricky and difficult to actually blend in to whatever I'm playing. Practice, practice....

[otherstar]

I use pinch harmonics frequently in my blues playing. Using a 2mm thick graphite pick helps...the pick is solid as a rock and it makes it easier for me to feel the note. I only have trouble with them when I use a pick less than 1mm thick.

[Psalms of Death]

Zakk really enjoys playing pinch harmonics, especially during live concerts with Ozzy. I, personally, have trouble playing them - I feel as if I am doing everything correctly but most of the time I merely get the note without the harmonic to follow. They're great to play, though.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Yeah, I love how varying the attack on those false-harmonics can induce cool overtones or add a ghostly harmonic overtone behind the fundamental "normal" note, as much as just replacing it with a harmonic chime ringing-out. All manner of great pings, whines, and moans in there as well as the bells 'n' whistles; especially if your bending or holding the notes of other strings along with the pinched one.

 

I'm having a heck of a time with pinch harmonics since I went from a pick to using the meat of my fingers, I can do it but it's tricky and difficult to actually blend in to whatever I'm playing. Practice, practice....

 

Hey, I pretty much never use a pick any more; while I can do pinch-harmonics much the same way that a plectrumist would by striking downward with my index-nail and following-through with my thumb, I get a lot of miles outta my own bastardization of the technique that a classical-player would use...

 

Classical technique for false-harmonics generated by the picking-hand employs the thumb ("p") picking with a free-stroke, while the index-finger ("i") touches the string to create the harmonic "node", and releases just as the thumb strikes through.

 

Now, what I came across by accident, is picking with my index and using the fleshy edge of the thumb along the side of its nail to touch the string and create the harmonic-node. If I pick two or three adjacent strings simultaneously with the index, middle, and ring fingers ("i", "m", and "a" in notation), I can lay my thumb across all three and get ringing harmonic triads. The subtle, natural curve of that part of the thumb lends itself to doing this on the top three strings for major triads. Try playing a "D"-chord and laying the edge of your thumb across the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings in-between the 14th- and 15th-frets (more or less 12th frets up from the fretted-notes), plucking with your index, middle, and ring fingers. A D-Major triad an octave higher than the open-chord should chime out...

 

This is much simpler to do than it is to explain and describe!

[Dr. Ellwood]

I vary the location where my pick meets the string, I can get 3 or four different effects on the same sting buy moving my pick toward or away from the front or rear pickups. I would say it is about a 3 1/2 inch area over or between the pickups. This way I can play complete lead lines that are ALL harmonics if wanted.

[miroslav]

For me...it's how I hold the pick so that the string comes off tip of the pick and just clips the tip of my finger.

I tilt the pick so that I am actualy picking more with the edge than the flat side.

 

I can play with all harmonics, on every note if I wanted to...and just by ever-so-slightly varing the position of the pick & finger...I can change the harmonics at will.

 

 

[Trucks]

I vary the location where my pick meets the string, I can get 3 or four different effects on the same sting buy moving my pick toward or away from the front or rear pickups. I would say it is about a 3 1/2 inch area over or between the pickups. This way I can play complete lead lines that are ALL harmonics if wanted.

 

Clips?

[picker]

FOr me, pinch harmonics are about how much pick I have sticking out between my index finger and thumb. Too much or too little and it doesn't happen. When that is right, I can get pinchies all over the area between the pickups on a Tele or Gibson, and over the middle p/up on a Strat. Pitch varies depending on how close I am to the bridge or neck.

[Dr. Ellwood]

I vary the location where my pick meets the string, I can get 3 or four different effects on the same sting buy moving my pick toward or away from the front or rear pickups. I would say it is about a 3 1/2 inch area over or between the pickups. This way I can play complete lead lines that are ALL harmonics if wanted.

 

Clips?

 

Ok, good idea, I will get to do them over the weekend I'm thinking. I'll do it with a clean amp and a Tele.

[Trucks]

Cool :-)

[Dr. Ellwood]

Cool :-)

 

Yeah I wish I knew how to do a video like Funmbly did...but I don't!

[Trucks]

Hey, im sure theres plenty of dudes here who can help you out El! :-) That would be cool.

 

(Even Zan managed a video, and hes Canadian! hehehe im j/k Zan me ol mukka :grin: )

[miroslav]

Cool :-)

 

Yeah I wish I knew how to do a video like Funmbly did...but I don't!

 

You got a digital camera?

 

Set up the camera (make sure your audio is good), stand in front and play while recording.

 

Using your computer...move the video file from the camera to the computer using a Firewire port or whatever your camera/computer requires.

 

Then upload video file via Internet to a hosting site...like YouTube or Photobucket or MusicPlayerTV or GuitarPlayerTV

 

That's about all there is to it....though you can make it a lot more involved if you want to do editing and whatnot.

 

[mdrs]

I do "pinch harmonics" (?popping harmonics?) all the time. But, I'm not sure how. I've never really paid much attention to what I'm doing when I do it!!

 

I do notice thou, that even though I use a pick to play electric, that I wear off the right side of my index finger's fingernail (I play right handed). I'm pretty sure I hit the string with my pick and nail on much of what I play. I'm not at all sure why I do this. But, I think it plays into how I get my pinch harmonics. Also, I think that it gives me some sort of feel or tone that I like. I'm not sure, it just kind of happens.

 

When I play a lot, there's not much left of my nail. And, even when I don't play a lot, that part of my nail is permanently thinner than the other side, or other nails.

[Outlander]

i have played bass 10 years and have no problem doing artificial

harmonics, but just recently started electric guitar and can't figure out how to do it with a pick. I'd love to see an instructional vid of the technique.