Artificial Harmonics?

[ratherdashing]

Natural harmonics (the ones that happen above certain frets) have never been a problem for me, but I've always struggled with artificial harmonics ... until yesterday!

I discovered by accident that if I move my picking hand to up around the neck pickup and gently touch my palm against the strings at the same time I hit the note, I get a wicked squealing harmonic. After a bit of practice, I was hitting them about 80% of the time, and even managed to crank out the solo from "Wanted Dead or Alive". :headbang:

So how do you guys do artificial harmonics? I'm sure there are lots of methods, and I'm sure I'm not doing it the "correct" way. Let me know.

 

[RosesFan16]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i started out by getting a little squeal, sorta just trying to get the flesh of my thumb to touch the string...once i started to get slight harmonics i started to learn where all the 'hot spots' were along the neck/bridge pick up after a while of hitting the harmonics in the 'hot spots; i just kinda memorized were they all were...so know i can dish some pretty sweet harmonics out with no problem!

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

Awhile back, some of us uploaded a bunch of our favorites. Check it out.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=27379

-Matt

 

[SpiderVenom]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

Everyone seems to do them differently. Personally, I put the tip of my pinky against the string, pick, and move off the string at the right time. One reason I prefer this method to the normal catch-it-with-your-thumb-as-you-pick way of doing it, is that it makes it easy to do +12 artificial harmonics (and +7, +5, so on) as well as pinch harmonics. And it just always gave me a better sound.

 

[shreder75]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

Natural harmonics (the ones that happen above certain frets) have never been a problem for me, but I've always struggled with artificial harmonics ... until yesterday!

I discovered by accident that if I move my picking hand to up around the neck pickup and gently touch my palm against the strings at the same time I hit the note, I get a wicked squealing harmonic. After a bit of practice, I was hitting them about 80% of the time, and even managed to crank out the solo from "Wanted Dead or Alive". :headbang:

So how do you guys do artificial harmonics? I'm sure there are lots of methods, and I'm sure I'm not doing it the "correct" way. Let me know.

that's a cool way to do it...if you notice, you can do it there and closer to the bridge as well...not quite over bridge pickup..

anywho, if you do it over the neck pup sometimes you get a really high screaming one =)

try it in different places...

I don't use my palm..just my thumb..these things are very hard to describe..lol

 

[Sune]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

Sorry for this question, but how do you make a pinch harmonic?

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

Sorry for this question, but how do you make a pinch harmonic?

I think everyone's technique is a bit different, but here's how I do mine:

1. You need to have some gain going on with your amp.
2. You need to "choke up" on the pick. In other words hold the pick very near to the tip so little pick is striking the string.
3. At the moment you pluck the string, you sort of "drag" or "touch" the smallest bit of you thumb against the string immediately after the note is played. You only touch it for an instant.
4. Experiment around with where you pluck the string, over which pickup, etc. Each axe has it's own sweet spots, and you might find 2 or 3. I personally like right between the bridge and neck pups, or over the middle pickup in a 3-pickup setup.

It will take some practice to find the right spot and to get them. Some axes are better than others for this. I can hit them about 90-percent of the time on my LP, but my Jackson soloist is about 70-percent.

-Matt

 

[nepalnt21]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i do it so right after i pick, i hit my thumb between the 2 knuckles of my thumb. sometimes i can do it on a clean guitar or on an acoustic if you find the sweet spot(s)

 

[muttonchopsrule]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i always thought artificial harmonics were a result of your fretting hand changing the spot on the string when harmonic comes from.

for example, you can do a harmonic on any open string at the 12th fret. but when you press down on the 2nd fret, you can get a harmonic out of the 14th fret. or if you press at the 3rd fret, you can get a harmonic out of the 15th fret...and so on.

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i always thought artificial harmonics were a result of your fretting hand changing the spot on the string when harmonic comes from.

for example, you can do a harmonic on any open string at the 12th fret. but when you press down on the 2nd fret, you can get a harmonic out of the 14th fret. or if you press at the 3rd fret, you can get a harmonic out of the 15th fret...and so on.

I think those would still be considered "Natural" Harmonics, since you are still creating vibratory nodes at natural locations (half length, quarter length, etc), where the term Artificial, (or false or pinch however you wanna call them) I think is generally used to describe those wicked squealing sounds you get by touching with your pick hand.

End the end though, it's all semantics... tomato, tomato.

-Matt

 

[muttonchopsrule]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

I think those would still be considered "Natural" Harmonics, since you are still creating vibratory nodes at natural locations (half length, quarter length, etc), where the term Artificial, (or false or pinch however you wanna call them) I think is generally used to describe those wicked squealing sounds you get by touching with your pick hand.

End the end though, it's all semantics... tomato, tomato.

-Matt

makes sense. and the part about tomatoes made me giggle

 

[Nite_Maresz_25]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i use the side of my thumb, but they hardly ever come out 100% perfect(sounding) because I've only been doing 'em for a few months and my tone/gain set-up isn't exactly what you'd call 'great' lol.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

After more practice, I am finding that I have about 95% success when using a high gain setting on the POD (I have a preset called "Soldanny Boy" that works very well ) and the Pearly Gates in my first Strat. I can still do it with my other guitars, it just doesn't sound as good.

 

[gavantia]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

I either brush with my thumb against the string as i follow through, or I use my curled up index finger and touch the string at the point of contact. I also do pinch harmonics without a pick on acoustics or electrics unplugged using my index finger and thumb. Basically I half rest my thumb on the string then flick my index finger out at the string in a kind of pinch flicking motion.

Another way is to just literally have an high gain setting and just rag your pick across most of the strings muting out the unwanted notes and fretting the desired note making the attack aggressive. When you do this correctly you should notice that your pick will start to fray at the edges leaving grooves in your pick. This way really gives out a mad squeal, get it right and they are insane.

 

[IcedEarth112]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

i do mine the thumb wa most people have talked about...

ive never tried the way gavantia just said but i wanna go try now but my amp is out in the shed :yell:

hopefully when i get my dimebucker in a can do squeels easier, i can only do them like 70% of the time

 

[SpiderVenom]

Re: Artificial Harmonics?

This is how I've always classified them:

Natural harmonics: picking openly and touching over the appropriate fret (12 most commonly, also 7, 5, 4, 3+, and sometimes others)

Artificial harmonics: fretting and picking and touching at the appropriate fret. For example, fret 5, and find a way to pick and "damp" over the 17th fret (+12). Or over the 10th fret (+5). Really are natural harmonics I guess, I just always thought of them differently.

Pinch harmonics: fret or open, doesn't matter, just pick normally, and catch with the tip of your thumb as you pick. I use my pinky to damp the string, but that's me. I'm weird.