Re: Pinch Harmonic Help.
It's a simple matter of knowing where the major harmonic ratios are up and down the string. On an open string, any string, you hit it a the 12th fret - first harmonic, halfway between the nut and the bridge. Second harmonic cuts it in thirds, third in fifths and so on. Start by hitting the first harmonic. So if you're on the third fret, you have to strike exactly over the 12+3 fret. To do one on the 12th fret, you have to do it where the 24th fret would be if you have one.
Now, obviously hitting the 12th fret on open strings isn't practical if you hit near the bridge. In this case, move up so you're a third of the way between the bridge and nut. Or a fifth. The bigger the harmonic (half is biggest) the loudest and most pure the sound will be. On an overdriven electric, however, third and fifth and seventh still sound pretty good - if you hit exactly where you should.
Just note that if you, say, hit an eighth of an inch in front of the 12th fret to do a harmonic on an open string, you're not splitting it in two - you're splitting it in a ratio of 12.875/25.5 (for a fender scale length). There's not a hell of a lot of energy at that harmonic! You might get some of the 1/2 harmonic but it will sound ten times louder if you're more accurate. What seperates your Van Halens from your dablers is this accuracy. Those guys are hitting the string at a really good place for each note (they probably practice scale harmonic picking or something?)
It's all math! I'd advise you to tape a piece of paper to your guitar and mark where the harmonics sound good at different frets. Just practice and it will become second nature (which it isn't to me because they're not a part of my technique).
