Intro to One Christmas Night by Tommy Emmanuel

[Cproomando]

I am learning One Christmas Night but I am having trouble getting the introduction down. Are all the notes harmonics or are there some false harmonics in the notes? Can't quite see how he is getting that harp sound. Any one know? Thanks for your help. The rest of the song I have down pretty good but the intro is giving me fits. Many thanks for your help.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Cproomando

I am learning One Christmas Night but I am having trouble getting the introduction down. Are all the notes harmonics or are there some false harmonics in the notes? Can't quite see how he is getting that harp sound. Any one know? Thanks for your help. The rest of the song I have down pretty good but the intro is giving me fits. Many thanks for your help.

I take it you looked at this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBgi8pyvhsQ
It all looks like harp harmonics to me ("artificial" harmonics), octaves of the chord shapes he's holding.
He does seem to play harmonies sometimes - 2 harmonics together - which is definitely tricky, as it requires using two fingers to touch the nodes, and two others (maybe including thumb) to pick the strings.
Other times, you may be hearing the fundamental notes as he mi****s the harmonics now and then, or when he hammers on (because hammering on to a harmonic rarely works!).

The chord shapes are basically a B, featuring occasional hammer-ons as shown:

--7-------
--7-(h9)--
--8-(h9)--
--9-------
-(9?)----
---------

- and an F#7:
--6---
--5----
--6---
--4----
-----
------

(That's absolute fret numbers, btw, not measured from the capo.)

Of course, for the harmonics he's touching 12 frets above each of those frets - and picking between that point and the bridge.

Sorry I can't be more help, that video (and audio) is not too clear.