Harmonics

[MJRB]

How many of you can confidently use harmonics in your playing?
If you can, how do you suggest developing the skill? Is it just the usual thing of practice and more practice?
MJRB

[Wade Hampton]

Are you talking about the regular harmonics obtained at the octave and so forth, or are you talking about artificial harmonics, which are at an entirely different level of difficulty?

To answer your question, I use harmonics at the octave and the other main dividing points of the strings on a regular basis, particularly when ending songs, and have done so since I figured out how to do that as an intermediate player.

Artificial harmonics can be played at any fret on the fretboard, but your touch has to be very precise. As a technique, it's much easier to pull off successfully on an electric guitar than on an acoustic. I've fooled around with playing artificial harmonics on my acoustic instruments for years, but haven't used artificial harmonics onstage very much simply because I don't feel I'm good enough at the technique to be able to do it successfully 100% of the time.

I like what I do onstage to be "bombproof" in the sense that I know I can make it work even if there's a problem with the PA, there's some noisy drunk in the audience, somebody's trying to talk to me about a song request while I play, and so forth. I've played artificial harmonics successfully for almost as long as I've played regular harmonics, but never have been so good at it that I can do it on autopilot while being distracted by some of the other concerns of live performance like the ones I listed.

Short version: my technique for regular harmonics is bombproof, my technique for artificial harmonics is not, so I'll use the former but not the latter while onstage.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[MJRB]

Thanks Wade. I was referring to the open string harmonics at the 5th 7th 9th and 12th, and fretted string harmonics at the adjusted equivalents.
MJRB

[pieterh]

I do occasionally, but check out Tommy Emmanuel and Doyle Dykes for example and see what those guys do! I can do the basic 12th fret (or equivalent) alternative harmonic/plucked thing but doing it with fingered chords and so on is pretty tricky - but soooooo nice!

[The Bard Rocks]

I use the 12th fret ones from time to time; others far more sparingly. As Wade points out, they're a lot harder to do correctly. I have seen master guitarists use this technique to get all sorts of notes that I can't do.

One thing that I have noticed is that not all guitars produce harmonics equally. For instance I play two songs using the 7th fret harmonics as an intregal part of the arrangement. But I can't do it on one of my guitars. Once in a while I can get the ring I want, but even then it is significantly quieter than when I use the other guitars. And forget any other harmonics with it. Yet that guitar is perfectly fine in every other respect.

Has anyone else ever noticed that? What gives?

[RodB]

I use natural harminocs quite a bit, especially 7th and 12th fret.

As Wade says, artificial harmonics (where the string is fretted and the right hand has more to do) is another level. I am less confident on these, difficult to get balanced volume and the higher you fret less there is room for error.

Another difficulty for me is that I normally concentrate on the fretting hand, with the right on 'auto'. The opposite becomes necessary when I play artificial harmonics. This in itself requires dedicated practice, but I always seem to have something else I want to play....

[MJRB]

I've just found a video of a player making wonderful use of harmonics in the way that I would like to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GquXp...ature=youtu.be

Pigs might fly.

MJRB

[Joe Da Strummer]

I do! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v0TthN940A4 Just need to know what the harmonix are at the fret/string then use 'em in yer chords. Fun stuff!

[tnvol]

I don't use a lot of harmonics on acoustic but I pinch all over the place on electric. lol Lot's of Billy Gibbons influence in my electric playing.

[Teleman52]

I don't know if you guys who are talking about artificial harmonics have found this or not, but it's much easier to create artificial harmonics when picked nearest to the bridge. I really don't use harmonics at all in my playing it's just not in my style.

But when tuning I use all harmonics and learned to tune the b string to a 4th fret harmonic on the g string by picking pretty close to the bridge, that's when I figured out that I could create harmonics in a bunch of different places instead of the normal 12 fret, 5th fret, 7th etc

[MJRB]

Originally Posted by Joe Da Strummer

I do! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v0TthN940A4 Just need to know what the harmonix are at the fret/string then use 'em in yer chords. Fun stuff!

Ah yes.
You do make it sound do easy.
I'll carry on struggling.
MJRB

[tnvol]

Originally Posted by Joe Da Strummer

I do! http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v0TthN940A4 Just need to know what the harmonix are at the fret/string then use 'em in yer chords. Fun stuff!

That was very cool.

[MJRB]

Originally Posted by tnvol

I don't use a lot of harmonics on acoustic but I pinch all over the place on electric. lol Lot's of Billy Gibbons influence in my electric playing.

My only Billy Gibbons influence is my beard.
MJRB

[Earl49]

Natural harmonics - 5th, 7th, 12th frets - are an essential part of Hawaiian slack key style. Play much of that style, and you get plenty of practice with harmonics. The best advice i have received is
a) pick a little harder than normal, and as mentioned above
b) pick a little closer to the bridge. Both techniques help.

I too have noticed that some guitars like to "chime" (as the Hawaiians say) while others make you really work for it. When this happens, I have switched immediately to other guitars, just to make sure it wasn't my technique that day. It wasn't. I do not have a good explanation for why some don't and other guitars do harmonics easily.