Harmonics Tips?

[Zush]

Try this,

When I was a kid, I remember playing a classical piece using the third fret harmonics. There are two harmonics in the third fret. These are extremely hard to hit; one is close to the middle of the fret and the other to the 4th. I can't remember the name of the piece but Segovia hit these harmonics bright and loud as if they were 12th fret harmonics.

After I was able to hit these (maybe 7 out of 10), the others became easier. (Just tried to hit those and I think I've lost it)

I also remember playing a piece that required me to use my right index finger to "tap" or position the harmonic, and use the rest, middle~pinky to tremolo. The left hand of course is busy on the chord.

I don't know about steel strings but in nylons, sometimes the thickness of the strings are not totally even throughout the whole string. This causes difficulty in producing harmonic sound but the e string should sound out of tune when pressed down, especially at the 12th fret so I dont know if this could be the problem for Lisa.

It's odd that the 5th harmonic rings easier than the 7th,

Just a thought

[jazzinthebox]

I was reading the replies about harmonics stating that you need to lift your fingers on the neck up after striking the string. This is not true. As long as your finger remains in the same position (resting very lightly across the string) the harmonic will ring even if you have your finger resting upon it. This is especially true when playing harmonic runs at very fast tempos. I admit it is much easier to do harmonics with the "finger lift" method, but if you want to get really good at them I think its a bad technique to get in the habit of doing.

Also, harmonics can be played on ANY fret, not just the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th, they just ring clearly on those frets. There are also a few tricks to playing harmonics above the 12th fret as well, and those harmonic will sound just as clean as ones played on the 12th and 7th.

[jeffrey]

The only reason you raise your finger is because, unlike a fretted note, leaving your finger there will dampen the string and shorten the duration of the vibration (harmonic [and a rhyme! hehe]).

Lisa,

A little tip: when you play your harmonics (any harmonics) trying playing either right on top of the fret (as stated previously) or just to the inside (nut-side) of the fret.

I find this helps a lot on some of the higher pitched harmonics (ie: 9th fret, 4th fret etc).

[rlwing]

Did any of you see Doyle playing on the Liberty Tree video? He's playing some sort of harmonics above the 12th fret with his right hand, and it looks like he's fretting the string above that. Sounds really cool, sure would like to learn how to play like that.

[jazzinthebox]

This technique is not as hard as it looks. Doyle replaces his left hand that would normally be doing the harmonic fretting with his right index finger, and plucks the same string with his thumb. In order to do the harmonic above the 12th fret you must also use your left hand hold down the string 12 frets below where you are playing the harmonic. For instance, if you held down the 3rd fret on the 5th string, you would create a harmonic by fretting your index finger on the 15th fret. If it was on the 1st fret, you would play the harmonic on the 13th. Not sure if that makes sense, but think of placing a capo on the 12th fret. It's exactly the same as it is if the guitar has no capo at all. So wherever you are holding down a note, you can play its harmonic equivalent 12 frets above that. If someone wants to clear this up I'm all for it. I know exactly how to perform this technique but I have a hard time explaining it in words.

[rlwing]

I tried that technique you suggested jazz, pretty cool. Not sure how I can incorporate it in my playing style, but one of these days . . .

Thanks