Conference napalm::guitar

    Many years ago I first heard a harmonic being bent and I spent hours
    trying to figure out how this was done.
    
    It's so simple (but so am I :-) for not spotting it)
    
    For the uninitiated, and this sounds better in open tuning, sound
    the harmonic by barring across the neck, say at the fifth fret,
    then reach *behind* the nut and push down on one of the strings
    between the nut and where the string goes into the machine. 
    
    The harmonic will go on sounding but one note will go up and down
    as it does. Eerie sound and if you want to hear how good it can
    really sound, and on a twelve string too, listen to "Easter" on
    the album "My feet are smiling" by Leo Kottke.
    
    
    andy

    Tony,
    
    One thing that definately effects your harmonics is the EQ.
    
    I have set my graphic up with little or no MID, that plus the fact
    I use a RAT heavily distorted with the filter turned way down I
    can get excellent harmonics, but my overall sound suffers.  I think
    you have to play your sound... and then gently tweak the EQ untill
    you get the harmonics you want *without* sacrificing your over all
    tone.
    
    A guitar that sustains forever... (like my LP) makes it a lot easier
    though.
    
    Bob

Sustain+EQ

Use a compressor if your really into it.  Also a really compressed
tube distortion will add natural harmonics.  

I love 'em.  I pinch 'em, tap 'em, bend 'em, twist 'em etc...etc...
My Ibanez has passive pickups and my Charvel has active.  Can't
really say I can tell the difference, but I tend to like the
sustain on the Ibanez better.  On the other hand, the Charvel
seems to have *more* "bright spots" (harmonics).

jc

         
    Re : Eq
           
    Hmm thats interesting - I've never thought of using EQ to help voice
    harmonics.
             
    Re : Andy+bending harmonis bhind the nut
             
    Problem is though, if you have a locking trem, you can't do it,
    and if you don't have a locking trem, it sometimes goes out of 
    tune!!   
             
    Funny, on my main guitar, I can get an artificial harmonic on the
    2nd string 6th fret to really scream, but when I try it on the 3rd
    string 6th fret it just make a rather pathetic 'plop'.
             
    Cheers,  
    -Tony    

	I like to use harmonics as a spice to my rhythm playing. My
	favorite is to strum the strings at a play ~9 frets above where
	I'm fretting a chord and to let the edge of my hand brush against
	the strings 12 frets above the chord.

	I also like squanking the strings with the thumb right after the
	pick attach to get that Billy Gibbons squink-squeek-squAwk.

	I like twangy guitars with passive single coils. I have a solid
	body neck-thru with trapeze tail and 2 singles. Talk about open
	string feedback!

	A tip from the latest GP - cords can act as capacitors bleeding
	high frequencies to ground. Coiled cords are the worst.

    re: .1
    
    There's lots of ways to do it:
    
    o Bending behind the nut
    o Pulling or pushing back on the neck (not recommended)
    o Using the bar
    o Artificial harmonics bent with the finger
    o Tapping the harmonic (ala EVH "Spanish Fly" and the intro to "Woman
      in Love") and bending it
    o Using the tuners
    
    Check out a song called "Country Colors" on the Steve Morse album
    "High Tension Wires".  The main theme is played entirely with
    artificial harmonics with lots of bending.  Morse seems to be able
    to do (seemingly without effort) two artificial harmonics at a 
    time to create harmony.
    
    	db

                                                         
    Another neat trick with hrmonics gives a sort of artificial feedback
    effect...                                            
                                                         
    Play the 3rd on the low E (G) and give it wide finger vibrato
    (about half a tone wide vib) then, very gently, touch the low E
    string at the 15th fret (octaved G) and make the vibrato much wider
    (a whole tone wide). Gives a sort of feedback effect and its quite
    effective to spice things up.
    
    Cheers,
    -Tony

    Re Tony and his lockin trem
    
    I don't think you can get these on Martin - at least, mine hasn't
    got one :-)
    
    Another master of the harmonic and string bending is Jerry Donahue
    as anyone who saw the CH4 (UK) prog on guitar will verify.
    
    His version of The Claw is, to borrow an expression from the Prophets,
    gobsmackin'
    
    
    acoustic andy
                                      
                                      
                                      

    
    ...Or if you're trying to get high pitched A with harmonics, how 
    about fretting Low A on G string, estimate about 1/4 length of 
    the **fretted part** of the string, and using right hand pinch harmonic 
    at that 1/4 distance from the bridge?  This should give you harmonic 2 
    octaves higher than the fretted note...  
    
    Theoredically, you could do the same on the B string fretted at the 10th 
    fret, and using the 1/4 length method, and B string should be a lot 
    easier to bend/etc than the G string at the 2nd fret...
    
    Using this method would still leave your right hand free to use
    trem/etc for added wildness...
    
    
    My $0.0000000000000000000002
    
    J-Dot
    

    
    Oh, incidently, all of my strat style guitars have splittable humbuckers
    (except the EMG 81) at the bridge, and the humbucking mode tends to pick 
    up the harmonic better than the single mode and the other position single 
    blade PU's.
    
    I don't really think that the EMG is necesarily better than the passive
    pickups as far as picking up the harmonics, but I do think that the 
    bridge pickup, even in single mode, is better than the neck.  This 
    is true for my LP as well...
    
    If you apply physics to harmonics, all you're basically doing is
    causing "node" in the string.  This would be the place where the 
    string is sitting still where the other parts of the strings are 
    vibrating; as on an open string, the nut and the bridge would be the
    node, and the whole length of the string would be vibrating (duh).  
    On 12th fret harmonics, you'd have a node on the 12th fret.  By 
    default, the nut and the bridge are always nodes. 
    
    On 5th fret harmonics, you're basically cutting the sin wave of the 
    string in 1/2, so you'd have nodes on 5th fret, 12th fret and somewhere 
    above the neck PU(I think above where the 24th fret would be) and thus 
    the harmonic note on 5th fret and  over the 24th fret will be the same.
    Also the fretted note on the 24th fret should be same note, and same 
    octave as the harmonics over 5th and 24th frets.  
    
    On 7th fret harmonics, you'd have nodes on 7th fret and somewhere around 
    19th fret.  Again, the fretted noted on 19th fret should be the same as
    harmonics over 7th and 19th frets.  And this goes on and on.
    
    The basic idea behind this is that if you take a length of the string, 
    say on 25 1/2" scale and divide that by any *whole* number, measure that
    distance from the nut, and there should be a natural harmonic there.
    
    Example; 25.5" / 5 = 5.1" (or the 4th fret) There should be a natural 
    harmonic, and there is one, existing at 5.1" from the nut AND the same 
    note 5.1" from the bridge because they're nodes of the same harmonic.  
    From this theory, I'd be willing to bet that the harmonics over 4th fret, 
    9th fret, 16th fret, and one over the neck PU will be the same note, same 
    octave.  Once again, if you fret the note where the node would be above
    the neck PU, this should be the same note/octave as 4th, 9th and 16th fret 
    and neck PU harmonics.
     
    And I thought I didn't learn anything in my college Engineering
    Physics... 
    
    J-Dot
    
    PS I can just see everyone rushing home, breaking out the guitar,
    calculator, and a ruler to see if all this is true...  8^)
                                                     

    
    RE: -.1   Woops!  On 4th paragraph, I meant to say "cutting the sine
    wave in 1/4", not 1/2...
    
    J-Dot

    Yes, these relationships are where music comes from. For example, a
    major chord contains 1, 4/5, and 2/3. If the third were raised by
    2 octaves, and the fifth raised by 1 octave, you would have
    the fundamental, the 3rd order harmonic and the 5th order harmonic,
    A SQUARE WAVE!
    
    One problem, however, turning the circle of physically perfect fifths
    does not bring you back to the same frequency. That is why guitars
    ( and other instruments ) use a scale called equal temperament. It's
    actually a close approximation of perfect harmonics that is closed
    over the circle of fifths. It uses an exponential function and is
    close to within a couple of cents.
    
    Not sure if this fits in with the discussion . . .
    
    							John.

>    Yes, these relationships are where music comes from. For example, a
>    major chord contains 1, 4/5, and 2/3. If the third were raised by
>    2 octaves, and the fifth raised by 1 octave, you would have
>    the fundamental, the 3rd order harmonic and the 5th order harmonic,
>    A SQUARE WAVE!
    
How does that make a square wave?

Bob

    
    If you can find a copy of "Grin" or "Best of Grin", by Nils Lofgren's
    old band, Grin, you should listen to "See What A Love Can Do".  The
    solo is double-tracked.  Nils worked out the solo note for note.  The
    first time through, he played every second note as a harmonic, the
    second time, he did the same but on the *opposite* note.....so you hear
    a solo where every note is "doubled" with a harmonic.  Awesome sound, I
    think this was recorded in 1970.
    
    For some wild use of harmonics go listen to fretless bassists like Jaco
    Pastorius or Percy Jones (with Brand X) who developed mind-boggling
    control of harmonics.  Particular favorites: "Portrait of Tracy" on
    Jaco's debut and Percy dueling with fellow bassist John Giblin on "Wal
    to Wal" from the "Product" LP by Brand X.
    
    							Brian
    
    P.S. Those with open minds go check out any bluegrass version of
    "Grandfather's Clock".

    I've been learning a piece with a lot of harmonics in it and was
    having trouble getting them to ring properly (especially the 4th
    fret).  I was doing this the 'natural way', ie, lightly touching
    the string at the 4th, 5th, 7th, 12th etc. frets and free stroking
    the string (for the electricians in the crowd, this is roughly 
    equivalent to flat picking it, 8^).........  But you knew that right?).

    My teacher had me stroke (read pick) the strings closer to the bridge
    and, voila, they started to ring.  Now if an electric works 
    anything like an acoustic, you might get your E string to ring this 
    way.  When he showed me this, I was amazed! Paid for the whole 
    lesson right there. 
    
    I still get excited when I learn something new. jt

    BTW, and at the risk of telling you things you already know, you CAN 
    get almost any harmonic you desire by fretting the instrument normally
    with the finger of your choice on the left hand, say on the second 
    fret, touching the string lightly at the 14th fret with the pointer 
    finger of your right hand whilst simultaneously plucking the string 
    with the ring finger of the right hand. This is pretty standard fare 
    for classical guitarists.  The 3d fret on the left hand would require 
    the 15th fret touched with the right hand etc.

    -1
    
    Yeah, for harminics of death, I pick right next to the bridge and they
    scream out!
    
    

    Artificial harmonics are part of every classical guitarist's training.
    The right hand indications on classical guitar editings are
    
    p	thumb	
    i	1st finger
    m	middle finger
    a	ring finger
    
    These are derived from the spanish words for those fingers.
    Stopping fingers are 1,2,3,4.
    
    Neither the thumb of the stopping hand nor the little finger of the
    plucking hand are ever used.
    
    Then in the plucking hand there are 2 kinds of strokes,
    free stroke, where the plucking finger lets the next-lowest string
    ring and rest stroke which is used whenever the next-lowest string need
    not sustain a tone.
    
    The way you do rest-stroke is you pluck the string, say the 2nd, and
    the finger comes to rest on the 3rd string. Alternate fingers in both
    hands when you can.
    
    

    harmonics of death??
    
    jt

    What about Pregnant harmonics then? :-)

Pregnant harmonics are the ones I get when I rest the headstock of my guitar
on the speaker cab and pluck a 5th fret harmonic on the low E.
Harmonics of death are the ones ya get behind the 2nd fret b string...those 
are J-sharps for you techies... ;)  Learned that one from Mr. Gilbert himself.
nasty !

;)

>    My teacher had me stroke (read pick) the strings closer to the bridge
>    and, voila, they started to ring.  Now if an electric works 
>    anything like an acoustic, you might get your E string to ring this 
>    way.  When he showed me this, I was amazed! Paid for the whole 
>    lesson right there. 
    

If you're playing a harmonic at the fourth fret, then you're creating five
(correct me if I'm wrong) nodes on the string.  If you pluck the string at one 
of these nodes, you won't get much sound.  The best places to pluck should be 
exactly between any two nodes.  Anywhere within two or three inches of the 
bridge should be a safe place for any harmonic.  


Bob

    plucking the string after a harmonic at 5th , then 4 parts
    Plucking then near 4rth at 2nd node terminator
    using rest stroke 
    will produce a strong tendency to feedback 1 octave up from harmonics
    baby harmonic so to speak, 
    and plucking elsewhere will cause different baby harminics as well.
    
    You can really hear them 1. Hyperactive lots of gain medium volume
    			     2. medium gain HyperVolume 
    
    oena
    
    

    make that 
    Producing a harmonic at the 5th fret gives 4 nodes of vibration to the
    string. Using rest stroke in the production of the harmonic at say the
    17nth fret will produce...
    
    
    

                           
    You don't need a fret to play a harmonic - I've been playing with
    this cool idea where you play the 'swing' part of 'In the Mood' (by
    Glenn Miller) but only on the string between the 24th fret and the 
    bridge pickup - so effectively you're playing harmonics over the 
    pickups. Its easiest to use your thumb, first and third fingers. Sounds 
    well cool cranked (or it would if I could get the thing down properly 
    - its gettin' there 8^).

    RE .21
    
        I might point out that when you play a harmonic by touching
    the string at the fourth fret you are not only playing the fifth
    harmonic i.e. 5 times the fundamental frequency i.e. 5 nodes, but
    you are playing other harmonics as well which have nodes at the
    same place e.g. the 10th 15th 20th... harmonics. Picking the string
    as close to the bridge as possible makes the guitar produce a metallic
    twang (Best description I could think of). This is because these
    higher harmonics are emphasised.
    

  >>  Picking the string
  >>  as close to the bridge as possible makes the guitar produce a metallic
  >>  twang (Best description I could think of). 
    
      This is called pizzicato, from the violin technique of plucking the
    strings. On the guitar ( well OK, classical guitar )  the strings are 
    plucked as close to the  bridge as possible ( with just nails, if you
    believe 'The Segovia Technique' by Vladimir Bobri ).
    
    Clueless Wonder Toe
    

    I'm curious:
    
    I had read that Segovia's technique involved using both the pad and the
    nail like this: pluck with the pad and the edge of your nail clicks on
    the string as it goes by.  I know it's my favorite tone for a "hand"
    plucked string.  Every now and then my nails get long enough to have
    this happen (by accident, I don't really play in that style much,
    although I admire it, I'm just a rock and roller)
    
    What are the techniques used like this in classical?  What's most
    prevalent?
    
    Another for you acoustic players:  I'm having a custom acoustic built
    and can't decide what kind (width, essentially) neck to have put on it. 
    It will be a steel string.  I am considering having the neck be the
    same dimensions as my Stratocaster so I can play my electric licks on
    it and play the same sort of style.  Or a wide neck and learn to finger
    pick more.  How much of a difference will it make for finger-picking? 
    I get the feeling it will be a lot, but have never played a wide neck
    for any length of time, I've played my Strat for 10 years.
    
    What else might I think about?
    
    Will

re: .26

I think the term "pizzicato" makes more sense applied to plucking a string 
that's muted by the heel of the hand.  It sounds a lot more like violin 
pizzicato.  I think maybe Julian Bream uses it that way.

re: .27

If you're gonna do a lot of fingerpicking, you need to have adequate string
spacing at the bridge end just to have room to attack the strings.  What's 
adequate depends on the size of your fingers and your technique.

At the nut end, you need room to make open chords and, at the same time, to 
play melodies without damping adjacent strings.  If you're playing mainly 
jazz out of closed chord forms, this might not be as important - I'm not sure.

I've never found a spacing that *really* suits me for both fingerpicking and 
flatpicking.


Bob

    re: .-1
    
  >  I've never found a spacing that *really* suits me for both
  >  fingerpicking and  flatpicking.
    
    I just knew somebody would say that, (rats!) but I'm not really
    surprised.  I can't imagine how a spacing could suit both very well,
    but I was hoping.
    
    Oh well, I've got a decision to make, thanks for the insight.  I hadn't
    thought about the nut end the way you were saying.
    
    Will

    
>  >  I've never found a spacing that *really* suits me for both
>  >  fingerpicking and  flatpicking.
>    
>    I just knew somebody would say that, (rats!) but I'm not really
>    surprised.  I can't imagine how a spacing could suit both very well,
>    but I was hoping.



I have a couple of friends who do both very comfortably on dreadnaught style 
guitars, but that's a bit wider than Strat spacing.  Have you tried 
fingerpicking on a Strat to see how it would feel?


Bob

    re -1.
    
    I've tried it on my strat and it seems abit tight.  I have also tried
    it on an acoustic with a neck just a little wider, like a 16th of an
    inch down at the nut, and it made a bit of difference for the better. 
    (for fingerpicking)  I'm beginning to think that's maybe the route I'll
    go.  I'm afraid, though it may wind up being a compromise and not be
    really good for either.  I'm a little indecisive because it's a lot of
    money for me and I want it to be something I'll play well, you know?
    
    I've got time to think on it, so I'll be able to come to something.
    
    Will

    Oh gosh, yer right, the pizz. is a muted sound, I'll check the book 
    tonight and enter some stuff in.
    
    The Segovia Tech. uses the end of the finger, the flesh comes in
    contact with the string first and the nail then finishes the stroke.
    The biggest error here is using too much nail. I quit (mostly) for a
    while, when I went back to playing I used no nail for about a year.
    It really gave me an advantage, really taught me to get that skin on
    the nail first. The hardest thing for me to sound properly with no
    nails was tremelo. Now I use rest stroke on tremelo.
     The nails should be really smooth, too. Polish 'em with 600 wet/dry
    ( I find wet in warm water right before I play gives good tone).
    More than nails you should know how to hold it and rest stroke ,
    without these the nails / flesh thing have no foundation.  
    Toe

                    <<< Note 1782.32 by VLNVAX::ALECLAIRE >>>

>    nails was tremelo. Now I use rest stroke on tremelo.

I've heard of that, but never saw it.  I guess you'd almost *have* to train 
without nails to develop that technique.  

My free stroke is almost a rest stroke unless I consciously change it.  I 
don't lean the fingers back as far as in a rest stroke and I don't land on 
the adjacent string, but I do press downward slightly on the string.  It 
has the full-bodied sound of a rest stroke with just slightly less volume.

My nails slope from very short, at the contact point, to slightly long at the 
release point.  And the string doesn't roll off my fingertip and hit the nail.
I attack the string so that the flesh touches it first and then compresses
until the string is in contact with the nail (at the base of that steep 
slope).  Then I pluck the string.  

I think you have to have the right anatomy to make it work.  Most of my 
students never mastered it, but the ones who did tended to produce a cleaner
tone.


Bob

[Are we off the subject enough to move to another topic?]

    Only after learning to play with no nails did I understand the physical
    motion of the nail and flesh method. 
    Now It's nothing for me when break a nail, or they're too short. 
    

Christopher Parkening has recommended that beginners start out without 
nails.

    
    I came up with a cool idea yesterday.
                                                  
    Normally, when I'm doing (very bad!) tapping, the only sort of harmonics
    I can get are by tapping a note an octave higher than the fretted
    note. You can't do stuff like artifical harmonics in the middle
    of a rapid tapping lick can you ?                  
                                                       
    Yes!!                                              
                                                       
    I was goofing with this stuff last night, and I've never liked tapping
    coz its a bit clich�, so I decided to try and do something different
    with it. I came to the conclusion, that most tapping licks around
    today are one finger jobbies, so I spent the evening practising
    using three right hand fingers, so, as you probably guessed, the
    pick with sat firmly in my mouth!                           
                                                                
    Anyway, if you tap a note, you can produce a harmonic by gently
    touching your hand on the string, just over the pickups. if you bend
    that tapped note up, you can get it to scream, coz it just catches
    the skin on your hand, in the same way as you do with your thumb   
    when you pick them. So, do a tapping lick and bend the A on the 
    14th fret of the G string, to a B, and just as you bend (your right
    hand is fretting the bent note), lower your elbow slightly and very
    very gently touch the string (it works best over the centre pickup
    for me) with the palm of your hand.                    
                                                           
    That thing should screeeeaaaaaamm!        

    The complete Natural Harmonic map (open strings) is as follows: (R =
    Root, -7 = minor 7th)
    
    Fret      1�      2     2�   2 3/4    3�      4        5     5 3/4
    Harmonic  +11th   9th   R    -7th     5th     3rd      R      -7th
    
    Fret      7       9     12    13�     14      14 3/4   15�    16
    Harmonic  5th     3rd   R    +11th    9th      -7th    5th    3rd
    
    Fret      17      19    24
    Harmonic  R       5th   R
    
    From the 24th fret to the bridge you have the reverse of fret 5 to the
    nut plus some extras.  For example, from the 24th fret to the bridge,
    you get R, 3rd, 5th, -7th, R, 9th, 3rd, +11th, 5th, 6th, -7th, 7th, R,
    9th.  The last 6 or 7 are tough to pull out or even recognize, but
    they are there.  Each open string will produce the same harmonic
    intervals, but due to physics behind string size, tension, and whether
    they are wrapped or plain, you will get different degrees of
    intonation.
    
    I'm sure you'll notice frets 12-24 pretty much repeat frets 1-12. 
    Some helpful hints on the harmonics between the 2nd and 4th frets:
    Use an overdriven amp!  Put a little weight on the tremolo bar (i.e., a
    couple fingers from your right hand) to help grab the harmonic.  After
    hitting the harmonic, bring it out by pulling up on the tremolo bar.
    
    Mike

    dude, you missed one...  Fret 1 3/4 is a 10th!

    Now that we know the Natural Harmonic Map, we can apply it to
    Artificial or Tap Harmonics.  For an Artificial Harmonic, you tap the
    string a specific number of intervals up from the fretted note.  For
    example, say you have an F# major chord (E form barre) at the 2nd fret 
    like so:
    
    ===========
    | | | | | |       The asterisks outline the chord and each strings 
    1 1 1 1 1 1       Root harmonics 5 frets up.  This is derived from the
    | | | 2 | |       Root harmonics on the Natural Harmonic map of the 
    | 3 4 | | |       5th fret.  To apply the Natural 5th Harmonic from the 
    | | | | | |       7th fret, tap on the strings 7 frets up from the 
    | | | | | |       chord on the left.
    * | | | * *
    | | | * | |
    | * * | | |

>    dude, you missed one...  Fret 1 3/4 is a 10th!
    
    sorry about that.  I didn't know about it and didn't have it in my
    notes.
    
    Thanks,
    Mike

    I just learned about Pinch Harmonics last night too.  They sound great
    and are fun, but take some practice to be able to use them
    consistently.  What do they sound like?  Best example is from ZZ Top's
    "La Grange" (sp?).  The squawk-like sound Billy Gibbons gets during the
    final solo are pinch harmonics.
    
    The way I was taught, it takes a combination of the fleshy-side of your
    thumb and a sliver of your pick exposed across the string to get the 
    harmonic out while fretting a note (anywhere) with your left hand.  The
    right thumb nail is almost perpindicular (sp?) to the strings.
    
    Easier to show someone than describe. ;-)
    
    Mike

    
    Good discussion, Heiser!  Pinch harmonics has got to me my favorite
    way to add color to my playing.
    
    There's another technique for creating pinch harmonic, Mike.  While I
    use the technique that you spoke of, using the pick and the thumb, 
    Greg House uses a technique that involves picking the string with 
    the pick and the middle finger simultaneously.  Care to elaborate 
    Greg?
    
    J.

    Yeah, the way I do pinch harmonics is to grab the string behind the
    pick with my ring (or middle) finger and use the pick as the harmonic
    point rather then trying to move my thumb up there to grab the
    harmonics with it.  The thumb method always felt clumsy to me, as I
    either had to change the way I held the pick or contort my hand around
    to get it in position.  This method doesn't bother me.
    
    Greg

Pinch Harmonics......

Just for the record, I get 'em by moving my thumb and first finger nearer the
edge of the pick by rolling the pick upwards between thumb and first finger
( my fingers are now in a bowed position), and then *nearly* always picking
upwards and using the fleshy side of my first finger to get the pinch 
harmonics.

I know most folks usually get by using the fleshy part of the thumb.

Pick harmonics......

Pick in usual place between second finger and thumb, using the first finger
to get the harmonic.

Dave

  

    
    Some natural harmonics are difficult to get out (such as some 3rd frets
    or some on the high E). A useful tip is to pick these natural harmonics 
    about half an inch from your termolo unit (or hardtail bridge). There
    is another point about an inch off your neck (towards the bridge). This
    is just over my neck pick-up on my guitar.
    
    -Tony (Screamin' Demon)