Achieving Great Pinch Harmonics

[plague_rider]

I know that Pinch harmonics are mostly technique, but any help on achieving the best sounding pinches??

basically, any of you guys out there who have nailed the sound, would you mind passing on the knowledge of gear:

- Guitar
- Picks
- Pickups
- Strings
- Pedals
- Amps
- Settings

???

 

[ahjteam]

I know that Pinch harmonics are mostly technique, but any help on achieving the best sounding pinches?

Even I can produce good sounding pinch harmonics with a Les Paul copy and a 2 watt Roland Microcube on the "Classic Stack" mode and gain at 3 o clock and I suck at them, so I would say "Amazing player with any gear and a higain amp"

 

[Torsis]

Assuming you have the technique down – choke up on the pick and hit the string with the fleshy part of your thumb (downstroke) or finger (upstroke) immediately after the pick hits the string, the biggest factors are:
- the location you pick the string – different nodes produce different squealie tones
- gain – either amp or pedal
- the note you’re trying to “pinch” - lower fretted notes are easier than upper fretted notes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinch_harmonic

 

[16S]

Try here:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/415236-why-do-some-guitars-squeal-better-than-others.html

 

[006]

Yeah...I can do them on any of my Strats with single-coils, going into an amp with very low gain...IMO it all comes down to the player. Recently I had another guitarist friend of mine jamming on my rig and he was like "dude turn up the gain, the harmonics are weak sounding", I grabbed my guitar from him and the first thing that came out was a Pantera style pinch. I said "seems fine to me" and gave him the guitar back.

~006

 

[plague_rider]

I grabbed my guitar from him and the first thing that came out was a Pantera style pinch. I said "seems fine to me" and gave him the guitar back.

~006

Nothing like being an utter bastard like... though i appreciate how you say gain isn't always needed if your the intense player...

the reason i ask is not much for me, as i suck at pinches anyway, though I'm trying my best to improve... but I'm recording a local EP and i wanna know of the best way to help the guitarists achieve the sound...

 

[iamandy]

I always say that pinches are always in the fingers and where you hit string.

i use 3 fingers to bend the strings, like Joel from KSE..but this dude basically does what i do:

 

[Metaltastic]

Try here:
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/415236-why-do-some-guitars-squeal-better-than-others.html

+1

 

[deanbailey]

I always say that pinches are always in the fingers and where you hit string.

i use 3 fingers to bend the strings, like Joel from KSE..but this dude basically does what i do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-7_vdODXHU

24! Twenty four times...the pickup switch was moved or touched...I struggled to listen to a word he said due to random pickup switching.

 

[16S]

24! Twenty four times...the pickup switch was moved or touched...I struggled to listen to a word he said due to random pickup switching.

 

[iamandy]

24! Twenty four times...the pickup switch was moved or touched...I struggled to listen to a word he said due to random pickup switching.

yeah, thats reallllyyyy annoying..

 

[egan.]

24! Twenty four times...the pickup switch was moved or touched...I struggled to listen to a word he said due to random pickup switching.

Those were words?

 

[SocialNumb]

He counted them! Dude has a nervous twitch.

 

[MT01]

Dude in the youtube clip got a new hole torn with all those comments about the switch, haha. Those are some badass pinch harmonics though.

 

[dan weapon]

2 super important bits:

1) Where you strike the string with the pick - you can get lots of different pitched harmonics depending on where between the pickups you pick.

2) And this one is especially important - vibrato like a muthafucker. Shake the living shit out of it.

 

[Machinated]

2 super important bits:

1) Where you strike the string with the pick - you can get lots of different pitched harmonics depending on where between the pickups you pick.

2) And this one is especially important - vibrato like a muthafucker. Shake the living shit out of it.

Bang.

 

[K Odell]

2 super important bits:

1) Where you strike the string with the pick - you can get lots of different pitched harmonics depending on where between the pickups you pick.

2) And this one is especially important - vibrato like a muthafucker. Shake the living shit out of it.

Yeah this is pretty much spot on. Thhat whole shake the living shit out of it thing is no joke. You literally need to shake the the living shit out of it. Unless ofcourse you like baby harmonics ala' Atreyu.

 

[Metaltastic]

HAhahahahahaha, baby harmonics indeed - and make sure your vibrato is controlled, though, and that you come back to the note rather than sort of varying between bends, ugghhh, not a pleasing sound

 

[K Odell]

yeah dude. Gotta play a real mans harmonics. I hear good pinch's help stimulate beard growth.

 

[006]

The dude in that video is a fucking faggot.

~006