Artificial Harmonics

[Mike G]

Hi, I'm kinda new here... but I need to ask a newbie question, how do you play artificial harmonics on the electric guitar?

Ps. I mostly play classical guitar but Chris Broderick turned me onto shred and I really don't know a lot of technique on the electric other than alternate picking...

 

[Smeagol]

Well it all depends on how you grab your " Pick ". In order to produce artificial harmonics you need to grip the tip of your pick so that when you strike the string it catches your thumb, you will hear a harmonic generated over the initial note.

It's easier to produce them if you strike the string with your pick a little angled & not paralell to the string but it is also posible to do it that way.

Hope this helps.

 

[r_young112]

welcome to the board

 

[Mike G]

Thanks a lot guys... I think I kinda understand now...

 

[r_young112]

im confuse everybody and myself for a second:

to my understanding there's 3 different types of harmonics

natural, pinch, and artificial

natural: 12th fret, 7th fret, etc
pinch: what smeagol was talking about, the squeel type of harmonic
artificial: when you fret say the 2nd fret, and play a 14th fret harmonic

correct me if im wrong, because i have a feeling i am somewhere in there

 

[Smeagol]

Let's see, mmmmmm, as far as I know there are 2 types of harmonics " Natural & Artificial ". Artificial Harmonics being (Pings, Pinch, False etc.. dunno how you wan't to call them) and these are the ones produce with the " Pick + Tumb or Palm " & the natural ones well........... the name says it all, those are the ones produce when you barely touch the string on top of a fret.

But...... then again ....... maybe I'm wrong

 

[AngleofDeaf667]

My understanding of harmonics:

Natural: Lightly putting your finger over the 12th, 7th, 5th frets etc.
Pinch: When you put your pick on a slight angle and make the note squeal.
Artificial: I thought they were similiar to the natural but at frets which are harder to get like 9th, 4th, 3rd etc.
Tapped: When you fret a note and tap another note with your picking hand.

3 different opinions on Harmonics so hopefully one of us is right!!

 

[Smeagol]

AAAHHHHH Dam it !!!!!!!! I totally forgot the " Tapped Harmonics ", well yeah then I think there are 3 diferent type of harmonics. The ones you are refering as artificial I think they would still be considered as " natural harmonics " its only harder to get them to come out but they produce the same sound.

 

[Nebulous]

I asked around about this for a few months at one time. I used to think alot of what has been said. Then I got told that there are two types: Natural and Artificial, where there are a few types of artificial harmonic techniques.
A natural is pretty much any harmonic that you get when you put your finger lightly over the fret and pick it.
Artificial harmonics have a few techniques, the pinch and tapped harmonic being popular ones (and only ones I can think of...). Tapped would be where a note is freted normally, then a harmonic is played by tapping a higher fret of a particular interval. Pinch/pitch harmonics, being the hardest to initially be able to play (IMO) are when a finger/thumb is used to create a harmonic of a particular pitch when the finger is positioned at the right interval/ fraction of the string as the note is picked.

 

[Mike G]

Thanks... that helps a lot. I'm pretty sure what I was looking for was how to do a pinch harmonic... sorry I didn't specify earlier.

 

[Nebulous]

It's all good dude. It took me a while to figure out all the different names.
The easiest way that I can get pinch harmonics is to not move my thumb forward to use the tip of it (as some people do) but instead, I use my thumbs knuckle/ side flesh to hit the string and create the harmonic. The easiest harmonics to get are thsoe on the low E string, on either the 3rd or 5th fret, with the tumb near the inside edge of the neck pickup. Though, results may vary