"fake" harmonics?

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drummersteve

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hi there
there is a technique where you put your finger on a fret, and by using your thumb and finger u can do harmonics on the same fret an octave up, a "fake" harmonic. sorry that i have not described it well, but if you do understand what i mean do you know the proper name for this technique?cheers

Steve
 
these take practice. you really need to "dig in" with the pick and the fleshy part of the thumb. Pretty much pinch. I couldn't ever get them right except by accident. so i took one day and sat and did nothing but le grange by zz top for like 8 hours straight. after that i could do them on any string, any note, and any part of the string on command.
 
It does take a lot of practice. I discovered another technique by accident trying to figure out how they were doing it. I would lightly touch the string with my pinky almost over my pick up at the same time I was picking the string. Later on someone showed me how to do it properly. I still mess them up sometimes...
 
hi there
thanks for quick replies - pinch harmonics i think s what im referring to, the name rings a bell. i can sorta do them, it was more that my friend needs 2know because he is including it in some A-level coursework, and in the writeup he needs 2mention techniques etc. neither of us could remember there proper name tho! thanks guys

steve
 
Some pinch harmonics are easier to play than others. To really get a feel for how to hit them, try fretting a note on the 3 string (thick unwound strings are the easiest to get these sounds), around the 12 fret or so. Then apply the pinch technique (like you described) on various places on the string with your right hand. You'll find that some locations give you a good squeal while others just kinda "thunk." Once you start hitting them solidly, try moving them around.
 
JR#97 said:
these take practice. you really need to "dig in" with the pick and the fleshy part of the thumb. Pretty much pinch. I couldn't ever get them right except by accident. so i took one day and sat and did nothing but le grange by zz top for like 8 hours straight. after that i could do them on any string, any note, and any part of the string on command.
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No it's different than a pinch harmonic with a pick. It's usually called a false harmonic, although like pinch and 'real' harmonics, it's the same physical principal: you are gently fingering the string at a division of its length.

False harmonics are used frequently on classical guitar. Let's say you finger normally at the sixth fret: the false harmonic is generated by lightly placing your right index finger on the 18th fret (for an octave higher, which is typically used), and plucking the string underneath the index finger with your right thumb, and then immediately lifting your right hand.

Done properly it's a nice technique for arpeggios. Try it with the ol' Dsus4-Dmaj progression.
 
There's also a tapping thing, where you tap the string 12 frets above where you're fretting it. i.e. fret at the 2nd with your left hand and tap the 14th with your right hand. It sounds like your initial post was confusing pinch harmonics with this tapping thing.
 
mshilarious said:
False harmonics are used frequently on classical guitar. Let's say you finger normally at the sixth fret: the false harmonic is generated by lightly placing your right index finger on the 18th fret (for an octave higher, which is typically used), and plucking the string underneath the index finger with your right thumb, and then immediately lifting your right hand.

Done properly it's a nice technique for arpeggios. Try it with the ol' Dsus4-Dmaj progression.
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this is the technique i am talking about. i think the pinch harmonics other people mentioned are also reffered to as "screams"? but yeh, mshilarious has got it. false harmonics. cheers!
 
A different technique is haveing your pick strike then fingernail ..with this you can do chords{downstrokes only..for me anyways},its difficult master but can be great!The false harmonic tech can be seen on the end of the Bohemian Rapsody vidio done by Brian May.Its not "tapping".Play a note{while holding pick}then with your forefinger tap the string very lightly,experiment with it!It has a different sound,softer sound wise than a pinch or a "dug" harmonic closer to a open harmonic{but fretted} in sound ..Like anything it takes practice..A fun one is to pulloff {16th notes}say with on the "G" string say at the 2cd fret now take your pick hand and with the edge of your pickhand slide it up and down the string.With practice you will be able to go across the neck.... Fun stuff..Good luck :)
 
Henri Devill said:
A different technique is haveing your pick strike then fingernail ..with this you can do chords{downstrokes only..for me anyways},its difficult master but can be great!The false harmonic tech can be seen on the end of the Bohemian Rapsody vidio done by Brian May.Its not "tapping".Play a note{while holding pick}then with your forefinger tap the string very lightly,experiment with it!It has a different sound,softer sound wise than a pinch or a "dug" harmonic closer to a open harmonic{but fretted} in sound ..Like anything it takes practice..A fun one is to pulloff {16th notes}say with on the "G" string say at the 2cd fret now take your pick hand and with the edge of your pickhand slide it up and down the string.With practice you will be able to go across the neck.... Fun stuff..Good luck :)
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There is that 80's technique too that Vito Brata of White Lion and EVH used to use all the time too, where you lightly mute the strings across the pickup with your picking hand, and play a scale down the strings to give that artificial harmonic. I tried until I was mad enough to do Jimmi Hendrix smashing routine with my guitar to perfect that, but I guess you need a really good guitar with good action and better pickups than what I had. I never got it right.
 
Ya LOL..The trick is that your pulloffs have to alot stronger{more force} that normal :)
 
Henri Devill said:
Ya LOL..The trick is that your pulloffs have to alot stronger{more force} that normal :)
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Well if I ever get a wild hair seated in my backside again, I will try it out again...
 
The terms and techniques that I"ve always known them by are:

- Natural Harmonic - lightly touching an open string over certain frets to produce a chiming tone. 12th, 7th, 5th frets are the ones we all know.

- Artificial Harmonic - lightly touching a fretted string with your picking hand at one of the harmonic intervals of the fretted note. I think that both the "tap" harmonic and the classical technique mentioned above are both accomplishing the same thing here, and both would be considered artificial harmonics.

- Pinch Harmonic - an artificial harmonic produced by making contact between the thumb and the string immediately after the pick strikes the string. There's really no pinching going on...its one motion where the pick strikes the string and then the thumb creates an artificial harmonic by grazing the string after the pick.
 
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