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Author
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Topic: Pinch Harmonic
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Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 25, 2004 08:49 PM
  
Just stumbled upon a new way to make the guitar squeel with the pinch harmonics. Instead of using the side of your thumb to absorb the frequencies, you place the first knuckle of your middle finger on the string to do it.IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 470
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted August 25, 2004 09:24 PM
Have you ever heard of alternate picking pinch harmonics?
You use your thumb for downstrokes and your first finger (if that's the finger you hold the pick with) for the upstrokes. I can't really do it, I haven't really worked on it, but I manage to get a couple to squeel when I tried it. [This message has been edited by gruzzy (edited August 25, 2004).] IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 25, 2004 09:58 PM
would that be while holding the pick?IP: Logged |
On the Guest List Posts: 21
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted August 25, 2004 11:11 PM
I use the tip of my index finger for pinch harmonics. I hold the pick between the side of my index finger and my thumb, and the end of my index finger peeks out under the side of the pick. Just plant the tip at the right spot on the string (usually somewhere over the pickups) during a downstroke, and there it is.But any way that gets part of your hand lightly resting at one of the right spots on the string when the note is played will give you the pinch harmonic. I've never thought of using my thumb to rest on the string. I'll have to try it out. IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 54
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 04:00 AM
You can really only do pinch harmonics at certain places along the string, the trouble is that they move whenever you fret a different note, buggers  , and there's more than one pitch for each one  . Try flicking the string at the sweet spots, or try using your tongue(this one looks really cool). If you ever get a chance, watch the 'Steve Vai Live At The London Astoria' DVD, he does some great ones...
 IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 10:41 AM
Not true drink, Pinch harmonics can be done anywhere on the string. Maybe you are thinking of a artificial touch harmonic?IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 470
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted August 26, 2004 12:14 PM
Yes that is done while holding the pick, and pinch harmonics can be done in different places on the string, but where you do it determines the pitch,and the quality of sound, that you are going to get.[This message has been edited by gruzzy (edited August 26, 2004).] IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 01:20 PM
Yes right hand placement is important, but as far as left hand goes, you can fret anywhere and get a harmonic. Although its easiest on the lower 3 strings in the first adn second positions.IP: Logged |
On the Guest List Posts: 21
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 04:18 PM
Er, I think drink was talking about the right hand having to be in the right spot...I may be covering ground that everyone here already knows, but here's the basics of any harmonic. A harmonic sounds when the length of a string is split into a nice even interval. When you lightly rest your left hand index finger on the string above the 12th fret (the bit of metal stuck into the fretboard), you're dividing the string into two equal halves. A 1:1 ratio. If you fret a note at the first fret, then rest your right hand index finger above the 13th fret (then play the note with your thumb), you're again dividing the now shortened length of string into two equal halves. Same deal with a 2:1 ratio. That's what happens when you rest your left hand finger above the 7th or 19th frets. Try them both out - they sound exactly the same, because they're dividing the string into the same ratio. The 5th fret then splits it into a 3:1 ratio. And so on and so forth, with the harmonics becoming harder to play and not sounding as clearly as you use higher and higher ratios. A pinch harmonic works the same way. You can fret a note at the 10th fret, then do a pinch harmonic at the 22nd fret - again your thumb or tip of your index finger (or whatever it is you're using to rest lightly on the string) is dividing the string into two equal halves. Not that that's where people usually play pinch harmonics. Normally you're 'pinching' the string somewhere over the pickups, meaning you're using a 3:1 ratio or so, depending on what note you're fretting with your left hand. But yeah, fret a note, then move your pinch harmonic technique up and down the string, looking for the sweet spots. Put your toggle switch in the treble position, and make the distortion as lush as it goes before you get started. IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 05:09 PM
I am not sure about that rayman, I get pretty crispy pinch harmonics any fret on the lower 3 strings.IP: Logged |
On the Guest List Posts: 21
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 06:45 PM
Um, where exactly did I say that you couldn't get nice pinch harmonics with notes fretted on the three lowest strings? Hmmm... or maybe I said that pinch harmonics were only possible on certain frets? Again - where did I say that?Lots of metal guitarists throw those low E and A string pinch harmonic squeals into their riffs. You can fret any note on any string, then generate a whole range of harmonics by dividing the remainder of the string into a nice even ratio. There. Hope that clears up all the confusion. IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 07:26 PM
quote:
You can really only do pinch harmonics at certain places along the string
IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 470
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted August 26, 2004 07:51 PM
He was talking about the picking hand only being able to do them at certain places along the string. So even if you are holding the same note (same fret, same string) there are different harmonics that can sound depending on where you pick the string.IP: Logged |
On the Guest List Posts: 21
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 08:51 PM
I didn't write that. That quote belongs to 'drinkandbemerry'.And like I said in my previous post and gruzzy just said - I'm pretty sure drinkandbemerry was talking about the picking hand, not the fretting hand. In which case there's no actual problem, just a bit of a communication problem. IP: Logged |
Band Member Posts: 345
Registered: May 2004
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posted August 26, 2004 09:52 PM
Yea sorry about the mixupIP: Logged |
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