Pinch/Artifical Harmonics

Mr .Bungle

In case your stupid these are harmonics done by hitiing a note with the plec and a small bit of flesh off your thumb. They give a winey high pitched sound. I'm just starting to get the hang of em but i can only do em on the D. Has ne1 got any tips or hits on doin them?i'm finding them real hard to get on the A and D strings and a lot of time the aren't very clear.

Cheers

NeMiSiS

pinched harmonics should be able to be done all strings they will just be less promonent..like thats an ability to able to do em allover they dont reside in any one place like real harmonics just practice i can pretty much do em on demand but thats playing em over and over on different parts of the fretboard.use small hard plecs is a help and only let about a 1/4th of the plec show i use jim dunlop jazz pick III's most places have em the sharper they are the better,angle your right hand a bit and flick your wrist out a i suppose is the technique,dont try to hard to catch your thumb on the note..it should just kinda start happening

i pressume you know abou real harmonics but ill go into a bit anyway like if you lightly cover the 12th and pick any notes you will get harmonics around the 6th and 8th you get em too and once you know what your looking for you'll find em all over

all the best and good luck with the practice

nem

Gordon

I found that the best way to get them is by using the smallest amount of pick as is physically possible, then you naturally get harmonic screams without wanting to. Learn that and then increase pick surface area.

Giblet

Try using high gain and more treble, and use the bridge pickup. I use Jazz III as well. Use a really quick small motion in your picking hand, and the high E, B and G strings work best, but it is possible to get them on all frets, including open strings. Hell I was doing them on a Bass

Thomas from Presence

Artificial harmonics are real cool for those interested there when you fret a note and using the forefinger of your right hand to play a harmonic 12 frets higher (placing the plec between the thumb and middle finger of the right hand to strike the note).

The result is like nice little bells.

Giblet

Of course theres whammying the harmonics down. It's also possible to play a pinch, say on the 5th fret of the B string, and then gently touch the string over the 12th fret to harmonize the harmonic. This will create harmonics in fifths. (providing the pinch was 1 or 2 octaves higher than the root note). This can be done on standard harmonics too, but pinches are louder.

Gordon

That works great on fretless basses, beautiful effect if you have a liking for that kind of thing, pinch the note and then slide the note elsewhere and the pinch stays with you.

Oeneus

Hold the plectrum with your fingers pretty close to the tip and pluck reasonably hard. I remember for ages I couldn't do it, but then started doing by accident and now i seem to be able to do it anytime. I don't know why, it just grows on you after a while, I honestly don't know what the trick is.