|
Make it squeal. Pinch harmonics can add another
dimension to you lead guitar lines. In order to understand pinch
harmonics, you will want to have at least a basic understanding
of natural harmonics.
Before we dive into how to play pinch harmonics,
take a look at this video. It is my right hand as I am coaxing
some pinch harmonics out of my guitar. This will give you an idea
of the sound, and a quick look at the right hand technique used
to create them.
(149K)
get
realplayer
The first thing to consider with pinch harmonics, is the amp
and distortion that you are using. I just bought a Line 6 POD
and it is just effortless to get pinch harmonics everywhere. The
little 15-watt amp, with the built in distortion that I have in
my teaching studio, takes quite a bit of effort to produce pinch
harmonics. When trying to play pinch harmonics, crank the amp
up and use as much distortion as possible.
Finding
a strong natural harmonic
The best way to start, is to find a strong natural harmonic somewhere
up around the area of your pickups. I would say that the 3rd
string is the easiest to do a pinch harmonic on, so start there.
Just touch the third string with a left hand finger at some different
points close to the area of your pickups until you find a strong
natural harmonic. This really will just take some experimenting,
since there are not any fret bars to guide you.
Touch
harmonics
After you have found a strong natural harmonic in the area of
the pickups. Pick the open 3rd string, then lightly touch the
point of that harmonic with your right hand 2nd finger. Be sure
to pay attention to the exact point on the string where the harmonic
will sound. This is called a touch harmonic.
Touch
harmonic with right hand 2nd finger
(50K)
get
realplayer
Page 2, from touch to pinch
harmonics 
|
