artificial harmonics

[Dyrting]

This Was Written on Cyberfret under "Techniques" - "Natural Harmonics" :

"There are other techniques for playing harmonics (artificial harmonics, touch harmonics, tap harmonics, pinch harmonics) but they will be the subjects of another lessons.......

My question, how do i play artificial harmonics !?

[cyberfret]

Actually touch harmonics, tap harmonics, pinch harmonics are types of artificial harmonics. There is a 4th way to produce an artificial harmonic that does not have such a specific name.....so I just gave it the generic name "artificial harmonic". I know that is a little confusing, but see if what is below helps.

When you play a natural harmonic, the most common places that you can touch the string are right above the 12th, 7th, 5th and 4th fret bars. Those harmonics are all derived from the open string. If you where to play a note on first fret on any string, you could then produce a different set of harmonics than were produced from the open string. Since you are pressing down a note on the 1st fret, the fret bars where the harmonics are produced are all 1 fret higher that before. The 13th, 8th, 6th, and 5th fret bars. Since your left hand is busy pressing down the note at the 1st fret, it is not available to touch the string in the same way that you played natural harmonics. There are 4 different ways that you can produce these artificial harmonics.

1. Take your right hand....hold your pick with your thumb and 2nd finger. Take the index finger of your right hand and touch the string right above the 13th fret bar. while lightly touching the string with your right hand index finger, pick the string. You will hear the harmonic. This is a little tricky at first. Classical guitar players will touch the node of the string (the point where the harmonic can be produced) with their right hand index finger, and then pluck the string with their thumb, or 3rd finger. After doing this at the 13th fret, you could experiment with the 8th, 6th and 5th. You could also play a note on the 2nd fret with your right hand....then the harmonics would be at the 4th, 9th, 7th, and 6th. Once you get the idea, you can start experimenting with the harmonics that are produce from different notes that you fret with your left hand.

2. Touch Harmonics. Do the same as above, but pick the string, then touch the node with your right hand index or 2nd finger. In this case you will hear the note your are fretting first, then the harmonic after you touch the node.

3. Tap Harmonics. Here you are hitting (or tapping) the string at the point of the node with the tip of your right hand index or 2nd finger. The harmonic is produced by the force of your finger hitting the string.

4. Pinch Harmonics are the last type of artificial harmonics. You can check out a lesson on these here
http://www.cyberfret.com/techniques/harmonics/pinch/

--Shawn