Anybody have some good tips for doing pinch harmonics? Preferably without the pick, I'm kind of stuck on them

Anybody have some good tips for doing pinch harmonics? Preferably without the pick, I'm kind of stuck on them

1) get a damn pick

Practice.
Start with a note that is easy (4th fret on 5th (A) string).
Practice.

Think of the string as you girl bff and hover hand that shit.

Pick is mandatory yo. Pluck the string like you usually woukd but turn you hand at an angle. When you pluck the string, let your thumb just barely graze the string. That creates the harmonic.

Touch the tip of your index finger on your pick hand to the string for an instant right after you play the note. That's as best as I can describe it.

I learned them so that I could learn to play "Enlightened by the Cold" by Shadows Fall way way back in the day. Easy riff, sounds kinda cool, gets you in the mode to try and hit those harmonics well in the context of an actual riff.

Technically this is right, but please do not use your index finger, OP. Listen to this dude. He knows what is up.

Thanks anons I'm already hearing some results :)

Why not use the index finger?

>no pick

What the shit? Use a pick, and it helps to hold it very close to the tip, leaving little room. When you pick, the string slightly brushing against your thumb and index should give you a pinch harmonic. A good amount of gain will help you hear it better. Use your bridge pickup.

If you just want a nice flourish at the end of a riff it works fine, but if you are trying to hit it smoothly in the middle of a riff it is not economical. Especially if you try playing something like Pantera's "Floods" - the harmonics come too close together to get them that way. It is best to be able to get them whenever you need them using the side of your thumb by just angling your hand slightly differently.

Wtf, that's a god damn natural harmonic

Hmmm. I'll have to look at my technique.

Hahahaha - troo

Good luck. The Pantera "Floods" solo is really what hit this principle home for me.

I've never had any problems, but I'm not around my guitar to examine what I do. I might have been doing it both ways this whole time.

pinch harmonics without a pick?

fucking dumbass. throw your guitar away.

source: guitar teacher and 20 years xp

If you can't play a guitar by pinching your fingers together as if you're holding a pick and play using your fingernail, you're shit.

Maybe for you it works. Everyone has idiosyncrasies with their playing styles. I just found for myself that when I really knuckled down on being precise with my picking hand angles and motions my playing improved dramatically. The idea of using my index finger for pinched harmonics seems strange because it requires a partial backward motion, or at the the very least a pause, whereas with the lateral edge of my thumb I can get it on that initial attacking motion.
jeez, the spirit of teaching really died with you. this wipper-snapper came here with some unknown background honestly seeking guitar knowledge! this is good :D

Not mandatory.


Pinch your fingers like you are really holding a pick, down pick with your index fingen nail, and use the regular thumb grazing method.

I can get pinch harmonics on all strings with this method.

Good point. Depends on the style of music. Also, I have never been able to grow nails sturdy enough to play guitar with. They always tear or chip.

I usually angle my thumb over and pluck with my index finger whilst slightly touching the string with my thumb Gl user

Don't focus on harmonics. Study chords and note relationships more. You should be able to jump around anywhere on the guitar and know where the fifth above and below your current not you're playing and have a feel for intervals.

You'd be better off studying inverted chords.

ITT: interesting stuff

I learned playing with my fingers. I can use a pick just fine, but i can play faster with my thumb. Only thing i really need a pick for is heavy palm mute chugging, but i mostly stick to blues rock, so it's not necessary.

That makes sense. I'm a mostly a metal guy, or I dabble in weird sounding shit, but I primarily use a pick. Got into classical guitar for about 6 months which is when I realized my fingernails were shit. One of these days I need to give that a go again.

See kids? We can all get along.

Get a pick.
Also, I actually get better results by slightly pressing the string with my index fingernail on a downstroke prior to the actual pick, it's split second and one motion, but I'm a deathcore fag and play nothing but metal so that may affect it. Also, something nobody has said I think, the left hand bend is just as important for heavier genres and speed of bend / vibrato really change the sound. So does where you pick the string in relation to distance of picking hand from bridge, and that changes depending on which fret you are on based on strim length and location over the pickups, so try going up and down the strings while fretting any given note.

honestly i kind of stumbled across pinch harmonics by accident. best advice i can give is just keep playing until you find your technique.

just keep playing. and dont get hung up on playing within a key or within a scale. nothing stifles novice guitar players harder than that bullshit.

and most importantly play along to music you like. dont look up tabs first. just play along until you find the notes theyre playing. start with single notes, worry about adding intervals to build the right chords later. ear training is so important. and it takes years to develop so better get started yesterday.

pic unrelated

>vibrato
>distance of picking hand from bridge
both good points, the latter esp. if you are trying to get a particular sound and you are hunting for it.

Oh shit, also, what guitar / pickup and are you using heavy distortion / gain and what tuning and string gauge? These can all affect it.