Artificial Harmonics & Pinch Harmonics on Guitar

Artificial harmonics and natural harmonics are actually very closely related. “Natural” harmonics are, more accurately classified as “artificial” harmonics, because both types of harmonics on guitar require the same kind of string manipulation to produce them.

What makes artificial harmonics different to natural harmonics, is that the fundamental tones of natural harmonics, are always played as open strings, while artificial harmonics have fretted notes as their fundamental tones.

When you play harmonics on a guitar, or other stringed instrument, what you are doing, is accentuating certain overtones of a note. The fretted note forms the dominant part of the note, known as the fundamental tone, while the other tones are known as overtones. Together, all these tones form the note, and give it its characteristic timbre.

This is why playing the same note on different positions on a guitar, produces subtle differences. Compare an open A  on the fifth string, to the same A, played on the 5th fret of the sixth string. The open A is slightly richer, mainly because the string is longer (in comparison to the fretted fifth string) so there are more overtones present.

In technical terms, a harmonic note is produced by multiplying the vibrational frequency of a string by a whole number.

In practical terms, lightly touching a guitar string will make it vibrate at double, triple, quadruple, five or six times its ordinary frequency.

How to Play Artificial Harmonics

The same principals that apply finding natural harmonics, apply to locating and playing artificial harmonics. Let's say you are using the fifth string on a guitar.

Now, your natural harmonics will be on the 12th, 5th and 7th frets, as well as the 24th. When the string is open, your fundamental tone is A. If you change the fundamental tone to the 2nd fret, it becomes B.

The harmonic nodes for the 2nd fret B on the 5th string, are found on the 14th, 7th and 9th frets. Remember that when you play these artificial harmonics, the notes are sounded just above the frets, not to the left of them, as you would normally fret a note. If if this is the first time you are experimenting with artificial harmonics, you will encounter the challenge of actually playing the notes.

Playing natural harmonics is relatively easy. Due to the string being played open, you can simply strike the string with your right hand, and play the harmonic with a finger on your left hand (assuming you play right-handed). When playing artificial harmonics, you have a slight problem: your left hand is usually too far down the fretboard of the guitar, where you are fretting the new fundamental tone, to sound the harmonic node point.

Artificial Harmonics on Guitar

To sound artificial harmonics, you need to strike the string as close to the bridge as possible, while still being able to reach the desired node point with your index finger on your right hand. If you are using a pick, you strike the string with the pick resting between your thumb and middle finger, while the index finger is extended to the node point. If you use a thumb pick, it is a bit easier, and gives you more flexibility and reach.

Artificial harmonics can be played on acoustic / classical or electric guitars. With the acoustic guitars, the artificial harmonics create a pleasant “harp-like” sound. Electric guitars allow you to boost the gain and volume, to really crank out sounds from nodal points that normally would be too subtle or subdued to notice.

How to Play an Artificial Harmonic Using The Fingerpicking Technique

Hold down a note with your left hand, and use the index finger of your right hand to create the same 'soft touch' that your left hand uses to create an open-string harmonic. Use your other fingers or a pick to play the note.

As with playing natural harmonics, this is difficult to do quickly. Pinch harmonics are a quicker and smoother way to incorporate artificial harmonics into your playing.

How to Play An artificial Harmonic Using The Pinch Technique

First of all, be sure that your picking technique is correct, your posture is good, and that you have plenty of practice playing with different techniques.

With other types of harmonics, the touching finger and plucking finger are different. With pinch harmonics, the thumb does both the 'soft touch' and picking work.

To create a pinch harmonic:

• Hold the pick so that it is only just poking out from the bottom of your thumb.
• Hold down a note with your left hand
• Place your right hand halfway between the fretted note and the bridge
• Hit the string with the pick, and immediately after the note is struck, use your thumb to soft touch and produce the harmonic.

How to Play an Artificial Harmonic Using The Double Attack Technique

The double attack technique of playing harmonics is credited to JK Hays, guitarist in Stidham Hays. It produces a clear, sweet-sounding harmonic.

To play a double attack harmonic:

• Hold down a note with your left hand
• Hold the pick as you normally would, with your right index finger
• Hold your hand over the node that you want to use to create a harmonic (halfway, a third of the way, a quarter of the way, or a fifth of the way between the fretted note and the bridge)
• Pluck the string with your right hand middle finger, and then touch the pick to the string lightly to create a harmonic.

Video Lesson On How to Play Natural Harmonics On Guitar

Guitar Artificial Harmonics Exercise

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Songs that Utilize Guitar Harmonics

That's all for this guitar lesson on artificial harmonics.

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