Learning Guitar Harmonics

     Creating smooth, well-executed guitar harmonics are about the trickiest thing a player can do. Just as there are different ways to strum and pick, there are various ways to produce harmonics for guitar but the process, the actual technique for doing so, is delicate and so specific. The unusual tone of guitar harmonics, the actual split-second plucking and even the location of the frets that produce the guitar harmonics are all minute details that take a very long time to master and recognize. Learning the guitar harmonics takes time and patience, more so then many other techniques and while many guitarists use guitar-tuning harmonics, not many players even attempt to produce harmonics until they have been playing a very long time.

     First of all, it is good to know exactly what a harmonic for guitar sounds like. Since the player

is not actually pressing down on a string the tone produced for a harmonic is a ringing full tone, but not nearly as defined as one gets when plucking a note or strumming a chord. Think of the sound one makes when chanting one single note, like “ohm”, and you get the idea. There is no sharpness or attacked to a harmonic, it is a rounded tone much like the single chime of a doorbell.

Because of this unique quality of the tone, harmonics for guitar are not used all that often. They can end a quick lead flourish or be used behind other instruments to add color. In some modern pop songs they have been used to begin a song, most notably on the Yes song “Roundabout” or the very first note of The Rolling Stone’s “Angie”. Harmonics are nearly an artificial tone; the layman usually won’t even know where the harmonic is coming from when they hear it played.

Since the location of guitar harmonics is so specific this is probably the easiest aspect of producing these sounds. The frets for producing guitar harmonics are the fifth, seventh and twelfth. True, they don’t all produce the notes in exactly the same efficiency, some ring better then others, but in these positions you can produce the harmonic of the note of the fret you play with more or less regular frequency. There are also some harmonics that can be produced by plucking over or near the sound hole, and artificial harmonics for guitar can be produced anywhere (more about these later) but these types of harmonics are limited in tone and volume and require a more specific technique. Without the fret board you are more or less out in the wide-open, and artificial tones are more difficult to get then the usual harmonic. If a player wants a sure easy harmonic, they will want to play over those usual frets that produce guitar harmonics; 5th, 7th and 12th.

Now we come to technique. Touch and timing are the most important aspects of producing good guitar harmonics…even if it is guitar artificial harmonics you are striving for. A good way to learn how to produce the tone is to start by using guitar-tuning harmonics. This requires a good ear but not necessarily a perfect technique and since the player is not playing a song, he or she can take all the time they need. Over the twelfth fret, place your finger over the fret (taking care not to push the string down) just so your skin just touches the string, then nearly at the same time you pluck that string remove your finger. It really is spilt-second timing and even professional players will tell you they don’t produce a good full harmonic every time. But if you start by learning guitar tuning harmonics (the sound you produce on the 12th fret of the low E string, an E of course, will be as true for tuning as if you had plucked the string), you can follow this all the way down those six strings, creating those rich single harmonic tones you use to tune your guitar by. Of course you need to be able to tune a guitar by ear or be close enough to another tuned instrument to recognize if the harmonic is in tune! But this really is the way to produce a harmonic, and knowing the location of frets to produce harmonics you can attempt this technique to your heart’s content.

As cautioned earlier, producing artificial harmonics for guitar requires an altogether different approach. The great thing about the artificial harmonic is that it can be produced anywhere on the fret board. The player must push a note down on the fret (like he or she normally would) then touch that same string with their picking hand’s index finger exactly 12 frets higher. The player then plucks the string behind their index finger (this can be achieved by holding the pick between your thumb and middle finger), in fact this is a method Roy Clark favors. And while artificial harmonics do give you freedom where you can perform them, executing the technique could be more difficult for the novice to attempt.

Remember, for true harmonics it really is all in the timing more then hand position; touch nearly the tip of the finger over the string, then just as you pluck that string, lift your finger quickly. For artificial harmonics for guitar you can place your finger on any fret, but it requires more cooperation with both hands. Whichever method you choose, learning the guitar harmonics will come with time…and practice, practice, practice!