The Pinch Harmonic Thread

[Chris]

I can do these like nobody's business, and had a buddy on another site ask for advice on them. I made this craptastic video to show my right hand. Excuse the obnoxious fuckin' riff and vibrato.

YouTube - Pinch Harmonics

And basically how I hold the pick for channeling my inner Zakk. I do NOT usually use this much gain. My advice to him (and anyone else) is to dial in a sillyass supergain patch like this one and just woodshed them until you get the feel for how they're done.

Anyone have a better way to explain it?

[7 Strings of Hate]

you hold the pick in a more traditional way, i notice most of you guys do, i find the way i learned seems to let your thumb brush across the strings easier.

as for how i hold it, imagine a pair of soggy underwear that you found in your car seat and you had to pick it up, thats how i hold my pick.

its one of those things thats hard to explain, and just needs lots of practice


also, vibrato really helps the harmonics along too for people starting out, i guess it kinda carries the harmonic a little longer

[distressed_romeo]

I'll have to spend some time with this, as I actually spent a fair bit of time practicing these this afternoon to get the pinch harmonic in the Inside Four Walls riff to really scream. Model timing sir!

[shannon]

Channel the spirit of Zakk & Dime. Enough said!

[giannifive]

And obviously you have to pick in the right location to get the right harmonic...

Other than that, it's just one of things that's hard to teach, like walking or breathing.

[7 Strings of Hate]

Originally Posted by giannifive

Other than that, it's just one of things that's hard to teach, like walking or breathing.

or shittin

[giannifive]

Originally Posted by 7 strings of hate

as for how i hold it, imagine a pair of soggy underwear that you found in your car seat and you had to pick it up, thats how i hold my pick.

You hold the pick with your teeth?

[Regor]

Originally Posted by Chris

I do NOT usually use this much gain. My advice to him (and anyone else) is to dial in a sillyass supergain patch like this one and just woodshed them until you get the feel for how they're done.

Fucking pussy!

I don't understand why you would suggest to someone to make a sillass supergain patch? Are you suggesting he do that just to learn, and then go back to less gain?? Then what's the point? If he can't figure out how to do them on less gain, then he'll be dependent on the high gain setting.

PH's are so integral to my style of playing. That's why I use my sillyass supergain settings all the time. Imaging Zakk Wylde crossed with Adam D. from Killswitch... that's me on stage


Oh, and on a 'suggestive' note, there's two major spots to strike the string with the pick. One, the most common, would be directly in the middle of where 2 humbuckers would be (which is why I can't play a H/S/H guitar, the S gets in the way!), and the other is right behind the neck pickup (again, humbucker size). You can get two different pitches hitting the same fret. I utilize this in one of Justdefy's songs, Sacrificial Pride.

[eelblack2]

Nice slap-tastic ending.

About the only thing I can add, to make is easier for a beginner, is try JazzIII sized picks at first. It's easier to "choke up", and the sharper point releases the string more reliably so that the meaty side of the thumb and make contact.

[Psychoticsnoman]

^Jazz III's are the shit, Only problem I have with them is losing them when I want to play other than that I have a ton lying around.

I've been playing them so long I can't play with regular sized picks anymore