Help!!!!!!

[Duncanman]

Hello
I need help. My guitar teacher does this neat little bending trick on his guitar that I am unable to do. He puts his amp with high gain and then plays a few metal licks then he goes into a solo and eventually bends the string to where he gets the string to squeal and shreek like crazy. He told me to figure it out but i cant seem to do it. Although once i did do it on accident not trying but couldnt duplicate it. Some help would be great.

[janhein]

I think you are talking about an artificial harmonic. I'm still practicing it but this is the way it should be done:

When you stroke the string place the thumb of you're picking hand behind the pick so that it touches the string when you stroke. Try to find the right spot on the string to stroke.

Another trick is to "strangle" the neck. This means you squeeze the neck very hard and make wide vibrato's. This should ad some energy.

It's just a matter of practice, take your time to figure it out. Active pickups might help too. Hope this helps you out a bit.

Jan Hein

[Ice age coming]

i manage to do that if i hold the pick really near the finger tips and then you will be hitting with the pick and softly palming the string with the fingertip and remember to do this a special place over your pickups (you have to find this place yourself)..

[cormac]

I think he's doing the false harmonics that iceage is describing -- like Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top does, that's what it sounds like right? he's prolly one of the masters of it.

usually works best on the high e string farther up the fretboard -- 10th fret or higher i've found is easiest -- just like iceage said, get way down on your pick -- you'll find it without too much effort I think.

It's a really cool gimmick when you get it down -- great for blues stuff too.

good luck



iceage -- btw -- cool nick :)

[hot_rats!]

first off you need a pick

play some high riffs on the e b and g strings aroud frets 12-15 pentatonic licks should do

pick around the neck pickup while doing whole note bends

eventually you will get it accidentally, be ready!

take note on where you picked in relation to your neck pickup.( if it helps, my sweet spot is dead on the neck pickup, where my 24th fret should be if i had one)

oh yeah, you definitly need dist. and boosted mids will help the sustain

if you do it clean and notice it is quieter than other notes, you're doing right

[Dean Is Good]

This post will demistify artificial harmonics.

In order to execute an artificial harmonic, you must first understand the nature of harmonics themselves. A harmonic is created when you touch (not depress the string to the fret) the string at a certain point. The string can be divided into 1/2, then 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and so on to obtain this effect.

Use the traditional method for holding your pick when you are learning this - it will facilitate making the strings sound correctly. Place the pick in between your thumb and forefinger as your thumb and forefinger are facing opposite directions from one another just as on two sides of the street, cars move in opposite directions. Place your pick on the yellow line, so to speak.

When you create an artificial harmonic, what you are doing is pressing down on a fret, this fret beomes the temporarily new nut, and your right thumb touches the string as you pick downward. Remember from before that a harmonic is created when your finger touches the string (not with the string is depress to the fret wire). If the pick tip is close enough to your fingers, you should be able to make your fingers catch the string as you downpick a single string. This is how an artificial harmonic is created. Your thumb will touch the string immediately after the plectrum picks it. When you pick at the 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and so on points in relation to the depressed fret, you will created an artificial harmonic so long as your thumb catches the string with a sliding touch brushing past it downward at any of these points.

Follow those directions and find out what is comfortable for you. Ask questions if you don't get it.