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Post by scott on Apr 27, 2006 14:37:44 GMT 9
hey everyone
i was wondering, what's the deal with harmonics? i mean i know how to play them but i don't get why that little bit of pressure makes a sound and why some harmonics notes are different to the regular notes on the same fret. what's the go?
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Dogil
Lead Freak
I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!
Posts: 194
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Post by Dogil on Apr 29, 2006 7:55:13 GMT 9
Hi Scott. As we all know the notes produced as we strike the strings at any given fret are a result of mathematics and physics. The sound we hear is from the oscillation of the string, but many factors influence this movement. I have tossed in a couple of sites to check out, the one from harmony central is techo, but the other is more simply put. Basically, when you strike a string it doesn't just wobble back and forth in one move, it has a wave motion that passes the full length of the string. Here's where the maths/physics comes in...when you touch the oscillating string at the 5th 7th or 12th fret, you change the focal point of the oscillation which essentially gives you two wave forms, one each side of the focal point. Different wave = different sound. ;D I am certainly no expert and am happy to be clarified or corrected, but I think I basically have it. cheers www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/harmonics.htmlwww.guitarforbeginners.com/harmonics.html
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Dogil
Lead Freak
I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!
Posts: 194
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Post by Dogil on Apr 29, 2006 8:10:50 GMT 9
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Post by scott on Apr 29, 2006 18:05:53 GMT 9
whoa! if i didn't already know a bit of high school physics that would have done my head in. i wonder if the person who invented the guitar knew about harmonics or if it was a huge coincidence. thanks Dogil
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Post by Troy Dann on Apr 30, 2006 19:43:26 GMT 9
The same principle applies for the other stringed instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass) so perhaps the inventor had that in mind
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Dogil
Lead Freak
I reject your reality and substitute my own!!!
Posts: 194
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Post by Dogil on May 1, 2006 7:03:08 GMT 9
For those watchers of MythBusters - this is a similar principle to the myth of the regiment walking across the bridge, all marching in time, and the resultant vibration on the bridge established a harmonic wave that caused the bridge to break up. Goes to show everything has harmonics - except of course..........DRUMS!! ;-)
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Post by scott on May 11, 2006 14:16:27 GMT 9
oh yeah forgot about that. mythbusters is a sweet show. i love it how they just go round and blow stuff up for the fun of it and try to inflict damage on each other. only thing wrong with the show is that they destroy some pretty cool cars. hey also on the subject of harmonics, i've heard the word artificial harmonics before. is that just when you get a harmonic sound off one of the frets other than 5, 7 and 9?
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Post by handyandy on Jul 21, 2006 23:06:00 GMT 9
Artificial harmonics are a completely different technique to natural harmonics.
Natural harmonics are when the left hand is used to produce the harmonic by lightly resting the finger on the string and plucking with the right hand (you reverse this for lefties, but I'm a righty so that's how I'll be talking). You can do this on a wide range of frets, not just the 5th, 7th, 12th, etc., but these do produce the clearest tones.
Artificial harmonics are actually a right hand technique. You press down completely with your left hand on a fret, then play the note with the right hand (and a pick and a lot of distortion and treble help but are not completely necessary). But once you've played the note, you quickly brush your thumb on your strumming hand lightly on the string at one of the sweet spots near the pickups (electric) or sound hole (acoustic). You'll need to experiment to find the places that produce these harmonics, and the third string is usually the easiest to produce these on. There are plenty of sites on the internet that describe it better than I just have. Artificial harmonics may also be known as pinch harmonics.
Sorry I've rambled a bit there. Hope that clarifies the difference between the two.
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Post by petox on Jul 31, 2006 19:24:10 GMT 9
Artificial harmonics can be produced without a pick, too. They are essentially the same as sounding a natural harmonic with your right hand. To get them without a pick, just lightly touch the string with your index or middle (or whatever is most comfortable) finger of your right hand, lightly like you would if you were getting a natural harmonic. Then pick the string with your right hand thumb behind your finger (ie between finger and bridge). Since they're pretty much natural harmonics, they work best at the 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 17th, 19th etc frets. You can also fret a note and pick an artifical harmonic at a fret at the same relative distance (eg left hand on 3rd fret, harmonic at 15th fret - a distance of 12 frets). I hope this makes sense As handyandy said, when they're produced with a pick they're more often called pinch harmonics, but they are the same basic principle
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nicthewilly
Strummer
Blow The Hoodoo Out'a Him!
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Post by nicthewilly on Dec 21, 2006 8:50:04 GMT 9
isnt that linke a pinch harmonic or sumthink?
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