Harmonics, really...***! :-D

[tpmiller08]

Quick question. I learned harmonics....then I learned how to do them right

Then I played a show and someone showed me how to tune by ear using Harmonics. While is cool, easy, and another way for me to check my tuning.......but how does this work? I don't get it.

How come you can play a harmonic on the A note on the E string(5th fret), and play a harmonic on the *E* note on the A string(7th fret), and you get the same note?

I take it harmonics have different notes assigned to them than if you just fret the note, or am I way off here?

Thanks!


-Troy

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by tpmiller08

I take it harmonics have different notes assigned to them than if you just fret the note, or am I way off here?

Thanks!


-Troy

You are correct. Explore and enjoy.

[Asher S]

Lots of online charts/maps:

http://www.studybass.com/tools/chord...-note-printer/

http://www.advancebass.com/index.php...=article&id=42

Google to find more if you don't like those...

[JTE]

Harmonics are based on the overtones of the open string. You're dividing the string up different ways, and stopping lower waves from developing, so you get the sound of certain overtones.

Use the charts linked above to get really in to it, but here's a quick and dirty introduction. It's NOT the fret, it's the lenght of the string and how you're dividing it. Anytime you damp the string at half its lenght you get the octave (12th fret harmonic). If you divide the string in halves again, you get two octaves above the open string. That's the 5th fret and the 17th fret. If you divide in in thirds you get other overtones. That's why the harmonic at the 7th fret is different than the fretted note at the 7th fret. The 7th fret harmonic is a fifth of the open string.

They're all over the place, and you can make "artificial" ones by stopping the string with your left hand normally, then putting the side of your right-hand thumb on the node 12 frets higher, and plucking the string with another finger on your right hand. See videos of Jaco Pastorious to see how it's done. Look for "Birdland" with Weather Report especially. Or get a copy of his instructional video from DCI.

jte

[Banana_phone]

I thought you were talking about hamolodics (I´m tired like a banana) till i read this:"Then I played a show and someone showed me how to tune by ear using HARMOLODICS. While is cool, easy, and another way for me to check my tuning.......but how does this work? I don't get it."...

/random post nobody cares about

proceed

[Deacon_Blues]

The overtone "scale" (as the note's relation to the fundamental as if they were in the same octave. Every note is naturally higher than the previous one):

fundamental
octave
perfect fifth
octave
maj third
perfect fifth
minor seventh
octave
major second
major third
augmented fourth
etc...

However, when played on a string instrument, the overtones don't follow this scale exactly, due to some mechanical limitations regarding the string vibrations. There is an error that gets bigger the higher you go. However on a wind instrument you can play these overtones exactly as they are. You can also learn to sing the overtones, as they do in the Tuvan throatsinging Sygyt technique, for instance. I have learned some of this, that's why I'm pretty familiar with the overtone scale.

If you look at the scale again, you find that the third overtone on the E string is an E (E-E-B-E). The second overtone on the A string is E too (A-A-E). That's why you can tune pretty well using this system. Just keep in mind the notes played are not exactly the same. I've found you can easily tune a bass using this method, but on a guitar, you better not use it as the only way to tune.