If this is in the wrong place mods please move it. I've been trying to learn portrait of tracy by jaco lately and theres one harmonic I can't seem to get off fast enough. The harmonic where you fret the second fret on "a" (note b) and pluck a harmonic on the sixth fret. I know practice will help but I was wondering how anyone else has pulled this harmonic off. Personally I fret the second fret with my left hand and "pinch" the harmonic on the sixth fret with my right hand. This probably is slower because I have to move my hand from the bridge and pickups to where I am playing. I went through about 10 pages in a search so I'm sorry if this has been asked before. If there are any other ways to pull off this harmonic your help would be much appreciated.
I have trouble with that stretch also. I fret the B and tap the harmonic at the 6th fret. It's a little faster than pinching it.
Hope that helps a little.
Try fretting the 1st fret on the D string (the fretted note is Eb) and doing a pinch harmonic at about where the 25th fret would be. It rings out a lot clearer.
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"On the one, baby." - William "Bootsy" Collins
I have fairly long fingers, but I play it by fretting the 2nd fret with my pointer finger and touching the 6th fret with my pinky (both from the left hand) and plucking it normally with my right hand. I have to take my elbow in a bit and move my wrist around but it's way faster than doing a pinch harmonic..hope this helps.
Try fretting the 1st fret on the D string (the fretted note is Eb) and doing a pinch harmonic at about where the 25th fret would be. It rings out a lot clearer.
That's how I've learned to do it-I saw Victor Wooten show it on his interview on teh Bass Day dvd-he said he could never really get that stretch. Neither can I. Jaco had pretty big hands.
I have fairly long fingers, but I play it by fretting the 2nd fret with my pointer finger and touching the 6th fret with my pinky (both from the left hand) and plucking it normally with my right hand. I have to take my elbow in a bit and move my wrist around but it's way faster than doing a pinch harmonic..hope this helps.
This is the way my bass teacher does it and I've been trying it for a while. It's a good stretch, but I've been getting better at it with practice. I look at it as a hand strecthing exercise. The more I can stretch my fingers, the better.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. I would just work on finger stretching but it's a cold winter here and the webbing between my fingers is "chapped". I can't seem to tap the harmonic as fast as I can pinch it but so far I am able to use funkonthewall's suggestion for it requires minimal movement until I'm able, if ever to do the stretch. Thanks!
On a Jazz Bass, fret the A string at the 6th fret and play the harmonic right over the neck pickup polepieces by lightly resting your index finger over the pickup and plucking with your thumb behind your index finger.
You MUST hold down B nat. and stretch to the Eb. Nothing else gets the sound. All you have to do is work on the stretch. I am 5'9", and my hands aren't so big, but I can pull it off. NO EXCUSES!
You MUST hold down B nat. and stretch to the Eb. Nothing else gets the sound. All you have to do is work on the stretch. I am 5'9", and my hands aren't so big, but I can pull it off. NO EXCUSES!
You MUST hold down B nat. and stretch to the Eb. Nothing else gets the sound. All you have to do is work on the stretch. I am 5'9", and my hands aren't so big, but I can pull it off. NO EXCUSES!
Mmmm...possible hand injuries for the sake of getting a single note that only sounds for half a second to have a slightly different tone than if it was played as a false harmonic. Sounds worth it to me
Mmmm...possible hand injuries for the sake of getting a single note that only sounds for half a second to have a slightly different tone than if it was played as a false harmonic. Sounds worth it to me
+1
I think I'll stick with my pinched harmonic.
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Originally Posted by HollowBassman
Doesn't she know that they're not really people until the age of about three?
If I can pull this "stretch" off with no problem. What it comes down to is having the perfect technique. I practice my technique constantly, and I like to give my hand a challenge- I suggest you all do the same. As far as hand injuries go, try playing Tocatta Marziale on DB.... PoT is CAKE.
I would also like to point out that there are two other instances in PoT where you must actually stretch your fingers to where it may be uncomfortable for some- also, you CANNOT pull off those parts with pinch harmonics (to the best of my knowledge).
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"We play basses with more than four strings to make you ask stupid questions. Other than that they're completely useless."- Benjamin Strange
You MUST hold down B nat. and stretch to the Eb. Nothing else gets the sound. All you have to do is work on the stretch. I am 5'9", and my hands aren't so big, but I can pull it off. NO EXCUSES!
Other than fretting at the second fret and playing the natural harmonic at the 18th or 30th fret (or where the 30th fret would be... somewhere above the pickups) gets exactly the same sound, much easier.
You're just looking for a node that will split the string into fifths. With the string fretted at the second fret that's near the 6th, 11th, 18th and 30th frets.
If you absolutely must do it exactly as Jaco did, with all the associated wrist contortion, the sixth fret node is actually slightly left of the sixth fret.
They are the bits in the middle - to end bit - the first is from the decending C-B-Bb-A bit and then the following one is one the G# - where you fret the Ab on the D string and the Eb on the G - I think
In reference to the orginal question Wooten does a pinched harmonic but he still frets the B on the A string - because he finds the 'normal' stretch hard - but I do the it the 'proper' way
Other than fretting at the second fret and playing the natural harmonic at the 18th or 30th fret (or where the 30th fret would be... somewhere above the pickups) gets exactly the same sound, much easier.
You're just looking for a node that will split the string into fifths. With the string fretted at the second fret that's near the 6th, 11th, 18th and 30th frets.
If you absolutely must do it exactly as Jaco did, with all the associated wrist contortion, the sixth fret node is actually slightly left of the sixth fret.
Wrist contortion? Come on you guys, Jaco isn't super-human... anyone can pull his **** off, it just takes practice. BTW, what is a node?
This may be obvious, but when you try the left-hand fretting the B and then pinching the harmonic closer to the bridge (rather than over the ~6th fret where Jaco played it), the exact way of determining where to pinch the harmonic is measure the distance from the fretted B to the ~6th fret and then use that same distance from the saddle on the bridge to locate the spot.
I read people referencing approximate fret numbers and PU locations, but I just thought I'd throw this out since it's a little more absolute. In practice, you can find it quickly as it's wherever it rings out the clearest.
I'm with the guys that pinch it rather than kill your hand for such a brief-sounding note!
