Potrait of tracy harmonic chords

[KingCrimson]

Any advice on how to hit these, they are godamn tricky i get em muted when i try and do them.

stuff like

G-------------------
D----4--------------
A----5--------------
E----3--------------

[brandau]

I hear you. Try just the harmonics first using your pinky for the 5 and ring finger for the 4. Get that stretch happening. Once you get those sounding good add the G (3) with your first finger. Pluck the G with you thumb and the 4 and 5 with you index and middle finger. Also pluck close to the bridge. Patience!! It is Jaco after all

[OliverH]

Spend a bit of time getting to know where the harmonics lie. They aren't exactly on the 3rd, 4th and 5th fret markers. I don't have my bass with me right now but from memory the 2nd octave is right on the 5th fret, the major 3rd is about 7/8ths of the way to the 4th fret from the 5th and the perfect 5th is about 3/4 of the way from the 4th fret to the 3rd.

...if all of that makes sense (and I got it right). Practice just finding the harmonics on each string individually. Playing the harmonic chords is just an extension of that, and bending your hand into the right shape.

[standupright]

pluck down near the bridge.....lightly

[quale213]

Portait of Tracy is a crash course in alot of advanced bass technique. I just practiced the changes constantly from that G-D-Gb harmonic, and then the same on the top, C-D-B. Just practice the changes and you will get it down.

[BrennP90]

Originally Posted by brandau

I hear you. Try just the harmonics first using your pinky for the 5 and ring finger for the 4. Get that stretch happening. Once you get those sounding good add the G (3) with your first finger. Pluck the G with you thumb and the 4 and 5 with you index and middle finger. Also pluck close to the bridge. Patience!! It is Jaco after all

Also try quickly raking across all three strings. I usually try to stay away from raking but with Portrait of Tracy I really found it helped bring out jaco's sound (or atleast my attempt at it ).

[KingCrimson]

Thanks for the advice. My only thing is with that chord (i have the stretch no prob) is that every harmonic i hit sounds fine, just not all at once. if i just hit the G i get a nice harmonic, if i just hit the d then i get a nice one and if i just hit the f# i get a nice harmonic, its just when put all togethre some don't ring out better then others.

And yes i rake, maybe i'll try his other technique, makes sense sinc they are all getting hit idividualy

[quale213]

just keep practicing yo, sounds like youre well on youre way.

[DaneB]

Yeah, I found it really difficult to fret those chords, with the harmonics and the fretted root note. You're trying to tell your left hand to do two or three different things, and it doesn't like it :P

[TLW]

this song came pretty easily for me, I only got in trouble once i got to this part:

A A A A
G|---[7]----6----[7]----6----|---[4]-------------3---||
D|---[5]---[4]---[5]---[4]---|---[5]---[4]---3---3---||
A|---------------------------|---------[5]---3-------||
E|-4-----4-----4-----4-----0-|-3-----3-----3---3---0-||
G# G# A D

[chicagodoubler]

look on youtube.

there's a live concert where he plays everything but the last chord.