?'s About Different Types of Harmonics

[Corwin29]

Hello everybody! I have been really into learning harmonics lately and I know how do artificial and natural harmonics pretty good already. But what is the point of artificial vs natural harmonics.?And what not does each one produce so to say?

[champbassist]

Natural harmonics are produced when you play harmonics on an open string: these harmonics generate the overtone series corresponding to the frequency of the open string.

With artificial harmonics, the harmonics are played on fretted notes. E.g., if you fret the 6th fret on the G string and place your thumb on the 13th fret and pluck behind it (i.e. towards the bridge), you get an artificial harmonic which is a fifth above the fretted note. The fretted note was C# and the harmonic you obtain is G#.

So, with natural harmonics, you're limited to the harmonics that feature in the overtone series of the open strings' frequencies (i.e. only the harmonics produced off the notes E, A, D, G). OTOH, with artificial harmonics, you can generate harmonics based on the overtones relating to any note you fret and not just E, A, D, G.

Hope that helps

[Jpeachbass]

Harmonics are fantastic. And are fast becoming more than a parlor trick. The post before me did a good jub of answering your question. But if you dive further check out Jaco Pastorius on Portrait of tracy and some of his other stuff. A true master of the bass and harmonics. Also Victor wootens amazing grace off a show off hands and again live with bela fleck and the flecktones on live art disc 2. There are also a few books out there that map the harmonics. I dont know your background or your playing expiriance but if you havent heard of these guys, Listen to them and listen hard.

[Corwin29]

Yeah. I heard of both of them . I have been playing for a year and just learned both techniques. I was wondering when I should use which one. I am trying to learn portrait of tracy and have the songs down besides this chord
G|---[4]-----[5]-------------|---------[4]-|-[4]--------------------||
D|---[5]-[3]-----[4]-----[5]-|---------[4]-|-[5]--------------------||
A|-3-------------[5]-[3]-----|-2(6)--------|--3-----------------0-2-||
E|----------------3----------|------0------|-----[5]--------3-0-----|| all the chords in this line. This song is one awsome song. took me a month to get all down but this part

[champbassist]

Originally Posted by Corwin29

Yeah. I heard of both of them . I have been playing for a year and just learned both techniques. I was wondering when I should use which one. I am trying to learn portrait of tracy and have the songs down besides this chord
G|---[4]-----[5]-------------|---------[4]-|-[4]--------------------||
D|---[5]-[3]-----[4]-----[5]-|---------[4]-|-[5]--------------------||
A|-3-------------[5]-[3]-----|-2(6)--------|--3-----------------0-2-||
E|----------------3----------|------0------|-----[5]--------3-0-----|| all the chords in this line. This song is one awsome song. took me a month to get all down but this part

This part is simple enough,TBH (the last chord of the song is what's really difficult!). Can you be a bit more specific as to what the problem is?

[Corwin29]

The G chord and the C chord with the 4 and 5 as the natural harmonics if u know what i mean