sliding harmonics

tomstoats · #1 08-19-2004, 09:48 AM

ive herd about sliding hamonics on a fretless i was just wondering if u guys had any idea how 2?

Juneau · #2 08-19-2004, 09:49 AM

Wrong section, actually is a thread in technique forum already about sliding and bending harmonics. Do a search in there and you should find it.

tomstoats · #3 08-19-2004, 09:53 AM

cheers sorry i havnt used the bord much so i didnt no bout that

**embellisher** · #4 08-19-2004, 12:39 PM

The way I slide a harmonic on a fretless is by playing the harmonic, and then immediately 'fretting' the note and sliding it up or down.

It takes some practice, you have to time it just right, and you have to pluck hard to get the harmonic to really come out, or it won't work as well. But it's not that hard.

You can also slide harmonics on a fretted, but it requires a lot more practice.

I am moving this to our Technique forum.

GrooveWarrior · #5 08-19-2004, 12:50 PM

Like Embellisher said, you have to really work on the timing and fret and slide as soon as you hit the harmonic. I'm trying to think of a song that has it so you could hear it. I will think of one later, I'm sure. I'm sure Manring or Willis or Bailey have recorded it before.

Wrong Robot · #6 08-19-2004, 01:11 PM

I don't think I've ever had a problem sliding harmonics on a fretless, it's really not THAT tricky, just give it a little practice and you'll be cool.

the real trick is sliding harmonics on a fretted, it's not impossible, but THAT's what really requires a lot of finesse and precision.

Whafrodamus · #7 08-19-2004, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrong Robot

I don't think I've ever had a problem sliding harmonics on a fretless, it's really not THAT tricky, just give it a little practice and you'll be cool.

the real trick is sliding harmonics on a fretted, it's not impossible, but THAT's what really requires a lot of finesse and precision.

Pfft.. Easy stuff :-p

Wrong Robot · #8 08-19-2004, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whafrodamus

Pfft.. Easy stuff :-p

Yea, it's easy, but it's still trickier than sliding on a fretless. That said, the real trick with the fretted comes from sliding great distances, +6 frets.

Whafrodamus · #9 08-19-2004, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrong Robot

Yea, it's easy, but it's still trickier than sliding on a fretless. That said, the real trick with the fretted comes from sliding great distances, +6 frets.

I can get about 6 or 7.. But an octave (as you mentioned) is tough.

Aaron Saunders · #10 08-21-2004, 03:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whafrodamus

I can get about 6 or 7.. But an octave (as you mentioned) is tough.

+1

I also enjoy bending a harmonic on a fretted. Hit the harmonic down and push the string down, but instead of sliding, bend the string as you normally would for any regular fretted note.

anomalybass · #11 10-17-2004, 11:39 PM

the way i slid harmonics on a fretted is to rest my right palm on the string and play the fretted note, then you can easily slide as far as you want because the note was fretted to begin with. the only down side is you never really know what note you're playing.

**Pacman** · #12 10-18-2004, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomalybass

the way i slid harmonics on a fretted is to rest my right palm on the string and play the fretted note, then you can easily slide as far as you want because the note was fretted to begin with. the only down side is you never really know what note you're playing.

So the way you slide harmonics is to not play harmonics to begin with?

**Vorago** · #13 10-18-2004, 04:45 AM

Aren't those some kind of pinched harmonics?

anomalybass · #14 10-21-2004, 11:50 PM

On a standard tuned 4 string, on the g string, finger the 2nd fret(a). Rest your pinkie where there is a harmonic behind your plucking finger. Pluck the harmonic w/ your pointer finger, and slide your left hand down the fretboard. The harmonic will slide. Since these harmonics are past the fretboard there is no way to tell what note you are hitting, or even consistantly hit that note. It's hard as hell to do, and serves almost no purpose...I just thought I was cool for 5 seconds when I figured it out. Please don't shoot.

Joe P · #15 10-22-2004, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomalybass

...Since these harmonics are past the fretboard there is no way to tell what note you are hitting, or even consistantly hit that note. It's hard as hell to do, and serves almost no purpose...

What??

Don't listen to him... First, you don't have to dink-around with the pinky-thing; you can just tap the string at the harmonic point, and they're not all off the fretboard - even the ones that are off the neck can fairly easily be referenced off the pickups or whatever. If you use the tap method rather than the pinky-ping, then you don't even have to be super-precise anyway (especially if you use compression all the time like I do). Also with this tap-ping method, you can control, or even modulate between a regular tap and a harmonic tap by how long you leave your tapping finger on the harmonic point - if you hot-potato off of the string right away it's a regular tapped note; if you slightly delay taking your finger away, then it comes out a harmonic - or anything in-between.

Dang - I gotta figue out how to post stuff. I do a part for the second guitar solo at the end of Day of the Eagle by Robin Trower inwhich I put one of these pings in every round that just sounds dynomite! ...and the harmonic point is over a FRET. ...And in You Don't Know How It Feels by (awww - who is that guy?), I play a whole harmonic harmony-part (two strings at once - actually, a three-note arpeggio in one spot) where the harmonica would usually go - all tapped harmonics - and it's NOT particularly hard to play! (and they're ALL over the fretboard).

It's not random or uncertain at all - it's very controllable and sure. ...now which string my thumb is going to hit when I'm thumping: THAT'S a craps-shoot!!

Joe

anomalybass · #16 10-22-2004, 12:15 PM

Were talking about SLIDING harmonics. Everyone knows how to play a F###### harmonic. You can't just tap the harmonic off the fret and slide it up the fretboard, you end up loosing the harmonic and playing other notes. Like I said, the only way I've been able to SLIDE a harmonic on a fretted bass is to palm mute the note w/ my right hand(so a random harmonic rings out) and slide the note.

elros · #17 10-22-2004, 03:33 PM

Dude, if your harmonics are sliding around, I suggest you replace them.

(sorry about the bad bad joke - it's late at night here in Norway)

anomalybass · #18 10-22-2004, 06:19 PM

Edited for language. No further warnings. ~Mod.

Joe P · #19 10-24-2004, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anomalybass

Were talking about SLIDING harmonics. Everyone knows how to play a F###### harmonic...

Anomoly: What's the deal, Dude? I don't know what was in the deleted message, but I hope it wasn't aimed at me again.

Was it the "Don't listen to him" part? I just harassed you with that because you 'invited' it by concluding with "Please don't shoot". I've usually found everyone here pretty friendly and family-like. Sheesch - if I can piss you off, then Heath must have managed to have you ready to kill him by now!

Besides that, these forums (ESPECIALLY the TECHNIQUE forum!) are full of folks that are working hard to push the limits of the instrument and of themselves. It seems to me to be not generally profitable to the pupose of this forum to throw out advice to someone who is asking for help in accomplishing something that "it's too hard" or "don't even bother" or "you have worthless aspirations" and the like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I have the wrong definition of 'sliding harmonics', but when I play a fretted harmonic by tapping the string at the harmonic point, and then I smoothly slide up the frets with the fretting hand, the harmonic slides with it. The main trick I've found is that if you press against the string too hard when sliding across many frets, then the frets clacking against the string acts kind of like a bow; progressively muting-out the harmonic, and replacing it with the conventional fundamental note. Because of this I press the strings to the fretboard as lightly as I dare when sliding (but of course if you ever LIFT the string at all, it immediately kills the harmonic!). I use compression (always on), and I think this can make a pretty big difference when playing a lot of harmonics mixed-in with conventionally plucked or tapped notes.

You said "Everyone knows how to play a harmonic". You know that's not true, Man - it may have all come to you from above or something, but most of us had to learn everything we know. Also I assume you meant more like "sound a harmonic", because most of us know that hardly anyone actually plays music with them - but I'm finding them to be quite useful and musical. I had no idea how beautifull and clear and controllable and useful harmonics were until within the last year, since I've been seriously endevouring to move in the direction of bass guitar mastery.

Wishing you the best -

Joe

anomalybass · #20 10-24-2004, 06:59 PM

I apologize for being rude. I didn't think you realized I was talking about sliding harmonics as opposed to just playing them. I thought you were attacking my insight w/o fully understanding what I was trying to say. You are right though, it is never good to give beginners advice on techniques that won't help them be better bass players. I do see this technique as rather pointless. As far as the edited post, it wasn't anything aimed at you, I was just telling elros "at least he wasn't being a jerk like I was". The word jerk was replaced w/ a word that we are not allowed to say. That was after I realized how snippy I had gotten.

Again, I'm sorry.