Sliding harmonics?

Frank Martin · #1 07-01-2006, 08:55 AM

This thing has baffled me for too long.
I've tried many ways to get around it: hammering-on a higher pitched harmonic, applying pressure on the inactive part of the string, tuning up; the closest was forced harmonics and sliding the root note, but that was still far from it.
Has anyone figured it out?
Thanks

Jazz Ad · #2 07-01-2006, 08:57 AM

A fretless bass makes things much easier. Do you use one ?

It's dead simple to do. play your harmonic, then press the string against the board and slide your finger up or down.
Don't press too hardly on the board or it will kill the harmonic with a hammer.
I can also be done on a fretted but it's more difficult to avoid ringing the string on the fret.

vashts80 · #3 07-01-2006, 06:00 PM

It took me about three tries to get it right, but to actually get the harmonic sliding to ring loudly is very hard.

Basically you sound a harmonic (say the 5th fret harmonic on the D string) and press down on it while sliding up and down the board. It's a lot more difficult on a fretted bass than a fretless.

anomalybass · #4 07-01-2006, 07:17 PM

The only way I can get them to sound good on a fretted bass is to crank the mids and highs. I'm using the same tech you would use w/ a fretless, but since I have to change the eq so drastically everything sounds like crap except the harmonic. I'm sure there's a happy medium between fingerstyle tech, eq settings, and volume to get everything to sound good as a whole. -joe

mmuel817 · #5 07-03-2006, 02:58 AM

i dont think its very hard on a fretted. i do it a lot when im sustaining harmonics, because you can do vibrato then. like they said, push down so your almost touching the fingerboard then slide up. when youre where you want to be, you can have the string actually down. like you can play a high B over the 4th fret of the g, if you want to hold it out, try playing a high a over about the 3rd fret on your d then sliding up and holding the string down on the 5th fret. itll play the b, but since you have your finger down, its easier to sustain it, and you can add vibrato.

Frank Martin · #6 07-03-2006, 09:33 AM

Thanks, I'll continue trying, then.
I tried mainly on fretted, but also on a fretless abg. The sound was far from loud enough, though.

tZer · #7 07-03-2006, 10:36 AM

Yep - fretless is a no-brainer with sliding harmonics. I did see a guy play a 'slide' bass part (used a guitar slide) on his fretted bass once. He did not slide harmonics - and I would imagine that would be tricky with a slide because it would probably make the note ring instead of the harmonic... hmmm... not sure how you would pull that off with a fretted bass.

lola99 · #8 07-13-2006, 09:58 PM

Well I'm trying to learn to slide, and end up shredding my fingers while doing so. It sounds OK, I think, but is this normal? I don't want to get blood all over the frets

mmuel817 · #9 07-13-2006, 11:22 PM

you either need new strings or new callouses. whens the last time you changed strings?

lola99 · #10 07-14-2006, 12:10 AM

The strings are two months old. I think I'm using an unfamiliar and uncalloused part of my finger while sliding. I suppose it will toughen up after a while? I mean you put pressure on the string with your finger and slide down or up while keeping the string down.

Damn, I wish I could afford a teacher

PrimusNut · #11 07-14-2006, 12:19 AM

newer strings hurt my fingers more because the arent worn out... yes you will build callouses there, but it will hurt like hell for a little while, and ur fingers may even blister (which really hurts, but is worth it because it wont happen againa fter you get tough callous pads).

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #12 07-14-2006, 01:15 AM

Just keep trying. With practice and patience you'll get it, but one thing's for sure: It can be done on a fretted bass, but the fretless is much more friendly for that technique. IME, sliding an harmonic more than a major second on a fretted bass results in a very noticeable mix of the harmonic plus the fretted note, because the frets kill the harmonic faster. On a fretless, you can go as far as you want. Here is an excerpt of a song I recorded some years ago and you can hear a one octave slide played with my (overdubbed) fretless. I'd be really amazed if someone can do the same thing on a fretted bass (not a challenge, of course

).

lola99 · #13 07-14-2006, 01:47 AM

Thank you for the advice. Yes, my fingers are blistering and it's good to know that the pain is normal. In a couple of weeks I should have nice callouses there. The shame of it is that if I ever do find a band to play with, I can't think of a better effect than frets dripping with blood. Oh, well.

Listening to Alvaro's clip has given me a serious inferiority complex. Damn, in a few months I'll need people to play with!

Ericman197 · #14 07-14-2006, 01:57 AM

Have you ever heard of a tapped harmonic? Press down on the 1st fret and pluck the harmonic at the Xth + 1 fret. That is, instead of playing the harmonic at the 7th fret, you do it at the 8th because you're pressing down on the first fret.

Try it at the 12th fret first: Press the 12th fret down and tap the 24th fret harmonic.

Jazz Ad · #15 07-14-2006, 06:59 PM

That would be an artificial harmonic, or fretted harmonic.

Alec W. Conway · #16 07-15-2006, 09:42 PM

Pluck your hamonics nearer to your bridge, helps them sounds louder.

Oh and, tapped harmonics rule, you can get some nice sounds out of those. Like hold a 3 string chord with your fret hand and tap a complementary harmonic through that, it can make a nice difference in the sounds, and it also looks pro-like

cord · #17 07-17-2006, 08:24 PM

i can slide harmonics on a fretted bass......

would you like a video?

vyse933 · #18 07-17-2006, 09:24 PM

cord · #19 07-18-2006, 06:17 PM

ill get on it

PIZZAcato · #20 07-20-2006, 11:42 PM

where's this video man?