Harmonics tab

[eriky4003]

I'm trying to use harmonics for a part in a song which has bells.
The harmonic notes I require are a D and C. I was able to find the E & B (E - 7th fret, G string, B - 7th fret, D string).
Anyone gots?
Thx.

[Bainbridge]

D? You have it as an open string. That gives you the octave harmonic (12th fret) and fifteenth (5th) above. For the C, you're going to need to finger a note. Try tapping an octave above any given C, a perfect fourth above a C, or a perfect fifth above an F.

Edit: You also have C as a natural harmonic on the D string halfway between the second and third fret. It'll be out of tune, but it might be close enough for your application. There is also a C available a touch harmonic a major third above a fingered Ab.

[neebs]

Uhm... I can think of achieving a C harmonic in a few ways. Fret down on your C on your A string, then perform a pinch harmonic on your.. uhmm... 8th fret I believe. You could do that, and get the D harmonic on your 5th fret D string.. or 7th fret G string.

I think the easiest way.. though would be downtune your D string a whole step, 5th fret on your now C string. And 7th Fret on your G string.

I suck at harmonics.. and can hardly EVer perform a clean pinch harmonic.

You could also fret on your 5th fret G string, and perform a pinch harmonic on your 10th fret G string. Try all those ways.. see what works for you.

I think the easiest would be downtuning your D.. but obviously that'll change your note posistions.

Try the pinch harmonic on your A and G string.. see which is easier. I'm going to bet The A string will be easier to perform.

[neebs]

Originally Posted by Bainbridge

D? You have it as an open string. That gives you the octave harmonic (12th fret) and fifteenth (5th) above. For the C, you're going to need to finger a note. Try tapping an octave above any given C, a perfect fourth above a C, or a perfect fifth above an F.

That wouldn't sound very bell like though, would it? I'd imagine that'd sound very similar to the fretted note.

[Bainbridge]

You'd lose some resonance, yes. The best bet might be at fret 2.75 on the D string, or retune the D string. I've seen videos of guys that retune to get the note while playing, but that's fairly advanced technique.

[neebs]

Ah, Yeah.. I can never remember the notes at those intervals. I usually just remember the 5th fret and 12th fret, it is the note of the open string. And the 7th fret, it's the 5th of the string. Then the pinch harmonics created from the fretted note, with their respective harmonics and 5ths.

[eriky4003]

Thanks for the help, folks. I'll try your suggestions tonight.
For everyone/anyone else, I did find a site by Mutantbass with this link: http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&...oeQh9ek7EZ8aPQ
Displays a neck with the harmonics on it.

[neebs]

Oh check that out! There are several natural C harmonics on the D string. Hehe.

[Bainbridge]

If by "several", you mean two.

[eriky4003]

Got what I needed.
Full answer: E (seventh fret A string), D (seventh fret, G string), C (just above tenth fret, D string), B (ninth fret, G string).
Rock out!

[neebs]

Originally Posted by Bainbridge

If by "several", you mean two.

I have several ways to say things... often times they do not mean what they say.. several times.

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by eriky4003

Got what I needed.
Full answer: E (seventh fret A string), D (seventh fret, G string), C (just above tenth fret, D string), B (ninth fret, G string).
Rock out!

I reckon you'd need active pickups to get some of those harmonics to sound any good.

[eriky4003]

MarkMgibson,
Tried them out last night with a set of phones on and the only one not ringing nicely is the C. Followed the advice of Mutantbass - playing close to the bridge and using a fingernail for clarity.
Will test out tomorrow night at rehearsal with band.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by MarkMgibson

I reckon you'd need active pickups to get some of those harmonics to sound any good.

Why? No good reason to assume this at all. Solo the bridge PUP, careful technique, bump the mids, and you should be good on just about any bass with a bridge PUP. Having active EQ on the bass might make life easier just for a mid boost for that song, but whether the pickups themselves are active or passive is pretty much irrevelant

John

Jogn

[champbassist]

A chart listing out the harmonics on a guitar fretboard (obviously works for bass as well, click to enlarge):



If there are any occasions where I need to use harmonics which are not available or impossible to articulate, I'll either use the tap harmonics idea that Bainbridge points out or play Jaco style artificial harmonics, though the latter is slightly difficult to get right.

[oniman7]

Fret a C and then strike the fret 12 above it. So in this case, fret the C on the A string and then strike the 15th fret. If done well, you'll get as much resonance as a standard harmonic.

[Clef_de_fa]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6Fcs2ZCwRw

fast foward to 4:00 min and you will have everything you need to know ...

[neebs]

Originally Posted by champbassist

A chart listing out the harmonics on a guitar fretboard (obviously works for bass as well, click to enlarge):



If there are any occasions where I need to use harmonics which are not available or impossible to articulate, I'll either use the tap harmonics idea that Bainbridge points out or play Jaco style artificial harmonics, though the latter is slightly difficult to get right.

If you know more about this chart.. could you please explain. I've been using harmonics every chance I get. And this chart just opened my eyes

On the line with the headstock/body.. what are the letter/number combinations?

Between Above mentioned Line, and Line that represents the E string... what are the fractions meaning?

And lastly... what the heck are the + and - signs after some of the note names... on every line?

[Bainbridge]

You have to understand what a harmonic is to really get the most out of that chart. An oscillator (guitar string, drum skin, chimes, flute's air column, anything that produces a sound... except for sine waves) will produce a fundamental pitch as well as a bunch of other pitches that are secondary to that. Those lesser pitches are commonly called partials, overtones, or harmonics. Harmonics are always going to be higher in pitch than the fundamental, and will exist as divisions of the fundamental.

The fundamental pitch will be at a ratio of 1:1, meaning that the for the length of the string (1), there will be one cycle of vibration for that pitch. The next harmonic divides the string into two parts, so the ratio is 2:1. This is the harmonic that you get at the 12th fret. The next harmonic divides the string into three parts (3:1). You can get this harmonic at fret 7 and 19. The next one is 4:1, dividing the string into four parts. You can get this at frets 5 and 24. A 2:4 node also exists at 12, but for reasons that I am unsure of, you can't get it to sound there. You can observe it, though, if you play a harmonic at 5 or 24, then touch the node at the 12th fret: the harmonics won't cancel out, and you should still be able to hear the 4:1 harmonic. 5:1 is located at 4, 9, 16, and 21. So, as you go further up the overtone series, the divisions of the fundamental become more and more, and there are more nodes for these harmonics.



One thing to keep in mind: also as you go higher into the series, the relative volume of the overtones becomes weaker. Technically, whenever you pluck a string, you get every pitch imaginable. You don't hear them, though, because higher harmonics are quieter and decay faster. This also explains why it is more difficult to sound a 8:1 harmonic than it is to bring out a 2:1 harmonic. These pitches occur in a logarithmic fashion. Notice here that the lower harmonics are farther apart in pitch, and the higher ones occur closer together:



You'll see that there are some pitches that have asterisks over them. This indicates that those pitches aren't exactly what they are notated as; they fall outside of twelve-tone equal temperament, which is why I said that the C harmonic on the D string would be out of tune (as C would be the seventh harmonic of D). This is reflected on champbassist's chart with "+" and "-", indicating that a partial is either a little sharp or a little flat of the 12tet pitch. Eventually, beyond this chart, you get all sorts of microtones and the difference between one harmonic and the next is a matter of mere cents. It keeps going to fractions of cents, and even beyond that. For music, though, we use the lower harmonics. Bass, you might go up to the 8th harmonic (maybe), while French horns and alphorns play entirely above the 8th harmonic, where the partials start to resemble a scale.

[neebs]

Oh thank you very much Bainbridge!