Making Harmonics Louder.

kirbywrx · #1 09-07-2002, 09:46 PM

Last night while practising bass i was playing a bit of tool, and i heard a song that sounded like he played a harmonic at the start of the riff, and it sustained the whole time while he played the rest of the riff. I tried to do this, but the harmonic faded out very quickly, in fact before i could start playing the riff.

What im asking is, is there any way to make a harmonic louder, without turning the volume on the amp up, or even better, is there a way to make a harmonic sustain itself longer?

Thanks!
-Kirbo

SuperDuck · #2 09-07-2002, 10:25 PM

Harmonics should ring for a very long time. It's possible that you might have accidentally muted the string- it doesn't take much to kill a harmonic. And like any note, the harder you pluck it, the louder it will be. Having some highs in your signal can't hurt none, either.

scottos150 · #3 09-07-2002, 10:33 PM

I think on the song "dispsostion" by tool there bassist uses a delay effect, but I could be wrong.

Christopher · #4 09-08-2002, 01:30 AM

Lift your finger off of the harmonic node immediately after you pluck.

luisnovelo · #5 09-08-2002, 02:06 AM

soloing your bridge pickup.. (bridge pup's catch more harmonics than neck pup's)

BehindTheMoon · #6 09-08-2002, 08:03 PM

Fresher strings. Or better IMHO, old clean ones.

Any dirt/grease/stuff on the string will kill harmonics off.

Bass_Pounder · #7 09-08-2002, 09:23 PM

Compressors also work wonders for making harmonics scream out, and last.

old_skool · #8 09-08-2002, 10:55 PM

A bit of gain or over-drive works nicely in some cases.

Oysterman · #9 09-09-2002, 12:08 AM

Much of it lies in the bass and its ability to sustain notes. But a compressor could help as well.