Trills on Harmonics
 

How does one trill on a harmonic?

i don't even see how this is possible... to get a harmonic to ring you've got to pluck the string and let it ring. as soon as you try to trill, you're going to stop the harmonic from ringing. a trill involves going back to the original note but once you've stopped the harmonic from ringing, you can't go back to it without re-plucking it.

is there an audio or video of someone doing this?

Context? What is the composition/who is the composer?

The only way I could think you could get anywhere close is to use the technique that Steve Bailey uses a lot to create harmonics on fingered notes not open strings. You're basically fingering the note and using two fingers on your plucking hand, one as a mute or 'node' as he calls it and one to pluck the string. You wouldn't be able to hammer on/pulloff most likely though. I've seen a video on YouTube of him going through some instructing on it.

Well, you can pluck the harmonic and then use just your fingernail touching the string to trill it without muting. Easiest on the G of course.

video please...

I don't think you can. You can do bends with pinch/artificial harmonics though.

You could do a combination of the artificial harmonic technique that Steve Bailey uses and what Al DiMeola calls "Sliding Trills" where you fret almost on top of the fret and slite back and forth over the fret landing just over the fret on either side.

C/S,
Rev J

Yes. That's what I was trying to get out.

It just occurred to me another way you can do it is like a sliding harmonic where you hit the harmonic over the node point, quickly push to fret and slide it. Instead of sliding it one way go back and forth over the fret.

It's funny I feel like I'm explaining a skateboard trick.

C/S,
Rev J

You can do this on fretless.

It works on fretted basses too, but the harmonic ringing out part dies a bit faster. It works best on notes where the harmonic note and the fretted note under it match, like the 4th and 7th frets, so when it stops being the harmonic ringing out, it is hard to tell.

Romance and Rondo Franz Keyper

I am not familiar with this piece myself, but I see there are videos on youtube if you want to see how a particular section is executed. Also you might try asking over on the Double Bass forum, as I bet there are players over on that side who have experience with this piece. :)

Trills
 

Thank you one and all

In the song even flow by pearl jam there's a bass harmonic slide in the beginning

...is this what Stanley Clarke & Gary King used to do (on fretted basses) in the '70s? I used to hear them play a harmonic...and then bend it. Clueless untill I saw Gary King live. After striking a hatmonic, he would grab the headstock & pull in. This will cause the neck to bow (slightly) & will cause the harmonic to "trill" (depending on how one moves the headstock in/out).
Stanley Clarke, in a '70s issue of Guitar Player describes that & using the plucking hand. I will need to re-read that...IIRC, you play the harmonic & then use the index finger of the plucking hand to push in the string (between the neck & neck pickup?).

Will see if I can dig out that issue.

Yup, you got it JimK.... little known fact that Stanley learned that technique from the 18th century double bass music of Franz Keyper. ;)

...aah, yes. Franz Keyper. Cool.
;)

This is promising. You can slide harmonics. Sound the harmonic, then press the string down to the fret right on top of the fret, right at the node of the harmonic, and slide. The harmonic will continue to sound, but the further you slide the quieter the harmonic gets and the louder the natural fretted note will get.

I am not sure going back and forth would necessarily work, but possibly for a short trill, with some practice, I could see pulling it together.