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Harmonics on 6th fret

T

tim91

Nov 14, 2013
2
0
#1
Hey all,

I was looking through a bass harmonics book with a table listing the harmonics on the 6th fret (as well as 4th, 5th, 7th etc).
I've also done some transcribing in which it sounds like the bass player is using the harmonics on the 6th.

But is it common to be able to play the harmonics on the 6th? I can't on my bass. Is it a bass set up matter or a certain technique different to the usual harmonics?

Thanks!
 
#5
Harmonics are possible all over the neck, I do them on 3 and 2 as well they just aren't as pronounces as the easy ones (12, 7, 5, 4, 9) if you lookup how the harmonic series works and then string harmonics there's a whole lot you can learn just about science! Then look up artificial harmonics and have some real fun
 
#6
tim91 said:
Hey all,

I was looking through a bass harmonics book with a table listing the harmonics on the 6th fret (as well as 4th, 5th, 7th etc).
I've also done some transcribing in which it sounds like the bass player is using the harmonics on the 6th.

But is it common to be able to play the harmonics on the 6th? I can't on my bass. Is it a bass set up matter or a certain technique different to the usual harmonics?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

No harmonics are at the sixth fret.Use the bridge pickup and boost the midrange.What harmonic note are you trying to play?

Harmonics.jpg
 
Last edited:
#7
Watchootognbout said:
No harmonics are at the sixth fret.Use the bridge pickup and boost the midrange.What harmonic note are you trying to play?

View attachment 529758
Click to expand...
Agree with the bridge and the midboost, but there is a harmonic right around the 6th fret (5.8) which happens to be the same harmonic you can find just shy of the 3rd fret (2.7)

I found this wiki article to be fairly helpful in illustrating the natural harmonics, and where you can grab them from. It doesn't tell you the exact note you would reproduce
but rather the interval from the fundamental, which I find more useful what with my extended range and downtunning tendencies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_harmonics
 
#8
He_Who_Hops said:
Agree with the bridge and the midboost, but there is a harmonic right around the 6th fret (5.8) which happens to be the same harmonic you can find just shy of the 3rd fret (2.7)

I found this wiki article to be fairly helpful in illustrating the natural harmonics, and where you can grab them from. It doesn't tell you the exact note you would reproduce
but rather the interval from the fundamental, which I find more useful what with my extended range and downtunning tendencies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_harmonics
Click to expand...

OK.In all fairness there ARE harmonics at the sixth fret.From the lowest up D,G,C,and F.(on a four stringer)
But they don't seem to be as loud as the other harmonics.And my tuner tends to go a bit crazy when I try to strike them.
I guess that's why they aren't named.
 
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#10
Mid, and brdige pickup help a lot ... also an harmonic on the 6th fret is more likely to be the famous 6th fret harmonic Jaco Pastorius did in Portrait Of Tracy where he did a false harmonic by holding the second fret down and playing the 6 fret harmonic ...

so your finger act like a movable nut and shortened the strings which moves the harmonics and gives you new harmonics that are as loud as all the other "normal" harmonics.

So try that ... put your finger down on the second fret and then move up 3,4,5,7,12 fret higher and play them using your thumb to slightly touch the strings and pluck with your avalaible finger. You'll see ( hear ) that you can have every notes as an harmonics. Steve Bailey is a master of that stuff
 

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