In this video that I saw on another one of the forums here, , at about 1:10 into the video, the bassist plays harmonics, but he plays them all over the place, they aren't just the natural harmonics. Can anyone tell me how this is done, or if they are not even harmonics at all? I know I've seen violin players do this, how is it done?
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Double Bass moveable harmonics?
- Thread starter tbassist4
- Start date
Well, if you understand how the harmonics match up with stopped pitches from the nut on the G string: at Ab you get a (very high and very flat) Ab, at A you get an A, Bb you get a D and B you get a B, I believe C# gives you an f, and D a D.
Where ever you stop your thumb you get the same intervals. You can also use the same logic stoping with your first finger and using your second or fourth finger to get it's respective harmonic.
It requires the right bow placement and speed, but once you understand it it does not take long to learn.
The nodes of a string are infinite and every time you stop it it becomes a new string.
Where ever you stop your thumb you get the same intervals. You can also use the same logic stoping with your first finger and using your second or fourth finger to get it's respective harmonic.
It requires the right bow placement and speed, but once you understand it it does not take long to learn.
The nodes of a string are infinite and every time you stop it it becomes a new string.
You press the string down with the thumb then touch the harmonic a fifth above where your thumb is. If your thumb is on G touch the D above it and there is your artificial harmonic.
Cory Palmer said:
- That is also true but if you read what I wrote above, there is a lot more than a fifth available.
It is most common to use the fifth. I've never seen a piece use any other type of artificial harmonic. I am interested to hear what the other harmonics sound like now. I've only tried the fifths.
Cory Palmer said:
You are correct. I think they guy in the video was using more than the fifth. You'll be surprised, if you work with them a bit they come out pretty clean.
does any one know what note it produces if it produces a D or a G or what? that is if your thumb is on the g and you play the D
If your thumb is on the G (that is, the octave G above the open), and you place a finger on the D (fifth above), you get a D an octave above that one (same pitch as the one at the end of the fingerboard). Interestingly enough, you don't even need to push the G down with your thumb in this example; the octave notes resonate so clearly, you can use both the G and D harmonic at the same time, creating a double harmonic. These "movable harmonics" are most commonly referred to as false harmonics, and the options are limitless. Learning all of the natural harmonics of a string will greatly increase your understanding of how these work, and where they are placed. Stopping the string at any point creates a new string (from the point at which it is stopped to the bridge), and from there new harmonics.
thanks for the heads up, I also found out through experimentation that fourths seem to work also. at least in the case of G and C
