Sliding Harmonics

[Brad Johnson]

One basic thing to work on is getting natural harmonics to sound and continue to sound while your fretting finger is still in contact with the string. This does not require you to actually fret the note... the string doesn't even come in contact with the fretboard. You're just "fretting" the string.

I've seen a lot of folks having difficulty with this.

 

[zilla04]

I GOT IT!

I picked up my Bass yesterday at practice and hit the "G" harmonic at the 5th fret and, Instinctively , Fretted as I slid down.... and then aboot craped myself.

I've got it. Thank you all for the help.

Joe, as far as a teacher goes.... I'm my own. I know all to well that if I had a teacher that knew his stuff, I'd be learning ten new things a day. BUT, most of the time you have pay someone to teach you. And besides, I've already learned ALOT from Geddy Lee so....

Really, Learning things on my own has been very rewarding.... as well as fun.

 

[Erythuria]

I think he would have done a pinched harmonic, or false harmonic, and just bend them that way. At least thats how they sound to me anyway. I find it easier to bend them using that technique rather than sliding.

i used to have fun with pinched harmonics on guitar, but is there any way to do it without a pick on bass?

 

[Wrong Robot]

i used to have fun with pinched harmonics on guitar, but is there any way to do it without a pick on bass?

There is a false harmonic technique very close to the guitar pinched harmonics.

What you do is fret a note, let's use octave G(12th fret of G) now, lightly place your thumb(or index finger, whichever is more comfortable) an octaves distance down the neck, so at the 24th fret(or where the 24th fret would be if you only have 22) then plug behind your thumb(or finger)

The concept is just like any harmonic...you fret the string at 12, making that your nut, then you cut that length in half(24th fret) and you have a harmonic...you can also get the whole overtone series there, by moving your thumb different places.

sorry, it's hard to describe harmonics over text, but if you know how to get regular natural harmonics, this should make sense

 

[Erythuria]

yeah i understood thanks, i'll give it a go

 

[Joe Turski]

i used to have fun with pinched harmonics on guitar, but is there any way to do it without a pick on bass?

Well, WR beat me to it........thanks