Where do I play these natural harmonics on the neck?

[GoldmanT]

I transcribed the bassline from Frank Zappa's Pink Napkins, and I think I got the natural harmonic notes correct, but I have no idea where on the neck Patrick O'Hearn would have played them, if someone could help me out.

They appear in bars 2, 4, 12, 14-16 and 30 of the attached draft. I'd initially assumed they were all fourths dyads, i.e. the same harmonic on adjacent strings, but there seem to be a couple of thirds in there so I'm a bit lost. Perhaps those are where I've not transcribed the correct harmonic.

Any pointers gratefully received!

This is the audio, if anyone isn't familiar with it:

 

[Watchootognbout]

Those harmonics in the piece are single note harmonics.
Not double stops.
They are the A and D exactly over the A and D notes at the seventh fret of the D and G strings.

Once more Patrick is playing fretless electric bass.Not Acoustic bass.

 

[Papageno]

Bar 2: A (D string, 7th fret) + D (G str. 7th fr)
D (G str. 7th fr) + F# (D str. 9th fr)

Bar 4: idem

Bar 12: A + D like bar 2
then A harm (D str 7th) + F# fretted (G str. 11th fr)

Bar 14: C# (A str. 9th fr) + F# (D str. 9th fr)

Bar 15 & 16: idem bar 2

Bar 30: A + D idem bar 2
D (D str. 5th fr) + B (G str. 4th fr).

Here is the general rule for natural harmonics:
- 12th fret = one octave higher than open string
- 7th fret or 19th fret = one 5th + 1 octave
- 5th or 24th fret = octaves
- 4th, 9th, 16th, 28th fret = 1 major 3rd + 2 octaves.
- etc.

 

[GoldmanT]

Those harmonics in the piece are single note harmonics.
Not double stops.
They are the A and D exactly over the A and D notes at the seventh fret of the D and G strings.

Once more Patrick is playing fretless electric bass. Not Acoustic bass.

Are you sure they're all single notes? I'm definitely hearing dyads in the opening intro and at 47s, in each case one of the notes in each pair is the same, the D if I transcribed it right.

Yes I'm aware he played electric fretless, I'm getting someone to play it on upright bass hence the label.

 

[GoldmanT]

Bar 2: A (D string, 7th fret) + D (G str. 7th fr)
D (G str. 7th fr) + F# (D str. 9th fr)

Bar 4: idem

Bar 12: A + D like bar 2
then A harm (D str 7th) + F# fretted (G str. 11th fr)

Bar 14: C# (A str. 9th fr) + F# (D str. 9th fr)

Bar 15 & 16: idem bar 2

Bar 30: A + D idem bar 2
D (D str. 5th fr) + B (G str. 4th fr).

Here is the general rule for natural harmonics:
- 12th fret = one octave higher than open string
- 7th fret or 19th fret = one 5th + 1 octave
- 5th or 24th fret = octaves
- 4th, 9th, 16th, 28th fret = 1 major 3rd + 2 octaves.
- etc.

Thanks for this, that really helps. A couple of those look a bit awkward though so I wonder if I've got the right notes down, I'll give it a try on my bass tomorrow.

The fretted note I think is just me missing out one of the little white circles above the notes, will fix that.

 

[fretlessman71]

Okay. Chord prog is C#m7 - Dadd9, right?

There are a couple of instances where he DOES hit two harmonics at the same time, but my assessment is that it's a technical error rather than a choice.

There is at least one OTHER instance where he DOES choose to play the "dyad/double stop/twonotesatatime/call it whatever". Right at meas. 16, or 0:51. (And the two harmonics just before that are at D5 and D4 respectively - the G and B that go by so fast and sound a bit out of key.)

Meas. 30 is weird; I'm convinced all those harmonics are on the 7th fret. I hear the standard "octave-fifth-root" triplet that he's riffing on in D, repeated a string down in A. I think one of those notes is an accidental pinch harmonic where he gets an overtone of the note he was going for, and this happens when you touch the string in two places (the RIGHT two places!).

Remember that Patrick isn't trying to go out of his way to be complicated; he's just trying to be creative and cool.

You've put a lot of work into this, well done and good on you!

 

[fretlessman71]

Yes I'm aware he played electric fretless, I'm getting someone to play it on upright bass hence the label.

So I just saw this part. Is there some reason you're writing this out verbatim for an upright bassist? I'll be interested to see what they think of reading something like this. It's incredibly specific when it might not need to be. It's a great transcription exercise, but I'd be ripping my eyebrows out (I'm bald) if someone handed me this chart and expected it to be played as written. If you know the bassist(s) and they've confirmed that this will work for them, great, but be aware that there might be a simpler way to achieve this as a bass part. Arco or pizzicato? Either could work depending on the situation....

 

[GoldmanT]

So I just saw this part. Is there some reason you're writing this out verbatim for an upright bassist? I'll be interested to see what they think of reading something like this. It's incredibly specific when it might not need to be. It's a great transcription exercise, but I'd be ripping my eyebrows out (I'm bald) if someone handed me this chart and expected it to be played as written. If you know the bassist(s) and they've confirmed that this will work for them, great, but be aware that there might be a simpler way to achieve this as a bass part. Arco or pizzicato? Either could work depending on the situation....

Plucked. I'm getting someone to record Zappa's solo transcription on bass clarinet, so it makes sense to recreate the bass part too as it's as much part of the ebb and flow of the solo as the guitar is, and some of the end-of-line phrases almost form part of the overall melody. I'll be getting someone on Airgigs and Fiverr to record it, so it shouldn't be hard to find someone happy to follow the dots for money. I understand that asking some (probably) jazz musicians to recreate something that someone else has already played could be anathema to them, but once you get past that it's not a particularly difficult part, although I might take out one or two of the quick notes.

 

[fretlessman71]

Plucked. I'm getting someone to record Zappa's solo transcription on bass clarinet, so it makes sense to recreate the bass part too as it's as much part of the ebb and flow of the solo as the guitar is, and some of the end-of-line phrases almost form part of the overall melody. I'll be getting someone on Airgigs and Fiverr to record it, so it shouldn't be hard to find someone happy to follow the dots for money. I understand that asking some (probably) jazz musicians to recreate something that someone else has already played could be anathema to them, but once you get past that it's not a particularly difficult part, although I might take out one or two of the quick notes.

 

[GoldmanT]

So this is the bass part underneath the final track - took a lot of work to get there but totally worth it, even the drum track is note for note: