Harmonics?

So I am trying to figure out how to play Reddings' Awakening on the Bass but in the beginning of the song there are notes on that are played on the 5th fret of the D and G string but they seem to be at a really high pitch. Upon research I found that these are harmonics (I think). I don't think Dman has done a tutorial on that yet soooo, what are they and how are they done?

Thanks in advance.

(EDIT) And artificial harmonics too if you can.

Place your finger directly over the fret - not before the fret like you would normally do - without actually pushing down on the string.
Still touch the string, but don't put any pressure on it and then pluck the string and voila!

well i'll see if i can create a vid for you to help in the next few days but for now i'll do a written thing.

Background-
An harmonic simply are those high pitched noises as you've found out. They work best with relatively new strings but can work on old strings as well.

Technique-
Harmonics are created by placing your finger over the string and fret that you wish to play the harmonic on, similar to playing a mute except very little (if any) pressure needs to be applied. It is important not to actually fret the note but to have your finger 'hover' on the string. When the string is plucked you should hear a harmonic (thanks to the powers of physics, which i barely understand myself so won't explain). Once the string is played you should remove your finger to let the harmonic ring out.

Examples-
The harmonic over the 12th fret is the easiest to play as the harmonic is quite loud.
So what we'll do is hover the finger over the 12th fret on the d string as if muting and pluck the note, you should hear the harmonic play (it'll sound relatively high pitched like it was played on a guitar). If you can't hear the harmonic try shifting your finger around slightly as due to various factors (strings, set-up, bass, etc.) the harmonic may be 'hiding'. This occurs a lot on the lower frets (around 1st and 2nd) as due to the construction of the bass the harmonics are not over the fret, in fact the harmonics over those two frets sound 'dead'.

Once you can find the harmonics on all strings over the 12th fret and can play them clearly it's time to move onto other frets the next frets i'd recommend would be the 7th and 9th as they are also quite loud. Then just move around the fretboard finding where all the harmonics are making sure to play them clearly.

Advancing-
Once you've mastered this you can try using other techniques with harmonics such as chords which work really well to tapping (difficult to do as it is using artificial harmonics) and slapping (which i can't get to sound any good at the moment).

Artificial harmonics
Background- created in a similar manner to harmonics producing harmonics that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to create, an example are pinch harmonics.

Technique-
There are many ways of doing this some use a pick (like a pinch harmonic on a guitar) others use their index finger or thumb (you can also create them by tapping).
I'm going to try and explain them all, though I find using my thumb the easiest, though in general the principal is the same,
you fret the note which you want to play the harmonic of normally and then find the halfway point between the fret and the bridge. In the lower frets (1-12) this will be the octave (12 frets or semi-tones) above that note on the same string e.g. if I wanted the artificial harmonic of the 3rd fret i would need to find the 15th fret on the same string. Now this is where the techniques differ.

Thumb-
after finding the octave above on the same string rest your thumb on the string over that fret, then pluck the note as you would normally (except your thumb is now anchored to the string) and you should hear the harmonic ring through, if not then try shifting your thumb around again. Once you've hit the harmonic remove your thumb slightly to let the harmonic ring out.

Index finger-
This is similar to the thumb in that instead of the thumb causing the pinch harmonic you use your index finger. place your index finger of the plucking hand on the octave above the fretted note as if you were using your plucking hands index finger to lightly mute the string. pluck the note with your middle finger and you should hear the harmonic ring, again try shifting your index finger if the harmonic sounds muddy and remove your index finger slightly off the string to let the harmonic ring out.

Pick-
This is the same technique used on guitar (if you've moved from guitar to bass) and is performed by using the pick to strike the note and the thumb to mute the string.
After finding the octave above move your picking hand to that location making sure you 1st knuckle on your thumb is over the fret (but not yet touching the string). Pick the note by rotating your wrist making sure the underside of the 1st knuckle of your thumb 'lands' on the string muting it but forcing the harmonic to ring. again try shifting your hand/thumb if the harmonic sounds muddy and remove your thumb slightly off the string to let the harmonic ring out.


Examples-
We're going to play the harmonic of the 3rd fret on the g-string using the technique of your choice. (though if you have a 24 fret bass it's easier to start on the 12th as again that harmonic is loudest).
Find the octave above (so the 15th fret) and create the artificial harmonic. Repeat this using different frets but always using the octave above until you are comfortable with the technique (but like anything with bass it is best to learn all the techniques that you can)


Advancing-
Bends -after playing the harmonic try bending the string with the fretting finger.
Above the 12th fret- finding the octave above the fretted note become difficult after the 10th/12th fret as the note that is the octave above is no longer on the fretboard. Instead it can be found by finding the point halfway between the fretted note and the bridge. You will then place you finger/thumb/knuckle there to find the artificial harmonic.
Tapping- this i will explain in the video as it is difficult to explain using text
other harmonics - you are not restricted to using the octave above instead try finding different locations to rest your thumb/knuckle/finger to create the artificial harmonic widening the sounds you can produce.


Hope this helps as i said before i'll try and get a video made and post it here for you.
If any one else wants to contribute/suggest something to add to this post just let me know

+1 Mutt!

If you don't do a vid. I like to consider myself a journeyman of harmonics.

You can also do pinch harmonics on bass. I can show you that also if you'd like

Dropthelines585 wrote:+1 Mutt!

If you don't do a vid. I like to consider myself a journeyman of harmonics.

You can also do pinch harmonics on bass. I can show you that also if you'd like

Cheers, if you want to do a video to that'd be great as I can link to it showing different techniques.
I'm also thinking about having some examples of songs where this techniques are used, if anyone wants to suggest some i'd be happy to link to them (if you could include the harmonic technique used as well that'd be great).

EDIT: Here is a good set of exercises for artificial harmonics, if you want some more practice http://www.activebass.com/default.asp?iTarget=http%3A//www.activebass.com/cgi-bin/page_view.pl%3Fsrc%3Dl%26l%3D16157

Oh wow, it feels like I've found another dimension to playing! Upon further research it seems harmonics are made by touching the middle of the string that is being plucked, or basically the octave right?

Thanks for all of this, although my parents aren't going to appreciate me playing and experimenting throughout the night as they try to sleep.

Dropthelines585 wrote:+1 Mutt!

If you don't do a vid. I like to consider myself a journeyman of harmonics.

You can also do pinch harmonics on bass. I can show you that also if you'd like

I am not familiar with pinch harmonics but it would be great if you could show me what that was.

ZOOMAR wrote:Oh wow, it feels like I've found another dimension to playing! Upon further research it seems harmonics are made by touching the middle of the string that is being plucked, or basically the octave right?

Thanks for all of this, although my parents aren't going to appreciate me playing and experimenting throughout the night as they try to sleep.

That is the loudest harmonic but they can be found over pretty much every fret, like the 5th frets in the song you were learning

These videos are pretty helpful:

http://playbassnow.com/harmonics/what-are-natural-harmonics/

http://playbassnow.com/harmonics/artificial-harmonics/

http://playbassnow.com/harmonics/how-to-play-harp-harmonics/

And a couple of licks to help practice harmonics:

http://playbassnow.com/bass-lick-of-the-day/fun-with-harmonics/
http://playbassnow.com/bass-lick-of-the-day/rhythm-harmonics/
http://playbassnow.com/bass-lick-of-the-day/ringing-harmonics/ (this is my fav. one to practice)

BUMP!

I'm making a vid for this tonight. I get sidetracked easily.

I hope your video helps, because natural harmonics still don't work for me for some reason, and I have no idea what I'm doing wrong

You need to be over the metal part of the fret. Then just barely touch the string, but pluck it nice and hard. You need to be exactly above the actual metal fret. Also, harmonics are found on all the halfway points of the string.

Example: The halfway point of the whole string is the 12th fret, this gives you two halves. Those two halves can be divided again, giving you another two locations for harmonics. Then each of those halves can be divided again and so on.

To make it simple, the harmonics you have on the top half of the neck, are all the same on the other half. So you only need to find those up there. Apart from the 12th fret, there's a harmonic right above the 9th, 7th, 5th and 4th fret. The rest are around a certain distance from the other frets, but finding those is harder because they are very quiet.

Another tip: Make sure that you're not touching the string with anything except the finger thats making the harmonic. Harmonics are created by the vibration of the entire string. Unlike notes, where only the part after your finger vibrates.

Nobody mentioned that the harmonics actually have corresponding notes. I know the 12th and 5th fret harmonics are the same as the string they are plucked on, but I don't know about the rest.

Fun fact: The harmonics are actually the same loudness on both halves of the neck (the 5th fret harmonic is just as loud as the 17th fret and so on). Also the 4th and 9th fret harmonics (and their partners on the other half of the neck) are the same. There are tons of other relations between the harmonics, but these are the ones I've noticed on my own.

Finally, I think pinch harmonics are the ones where you fret a note and then play it's harmonic by resting the side of the thumb of the picking hand at a certain point along the string before plucking it. Jaco used this technique a lot.

Stryfer wrote:You need to be over the metal part of the fret. Then just barely touch the string, but pluck it nice and hard. You need to be exactly above the actual metal fret. Also, harmonics are found on all the halfway points of the string.

I know. That's exactly what I do, but I've only managed to get a harmonic once, and that was very faint. On the 12th fret too, where it's supposed to be loudest.

Your strings could be close to dead. It could also be your bass sound, if you have a muffled sound the harmonics won't come out. However, a harmonic should be audible even off an amp.

Other than that, practice and experiment untill you get it right.

I've got it right I dunno what I'm doing differently, but now I can definitely hear harmonics. This forum is a lucky charm

Wow so much information to take in...

Can't wait for the vid XD

Yes, I was going to do a short lesson on this!

Great explanations, above! Would it still be worth me doing it? Anyone interested?

I think so

Ah, Drop sorry man! I didn't notice you said you were doing a vid. Don't want to step on your toes, buddy.

Let drop do his, and if I feel there is anything to add, i'll do another on top.

Lulz.

Sounds good to me.. XD

nice pic XD

Is that pic real?

willba wrote:Is that pic real?

I hope so. Maybe it's his new amp

New amp? It looks like the building site to The Towers!!

Max Wins!