Guitar Lesson: Natural Harmonics

A harmonic can often be compared to a "Bell Like" tone and is used in various genres of music and when implemented into a song they can easily add that special something to a riff or ad flare to your solos.

Well I'm sure you already know this lesson is about Natural Harmonics. Many guitarist often wonder how these sounds are made, some may not even realize it is the guitar making this sound. In this lesson I'd like to show you what a Natural Harmonic is and then guide you through the process and help you learn how to produce natural harmonics.

A natural harmonic is produced by lightly touching your finger against the string of the guitar over various fret bars and then picking that string. You do not want to use a lot of pressure, do not press down hard and fret the string like you normally would, you need to basically let your finger rest upon the string and then strike it with you pick as you normally would.

Okay now place you finger above the 12th fret of the Low E string. Lightly press down above the 12th fret and strike the string. As soon as you strike the string with your pick remove your fretting hand. This allows the harmonic to ring louder and more clearly. You will still produce a harmonic if you don't remove your fretting hand but it will be muffled and not as loud, but if you lift your hand too soon you will hear the string played open.

Timing is key and only practice makes perfect. Don't get frustrated if at first you can't produce harmonics. This technique will come naturally over time. Once you've mastered natural harmonics you can move onto artificial also known as pinch harmonics.

Remember to Practice, it is the only way your going to get better!

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