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How do I play harmonics on a guitar

D

duragezic

Lifer
I'm trying to play "The World" by Pennywise and it says harmonics. Like:

d: 4-4-(4-4-4-4)-4-4(-4-4-4-4)-5-5-(5-5-5-5)-8-8-5-5.

That is how the opening riff is IIRC, the numbers in parentheses are suppose to be harmonics.

It says to put your finger on it but not hard, but when I do that, I get the x-x-x sound (that's how it's showed on tabs, I don't know what its called).
 
well, im not quite sure for guitar, but for cello, you put your finger on the string lightly, if it sounds too buzzy, then take some more presure off. It's one of those things that once you do once, you will have a feel for it. You do have steel strings right?
 
i have no idea what the xxx sound is...

but harmonics are just where you take a string, and move the fixed end halfway, so that the wavelength will halve, and frequency will double, which gives a higher note (same tone).
 
When you play the harmonic, just lightly touch the string at the appropriate harmonic point with your fretting finger and then remove it. It sounds like you're leaving the fretting finger on a little too hard after you've picked the note, giving you a choke sound.
 
There are different ways of producing different harmonics. All you're really doing is introducing a node(s) into the wave which, as Gopunk pointed out, splits the wavelength into 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 or whatever. Open string harmonics are probably easier to first learn than fretted and other types.

It may be easier to first get the feel for it if you remove your finger, until you develop a more controlled sense of touch. Try this. With the strings left open, just lightly touch the strings over the 12th fret wire at the same time you pick the strings. You should hear a high clear bell like tone. Play around with it until you get it. If you get it there, try at other places on the open strings such as the seventh and fifth frets.

As tweakmm said "It's one of those things that once you do once, you will have a feel for it."
 
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