In this lesson
Harmonics are vibration modes within a string’s sound. The fundamental is the first harmonic. On an ideal string, the next modes have frequencies two, three and four times the fundamental. Playing a guitar harmonic brings some of those higher modes forward by touching the string at a node, a position that stays still in the selected mode.
Natural harmonics use an open string. Artificial harmonics use a fretted string. Pinch and tapped harmonics describe ways of producing the effect. A harmonic is not automatically artificial just because the player deliberately makes it sound.
First try: the twelfth-fret natural harmonic
Touch the low E string lightly above the twelfth-fret wire. Keep it off the fret. Pluck with your other hand, then lift the touching finger promptly so the string can ring. You can use a pick or a finger. Classical Guitar Corner’s natural-harmonic lesson explains this touch-and-release movement.
If you get a dull thud, use less pressure and adjust the touch position slightly. If you hear the ordinary fretted note, you are pressing the string onto the fret. Try plucking farther from the touch point instead of striking harder. On an electric guitar, different pickup selections can make the harmonic easier or harder to hear; no selector setting is required for the string to vibrate.
Fret number and harmonic number are different
These are useful starting positions for an open string in standard tuning. Touch positions are approximate: real strings and compensated bridges differ from the ideal model.
| Touch near this fret | Harmonic brought forward | Interval above the open string | Example on the open D string |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Second | One octave | D, one octave higher |
| 7 | Third | An octave and a fifth | A, above that octave |
| 5 | Fourth | Two octaves | D, two octaves higher |
The fifth-fret harmonic is the fourth harmonic, not the fifth. The seventh-fret harmonic is close to, rather than exactly the same as, an equal-tempered octave-and-fifth. Use normal tuning checks too; harmonic comparisons do not make every fretted interval exact. UNSW’s string-acoustics explanation gives the underlying model and its limits.
Read the diagram as text
- The fundamental has no node between the nut and bridge.
- The second harmonic has twice the fundamental frequency and a node halfway from nut to bridge, near fret 12.
- The third harmonic has three times the fundamental frequency, with nodes one third and two thirds of the way from the nut, near frets 7 and 19.
- The fourth harmonic has four times the fundamental frequency, with nodes one quarter, halfway and three quarters from the nut, near frets 5, 12 and 24.
Some nodes are shared by several modes, so a light touch at a node can leave more than one harmonic sounding.
Original natural-harmonic recording
Artificial harmonics on fretted notes
Fret the second fret of the D string, E. Keep it fretted and lightly touch the same string twelve frets higher, above fret 14. Use a picking-hand index finger for that touch and pluck with the thumb or another finger. Lift the touching finger after the pluck while keeping the second fret held. The result is an E an octave above the fretted note.
The touch point moves when the fretted note moves. For this octave version, fret 3 pairs with touch 15, fret 4 with touch 16, and so on. The touching finger does not press another normal note at the higher fret. Classical Guitar Shed’s artificial-harmonic lesson explains this division of work between the hands.
Pinch harmonics
Hold the pick with a small amount of tip showing. Pick a fretted note so the edge of the picking-hand thumb briefly brushes the string just after the pick passes. Keep the grip relaxed. The point of contact matters: move the picking hand a little along the string and compare the results. Fretting a different note changes the useful contact positions.
The thumb contact is brief; leaving it resting on the string damps the sound. More gain can make the effect prominent, but first keep the amplifier at a comfortable level. Nick Bowcott’s pinch-harmonic explanation describes the pick-and-thumb sequence and contact positions.
Tapped harmonics
For an octave tapped harmonic, hold the third fret on the G string, B flat, then briefly tap the string at the fifteenth-fret wire with a picking-hand finger. Let that finger rebound immediately while the third fret stays held. Aim for a chime an octave above the fretted B flat.
This differs from ordinary tapping, where the tapping finger frets a new note. The harmonic tap is brief and directly at the node. Hub Guitar’s tap-harmonic overview describes the percussive contact and prompt release.
Reading harmonic markings
Tabs may label natural harmonics N.H., artificial harmonics A.H., pinch harmonics P.H. and tapped harmonics T.H.. Diamond noteheads, small circles and bracketed fret numbers also occur. Read the edition’s legend: a number can describe the fretted note, the touch position or the sounding pitch. Hollow and filled diamonds do not provide one universal key to the technique. Classical Guitar Corner’s notation guide shows several conventions.