Guide To Harmonics 9

Articulated Harmonics : 1

What are articulated harmonics ?

Basically any harmonic that is not produced from an open string (called a natural harmonic ) is called either an articulated or artificial harmonic - denoted as A.H. in tab or score.

The pinch harmonic technique in the previous lessons can produce articulated harmonics.

This lesson looks at one method of getting an articulated harmonic from any fretted note. In the video clip my left hand is playing in A pentatonic at the 5th fret while my right hand index finger is following the same scale pattern an octave higher at the 17th fret.
My right hand thumb is plucking the string while the index finger just touches the string right above the appropriate fret.
By plucking slightly before the index finger lifts off the harmonic is produced.
This technique requires quite a bit of practice - firstly to get the timing of the right hand movements and secondly to get the index finger consistently touching an octave higher than whatever fretted note you are playing with your left hand.

It is possible to hold a pick with your thumb and second finger and then use that to do the plucking - I personally find this a bit hard to do.

See the next lesson for my preferred technique when using a pick.

The Tab