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Topic: Anyone Have Any Tips, Tricks, or Advice On Harmonics? |
Matthew Begay
From:
Quantico, VA, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2017 7:09 pm |
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I'm 19 and I've been playing the steel for about a year and I just found out what harmonics (or chimes) were! After watching a couple videos of Tommy White on YouTube, I noticed he sometimes picked around the middle of his steels and there came this high pitched sound and they sounded epic! I'd like to know what advice or info you guys could give me on harmonics!
Thanks!
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BMI S-10 3 X 3, ZB Custom 4 X 8, MSA SuperSustain II, Peavey Nashville 1000, Hilton Pro VP, Boss RV-3 |
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Ron Funk
From:
Ballwin, Missouri
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Posted 12 Jan 2017 8:33 pm
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Go onto You Tube and search for Bob Hempker
Bob made good video of methods / options |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 12 Jan 2017 8:35 pm
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It's stopping the string from vibrating its full length, and you can do it best at twelve frets above the bar (which is ALWAYS exactly halfway between bar or nut and the bridge) for a tone an octave above the note, or at either 7 or 19 (an octave plus 7 frets) for a note an octave plus a fifth above it.
There are two CRUCIAL points to hitting them cleanly:
1) place your finger (or whatever you strike the harmonics with) EXACTLY at the node point, and
2) make the contact point with the string at the node as small as possible. Many of us use the side of the hand in a "karate chop", but we barely touch the hand to the string.
For the most beautiful pedal steel harmonics, check out Melinda (I can't recall her last name, it's eastern European, although she now lives in the UK) by looking at YouTube for "Hallelujah pedal steel."
Simply stunning harmonics.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 12 Jan 2017 8:37 pm
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Here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nDJ4toUavBg
Two other common ways of hitting the harmonic nodes are:
Sticking your elbow way out beyond the guitar, tucking the thumb under the fingers, tapping the node with the tip of the ring finger as you pick the string with the thumb, and:
Tucking the ring finger under the hand, striking the node with a knuckle of the ring finger as the thumb strikes the string.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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W. Van Horn
From:
Houston, texas
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Posted 15 Jan 2017 9:39 am
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| Practice them endlessly |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2017 9:49 am
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| Will Van Horn wrote: |
| Practice them endlessly |
By far the best advice. Akin to acclimating to fingerpicks, just do it, and eventually it will come. |
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Don R Brown
From:
Rochester, New York, USA
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Posted 15 Jan 2017 12:44 pm
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| I tried a couple ways and am having some success using the second knuckle of my pinkie. Whether that still works as I try to get faster or more involved, time will tell. |
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