Chiming question

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 12 Mar 2005 7:04 am

I was just messing around with this and wondered if it is a common practice---striking a note conventionally, then muting it at a harmonic node before starting a sliding harmonic. IOW, on an E9 PSG, picking string 5 at fret 1, stopping it (chime style) at fret 13, then sliding up:

 <pre> D7 G
1--------------------------------------|--------
2--------------------------------------|--------
3--------------------------------------|--------
4--------------------------*-----------|--------
5-----------------1~~~mute at 13~~~10~~|~~8-----
6--------------------------*-----------|--------
7--------------------------------------|--------
8--------------------------------------|--------
1 2 3 4</pre>

----edited for clarity---

So the question is, is it common to break a note into a harmonic without re-striking it?[This message was edited by Jon Light on 13 March 2005 at 05:52 AM.]

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 12 Mar 2005 1:41 pm

Only if you can make it work consistently.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 13 Mar 2005 5:26 am

No, I'd guess it's not a common practice. The "un-struck" harmonic just doesn't have the "oomph" or "snap" that a regular harmonic does.

But if it works for you, and you like it and can find an application for it. Do it.

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 13 Mar 2005 5:56 am

Dave--you have disqualified approximately 47% of what I play when you apply that standard

But as to your & Donny's comments, no, it is not easy to do well or consistently. It would only work in very quiet (or solo, as in a very last coda tag after everyone else has dropped out) situation. I just stumbled on it th4e other day and it got me to wondering. I imagine if anyone used it and used it well, it would be Jerry Byrd with his sliding harmonic touch.

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 13 Mar 2005 9:14 pm

Roosevelt from the Lee Boys does it lots.

-Travis

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 14 Mar 2005 3:16 am

I think it's a lot more common among rock guitarists, probably because they tend to use a lot more overdrive and gain to get their sustain. It's easier to make the note "jump" an octave and still be audible when you're in a near-feedback situation. Billy Gibbons and Jeff Beck come to mind immediately, and Garcia was a master at this (yes THAT Garcia).

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 14 Mar 2005 12:19 pm

David--what you say rings true (pun intended). I'm not real familiar with Gibbons's & Beck's playing but I know Jerry's playing quite well and I can't say I ever noticed his use of this technique. I'll have to pay more attention.
And Travis--I am totally unfamiliar with your reference except for the recent posting here about them which I will now have to go back and read.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 14 Mar 2005 5:47 pm

Every now and then I can get away with chiming strings 3,4,5 or 4,5,6 together with the edge of my hand and sliding them up to another location of whatever chord it was when I struck them, but nice as the sound may be, I wouldn't say that I can do it "consistently" - it's a great studio trick, though, one to keep the other pickers practicing....

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 15 Mar 2005 3:20 am

Re Garcia, I was specifically thinking of the solo on "Loser" from "Dick's Picks Vol. 10." (The single best album to play for people who don't "get" the Dead, in my opinion, the band was white-hot that run, 1977 at Winterland.) Garcia plays the solo almost opposite, playing it mostly in harmonics and letting the fundamentals slip out. If you fiddle with running a compressor into a distortion box, you can actually get the initial harmonic notes to come out relatively clear, then distort more as they decay into the fundamentals. Stick a graphic EQ in there to change the volume of high notes relative to low, and you can twiddle yer knobs all day....

Larry Behm · Post by **Larry Behm** » 15 Mar 2005 4:52 am

Jon listen to Rob Ickes lastest CD he does just the opposite. Chimes the string then lays the bar down and slides the bar. It is as if he has pedals on his Sheerhorn. He is so smooth you would not believe your ears.

Larry Behm

Charles Turpin · Post by **Charles Turpin** » 18 Mar 2005 11:31 am

Jerry are talking about years ago, in rock music they used a technic they called the whistle with the flat pick. Roy Buchanan a famous rock and Jazz player used that technic a lot.Where when you use a flat pick on a guitar you use the very edge of the pick and it sounds like a harmonic played with the note. I do this on steel a different way. It is better if you use a steel driver unit that is what i got for distortion. But instead of using a flat pick, the edge of the thumb pick works as good,i go twelve frets about the noted bar then pick with thumb pick and at the same time hold my fourth finger on the thumb pick where that it touches the string the same time as the edge of the tHumb picks this will give you the same technic. The only difference beingthe thumb pick is at a thicker gauge.All of the older rock guitar players done this. This makes the hamonic and the note sound at the same time. Instead of the quick mute.

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