How do I Play Harmonics?

Harmonic, you say?

A harmonic is a pleasant-sounding note that you can get at certain frets by lightly touching the string at the fret-wire (the metal dividers that separate frets). I won't go into why harmonics exist on the guitar and bass (it has to do with overtones, a subject for another day). But learning how to play them can be rewarding. They are occasionally played in songs and they can be used to make it easier to tune by ear (which I've written about here).

Most of the time when we play guitar, we play by pressing one or more fingers hard enough into the string(s) that we get a clear sounding note or notes. In the case of harmonics, however, we do things a little differently. Here's how we play a harmonic.

How to play a harmonic

1) Place one of your fretting hand fingers over the fretwire (the metal part of the frets) on the right side of the 12th fret. Notice how each fret has two fretwires surrounding it? Place your finger lightly over the one on the right (not the left).

2) Do not apply pressure with the finger - your finger should be touching the string, put not pushing down at all, like you normally would while playing.

3) Pluck the string with your pick or finger, and then lift your finger off the string immediately after.

If you time it correctly, you should get a pleasant sounding note from your efforts.

Where to play harmonics on your fretboard

Harmonics are most easily played at the 12th fret, which produces the same note you would get from playing the 12th fret normally. The next easiest places to play are the 7th or 19th fret, both of which give you the pitch that you get from normally playing fret 19. The next easiest is the 5th fret, which, along with the 7th fret, we can use to tune. There are other places harmonics can be played as well, like close to (but not quite on) the 4th and 9th fret, as well as others.

Start with the 12th fret harmonics, then work on 7th and 5th fret. If you get really adventurous after that, you should see if you can find any other harmonics. Have fun!