Thursday, January 12, 2006

How to practice 'The Pinch'...in a cinch!


I have to say that one trick I rely HEAVILY on in my guitar playing is pinch harmonics. Since I mostly play Blues/Rock, which means the pentatonic scale, I need to maximize the mileage of notes I have to play with. This means mastering PINCH HARMONICS. It adds a whole new dimension to my leads. What is 'PH' you ask?? PH is a technique where you fret a note with your fretting hand, then with your strumming hand (holding your thumb very close to the end of the pick), in one fluid motion, pick the string on a downstroke, and just after the pick has hit the string, lightly touch the end of your thumb on the string. This will make the note you hit, jump up an octave or more higher...thus.....a PINCH HARMONIC. It's something you do with out really trying to do.... you just feel it. If you consciously try to do this, it may not work. It's one fluid movement. Once you master it you can decide when to use it when playing, and best of all, it can be done on any guitar. For more reference, listen to ANYTHING by Billy Gibbons( ZZTOP), Zakk Wylde ( Ozzy, Black Label Society), or Dimebag Darrell of Pantera. These are the masters of the PH! Try it!

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