h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Guitar - Artificial Harmonics - A3862839
Author: MuchoCoolio - U1465784

I think this is pretty much finished lol I'd be most grateful if any guitar players out there who don't know how to do this try to learn from my article and report back!

Not bad mate, not bad at all Needs a little work, but I'm not a guitar player and I'm a little short of time right now to give it more than a quick read.


Scout

Hello.

Nice topic. This Entry might need an introduction. Being the I am, I would've written about *what harmonics are* first... Tones with double, triple etc. frequencies. And how that relates to the oscillations of a string with nodes and stuff. Also I would mention that harmonics are always present when a string is picked, however in varying proportions (hence also the difference between using bridge and neck pickups), the zeroth harmonic or fundamental usually takes the lion's share in these proportions. From this point it is easy to explain the mechanics behind producing harmonics (artificial or otherwise): By placing a finger, or any object at one of the nodes will damp the fundamental mode, leaving the rest to be heard.

But then again, I doubt that this explanation would be of any help for a guitarist that doesn't have a degree in science...

Hmmm...

HELL

Well done! A good article about an interesting topic.

It's worth mentioning that notes produced by your artificial harmonic method are an octave higher than the fretted note.

Not necessarily, Gnomon. If you out your finger on the 5th fret of A (110Hz) you get the 3rd Harmonic (triple frequency) of the fundamental (or 330Hz) which is an E. Now if you put your finger on the 7th fret of the low E string (82.5 Hz) you get the 4th harmonic of E which is 330Hz (E 2 octaves higher). You can use that to tune your guitar.

HELL

I should learn to read postings better... You're right, if you divide the string in half you get an octave higher. But I would just like to mention that you can produce higher harmonics (which are not always octaves higher) if you put your fingers somewhere else...

Sorry

HELL

Thanks, Hell. I know that the 5th fret natural harmonic is two octaves higher than the open string, and the 7th fret natural harmonic is a "perfect twelfth" higher (A becomes E). But I don't think these should be mentioned in the entry, since it will only confuse things.

Well... Sorry about that comment Gnomon, I was sure you knew that. I just started writing my reply without reading your posting properly...

About mentioning this (non-octave harmonics) in the Entry... Since this Entry is about artificial harmonics, I think it should be in there. Especially since you can use it to tune your guitar, and since the author mentions producing harmonics at the 5th and 7th fret.

HELL

Mmm. I can't seem to find a consistent definition of natural vs artificial harmonics. However, once I twigged what the entry was about it immediately occurred to me that artificial harmonics are usually played using the thumb, just in front of the pick, to damp the string during the downstroke. Admittedly the entry states that it only describes one method, but the method in question seems a bit ungainly and wouldn't be much use for anything other than single notes. Other methods, particularly the most common one, should also be covered. Otherwise good though.

In the musical world, "natural harmonic" means a harmonic of an open string, while "artificial harmonic" means a harmonic of a string that has been shortened by fingering the string on the fingerboard.

Similar techniques are used in the violin, except that the left hand is used both to finger the string and to touch the string at the harmonic point one quarter of the way between the finger point and the bridge. This produces an artificial harmonic two octaves higher than the fingered note, and is similar to the "24 fret method" mentioned briefly here.

I agree with the definition given by Gnomon.

I still think the non-octave harmonics should be mentioned as well as a little intro about how the harmonics occur.

[Natural Harmonics] "These notes occur at the 5th, 7th, 12th frets on every string..." (Natural harmonics also occur on the 3rd, 2nd, 4th frets, the only thing is that they're of such high order that it's virtually impossible to hear or to produce them.)

HELL

Nice topic, well introduced.

You could mention the method used by classical guitarists, using no plectrum (pick): the harmonic spot is touched by the right index finger and the string plucked by the ring finger.

Do you reckon the author will return? I wanted to put this in this week's Focus on Peer Review...but I'll have to wait until the author returns and hopefully put it in next week. Then maybe a flock of guitar players will come flooding in...perhaps...

Kat

What the heck is 'this week's focus'?

HELL

Well if you read <./>ThePost</.> you'd know all about it

I don't read the post.



What is it?

HELL

This is so the wrong place to be talking about this! Many apologies to reviewers and the author.

A3867366 is last week's entry.

Sorry...
(But why can't we talk about Peer Review matters in Peer Review?)

Anyways, I'll take a look at the link

HELL

Welcome to h2g2!

Thanks for contributing to the site. This looks like the beginnings of a good entry, but there is some work to be done if you would like this to gain 'Edited' status and eventually appear on the Front Page.

You can find our guidelines here - Writing-Guidelines. Have a quick read of those, and if you think you'd like to get this into the Edited Guide, post back and you'll find lots of people willing to help you.

If you'd prefer to leave this entry as it is, then that's okay too. Just remove it from this review forum so that other Researchers know that they don't need to comment on the way that it's written, and it will still be available for anyone to read and comment if they come across it.

To remove the entry from this review forum, follow this link - PeerReview and you should see a x or the word 'remove' next to your entry. Click that, and it will have gone from this review forum.

It looks like you've unsubscribed from this thread, but hopefully if you pop back to the site sometime soon you will see it.

MuchoCoolio struck twice and elvised. Pity; the subject broached deserves a simple entry, and this is almost there.