Guitar Music Lessons - Make your Solos Squeal

It's actually simple. It is just a matter of string length. You must use the tip of your finger to produce harmonic, you should notice how the string vibrates. When you are an playing open string harmonics, you split the string into halves, thirds, fourths, fifths, and sixths. So playing the harmonics at the 12th fret split the string in half. Playing at the 7th or 19th fret split the string into thirds, and so on. You can also notice that getting harmonics at the 7th or 19th fret are exactly the same notes. You can also split the guitar into fourths at the 5th fret or the 24th fret (or where the 24th fret would be if you don't have that many frets). Harmonics at the 5th and 24th frets produce the exact same notes. Also note that the 12th fret isn't included because that splits the string into halves (larger subsections of the string).

How does it work?

Your finger acts as a pivot point for the string leaving the string to vibrate in halves, thirds, fourths, etc. This cuts the wavelength in half, thirds, fourths, etc. Wavelength indicates what frequency of a note is, and frequency determines what note you are playing.

Where do we find the harmonics at the fret board?
You can find them above the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 16 and 19th fret of all the six string.

Open-string harmonics

Open-string harmonics is referred to as a natural harmonics. To do the open-string harmonics, place your finger lightly on the string in the given fret board area for example on the 4th fret 3rd string. Don't press down the string, then strike the string. Then you can hear the high frequency harmonic sound.
Fretted Harmonics

Playing fretted harmonics can be hard at times. This requires the fretting of a note, plus a "soft touch" on a string which is exactly 12 frets above the note you are fretting. In addition to this you must still pluck the string. To do all three of these tasks at once, you must combine the tasks of the "soft touch" and the plucking of the string. There are 2 techniques of doing this.

Technique 1: Artificial Harmonics

Although all harmonics that you play are actually artificial harmonics, this technique is commonly referred to as playing an artificial harmonic. This technique requires that you "soft touch" with your index finger and then pluck with your picking finger or a pick held in the other fingers. The other technique is playing a pinched harmonic which is more difficult to learn but will allow you to play fretted harmonics more quickly once it is mastered.

Technique 2: Pinched Harmonics

This is a difficult technique to master. Consistent playing of pinched harmonics requires that you use a modified picking technique along with a steady and accurate picking hand. The first thing that you must master is how to hold the pick and pluck the string. You hold the pick by having the pick barely clear the bottom of your thumb. The key is to pluck the string with the pick but have the thumb immediately hit it to produce the harmonic. This pick and thumb should hit the string almost simultaneously.

You should also know where to pluck the string. If you don't hit the "sweet spot" on the string it will sound like a muffled note. The ideal place to pluck depends on where your thumb produces the harmonic. Your thumb should hit the string half way between the bridge and the fret that you are playing on. So when you play on different frets, you must also pluck in different places. This makes it a little harder to play.

But no matter how hard this guitar music lessons, be patient and I'm sure you will reap the benefits of it and enjoy how beautiful the sound of harmonics. Now, its time to practice. Good luck!