Harmonics - What Are They And How To Play Them On Your Guitar

Harmonics are another unreal sound you can put into your playing, either on acoustic or electric guitar. I prefer electric myself, however either way works. As mentioned in the beginning, Harmonics can be a way of tuning your guitar. They produce an extremely distinct "Ping" sound, which indicates whether your strings are out of tune or not.

However, harmonics can also be used as a "fill-in" in songs. It depends on exactly where you want to put it in. What I'll tell you now is how to get the best possible harmonics and make them sound absolutely brilliant.

The best places for excellent clear and loud sounding harmonics are as follows:

The 5th, 7th & 12th frets above represent the best spots for harmonics. Please remember you MUST be EXACTLY on the spot.

Here is an example of what harmonics sound like when played in the spots shown above...

If not, nothing will come out. A few things to keep in mind when playing harmonics are as follows:

	Harmonics do not necessarily have to be played in the order of the diagram. You might like to start on the 5th fret, and then go down to the 12th fret. Mixing them up a bit makes them sound interesting. Decide which combinations sound best and go for it. But use the diagram as a base mark.
	As mentioned above, harmonics sound best on electric guitar. One extra tip you might like to add some effects to it. Try adding some sharp distortion along with a bit of chorus. Chorus always brings harmonics to life.
	What makes up a good guitarist is the ability to bring out the best sound in a guitar that is humanly possible. It's important to remember all these little tips and tricks.
	Learning each one and practicing them inside out is the key to becoming a great player. Once you have a whole heap of small techniques, it can then be brought together into one complete package and delivered to the audience in one hit. This is a must, to sound like a real professional.