Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
So, you play an open string, and it gives you one note. You play the harmonic over the 12th fret, and you get another note. You do the same thing over the 5th and 7th frets, and you get still more notes. However, the harmonics don’t relate to the frets at all. You scratch your head, wondering, “How do guitar harmonics work?” Don’t worry, you just need to understand how strings vibrate. Read more to answer the question: how do guitar harmonics work?
This post uses some technical terms. See the Glossary below for definitions.
How Do Guitar Harmonics Work?
How do guitar harmonics work?
- First, understand that the strings vibrate in multiple parts.
- Nodes are the points where the string moves the least.
- They’ll be a half, a third, a quarter, a fifth (etc.) the way up the neck, depending on the node.
- Click to see a harmonics graphic.
- When you lightly touch the harmonic at the node, it forces the string to vibrate in halves, thirds, quarters, and fifths, depending on the node.
This produces a bell-like pitch.
Why Do Guitar Harmonics Work This Way?
Harmonics produce different tones. Why do guitar harmonics work this way?
- Because each string is a complex tone that consists of many harmonics.
- The balance of the harmonics will determine the tone color of the note.
- Namely, a guitar will sound different from a violin in large part because of the mix of harmonics.
- When you touch the nodal point, it brings out one harmonic while suppressing the others.
Why does the harmonic have a different note than the open string?
- The open string has the fundamental frequency.
- If you touch the harmonic at the 12th fret, you multiply the fundamental frequency by two. This produces a tone an octave higher than the open string.
- Likewise, if you touch the node at the 7th fret, you multiply the fundamental frequency by three. This produces a note an octave and a fifth higher than the open string.
- The 5th fret harmonic multiplies by four, and the 4th fret harmonic multiplies by five. These produce notes two octaves and two octaves plus a major third higher than the fundamental frequency respectively.
- This pattern works on any string.
The multiple you use depends on how many parts a node forces the string to vibrate in.
- For example, the 12th fret harmonic makes the string vibrate in two parts, so you multiply the fundamental frequency by two.
- Additionally, when notes with common harmonics get played together, the harmonics fuse to make harmony.
- In essence, a chord becomes like a huge complex tone.
The chart below shows that the first common partial is important for tuning chords. For more details on the chart read:
Mobile users: for best results reading the chart, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
How Do Guitar Harmonics Work for Tuning the Guitar?
To learn how guitar harmonics work in alternate tunings read:
Concluding Thoughts to “How Do Guitar Harmonics Work?”
Understanding how guitar harmonics work helps you know what note each harmonic produces. This in turn helps you to work them into your music.
I’ve provided a rock guitar video tutorial that features harmonics. This gives you a practical application for how guitar harmonics work.
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