How to Play TAPPING HARMONICS | Make Those Notes GLOW

As a guitar player, you wear the hat of an artist. All the different tricks, tools, and techniques we have are like different paints in our palette. If you're reading this, I’m sure you consider yourself a guitarist, an artist, or even a guitartist. Tons of missed opportunities pass us by where we don't give certain notes the glow they deserve. Today, we are going to dive into tapping harmonics: a flashy technique that you can start incorporating right away. If you're looking to make certain notes sparkle and stand out from others while executing a visually impressive move, this lesson is for you.

Important Considerations

• Tapping harmonics are variations of natural harmonics, which use the fingertip flesh of the fretting hand to gently graze the string over certain frets.
• Unlike standard natural harmonics, we will use the fingertip of our picking hand to produce these harmonics.
• This must be achieved at a specific distance between notes fretted by the left hand and the notes tapped by the right hand. Distances you’ll find the most success with are notes that are 12, 7, or 5 frets apart from each other.

Method 1: Picking and Tapping

For this example, we'll start by picking the 5th fret of the G string. Next, gently graze the 17th fret of the G string with the fingertip of the middle finger that belongs to your picking hand. Notice how there are 12 frets between these two positions. Other frets to try from this position are frets 12 and 10. Each distance produces a different harmonic tone. Making those larger gross motor jumps to smaller, delicate, fine motor techniques takes some getting used to. The farther your picking hand travels to tap the harmonic, the more difficult it can be to pull off with good timing--but don't let this stop you from trying! :)

Method 2: Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs

These variations are recent discoveries that came out of necessity when I transcribed the Saw Theme for guitar. I needed a harmonic tone for the note D on the 15th fret of the B string. I wanted something with no attack, and I realized that using a pull-off was the only way to accomplish this.

• Start with your ring finger on the 5th fret of the G string. Pull off to the 3rd fret of the same string.
• Immediately tap the string over the fret wire of the 15th fret. Again, do this by gently touching the string with the tip of the picking hand's middle finger.
• The same process applies to hammer-ons. If you hammer onto the 5th fret of the G string, try tapping the 17th fret of the same string.

Conclusion

The key to getting those sparkly harmonics to pop has mostly to do with using just the right amount of pressure when grazing the string. Tapping harmonics take natural harmonics to the next level because they can be applied to more places on the fretboard. Plus they can be a real showstopper since people tend to think they are visually impressive. Give tapping harmonics a try today to give those special notes the glow they deserve.

Check out the full video HERE: How to Play TAPPING HARMONICS | Make Those Notes GLOW