The ULTIMATE GUIDE to NAILING Pinch Harmonics

The ULTIMATE GUIDE to NAILING Pinch Harmonics - YouTube

Want to harness the power of pinch harmonics to make your guitar SCREAM like Zakk Wylde?  What sets the guitar apart from any other musical instrument is its variety of voices; many of which are similar to the human voice.  This is largely why the guitar is regarded as the best instrument in the world!  With enough consistent and dedicated practice, you can make a guitar sing, cry, whisper, and SCREAM.  This intermediate level electric guitar tutorial provides you with everything you need to know about how to nail pinch harmonics, one of my all-time favorite guitar tricks.  The key to mastering pinch harmonics lies in the proper tone, technique, and positioning of your hands.  

First, it is crucial that you use proper distortion settings when learning this.  While it is possible to produce pinch harmonics on clean settings (or even on an acoustic guitar), using distortion will help you get the pure shrieking power that pinch harmonics are meant to be used for.  

Next, you have to make sure your technique is solid.  In the grand scheme of things, this is a two-handed technique.  HOWEVER, the magic really lies in the right hand (or the picking hand for you lefties out there).  When picking the note, focus on the side of your thumb that is closest to your body (I call this the "inside of the thumb").  Use that part of your thumb to graze the string you just plucked.

Finally, it's important to make sure the position of your right hand (or picking hand) is in the right spot to produce a proper pinch harmonic.  If your electric guitar has two pickups, the position would be somewhere in between them.  The position of your picking hand will most likely be a bit closer to the neck pickup.  

For a visual, more detailed explanation of this concept, please check out the video HERE: The ULTIMATE GUIDE to NAILING Pinch Harmonics

This is the video I wish I had seen when trying to learn this skill.  Have fun with this!