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What is P.H. in a Guitar Pro tab?


quarky

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Remember that pinch harmonics also can play the 5th and the 3rd of the note depending on the frequency between the nodes (where you pick it on the guitar and where you fret the note). The root a couple of octaves up will sound if you pick kind of middle of the pickups (depending upon fret but usually around the middle of the neck pickup for 5th fret octave harmonics); the 5th closer to the fret board, and the 3rd closer to the bridge.

 

If you get confused just check the note you are sweeping with the naturally occurring note on the guitar. Realize too that many notes are just too difficult to get on the guitar's upper fretboard--often past the 12th fret the 5th is still attainable, but the octave and 3rd are not.

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I have also seen an S.H. in a tab which looks like another kind of harmonic. Can anyone give me a dummies guide to S.H's?


Cheers

I think S.H. means "semi-harmonic" - I'd guess that means you hear the main note along with the harmonic, which would be quite a common effect when playing with high distortion. Harmonics often emerge by accident - not all harmonic sounds are deliberate, so check with the recording that it isn't something like a ghost note, something that could have been produced unintentionally. No point in trying to copy something that was accidental!

 

BTW, for octave harmonics, like the above example, the "node" (touch point) is half-way along the string (12 frets up). So if the fretted note is on 5th fret (as here), the touch point will be over 17th fret: you don't pick there (you pick to one side of it) but you touch the string right over the fret while picking.

Pinch harmonics, however, are commonly 2 octaves higher - they give the real squeals - and their nodes are 1/4 of string length from the bridge. That's 1/4 of active string length, bridge to fret - as with all harmonics, the node position varies depending on which fret your holding down with left hand. A lot of the time (maybe most of the time) players find 1/4 harmonics by chance; but if you want to plan them, imagine a distance from the bridge equivalent to 5 frets above your fretted note: that's 1/4 string length. You can of course find another 1/4 node 5 frets above where you're fretting, but it may be more awkward to pick over the fretboard that way.

 

Nodes for the 5th and 3rd above the note that PGAPIT mentions can be found as follows:

Octave + 5th above main note: 1/3 and 2/3 of string length (7 or 19 frets above main note);

2 octaves + major 3rd above main note: 1/5, 2/5, 3/5 and 4/5 of string length: 4, 9 or 16 frets up.

In either case, also try to guage those distances from the bridge

 

The major 3rd note is quite difficult to get, and may be out of key anyway, depending on which note you choose to get it from.

 

One reason it's good to be aware of these node positions is that sometimes they will fall right over a pickup. That pickup will not then pick up the sound at all, because the string is not vibrating at that point. You can avoid that happening by having 2 PUs on together.

 

The whole business of pinch harmonics is somewhat hit-and-miss (literally!), and a good way to play if you want to get them may just be to turn up your distortion and just go for it. Random ones often sound better than carefully produced ones!

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