Please. Someone help me!

Guitarists, I need your help.

Here's the story, I've been playing for a long time. I have the regular bag of tricks down, but the one thing that has eluded me, for some unknown reason is pinch (artificial harmonics). I try them all the time, but they just seem to happen by chance, and my playing them turns into a crapshoot.

I've read a good bit of material about artificial harmonics, I know the theories behind them, I know the spots where I can get them, etc.

What I want from you, my fellow guitarist folk, is advice on picking technique.

I know you're all dying to give advice, and I'm asking for it, so lay it on me!

Thanks, and rock on!
- Mr. Crowley

You have to hold your pick so that your thumb's flesh will be able to touch the sting at the moment you pick it with your plectrum, it's only downstrokes. I have developped a technique where I can do that with downstrokes and upstrokes... Sounds very unusual, and it's totally useless.
Another advice is to change your hand's angle so that your pick will hit the string while your thumb touches it. You might want to ask a teacher, live, too... A lesson can be as effective as 1000 words.

Where you pick the string is absolutely critical to the technique!

Get used to picking/muting at a point exactly half-way between the bridge and the fret you are fingering. When the tip of your thumb touches the string just after the pick plucks it, you create a 'node' which causes the string to vibrate at twice the fretted frequency. Twice the frequency = a note that is one octave higher.

When you become adept at this , you can try applying the pick at 1/4 of the bridge/fret distance to get a two-octave jump.

One, use a smaller pick.
Truth be known I use Milk Bag Ties. Not because I can't afford the 5 cent pick but....they have a hole in the middle so you never drop them on stage, You can cut them to any shape you like, and after they are cut you can execute pinch harmonics much easier due to their shortness.
Get the edge of your thumb down near the end of your pick. (that closest to the string) Pick your note....

1. Your Pick Hits The String
2. Your Thumb Skin Hits The String

Sounds easy, requires practice.

Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top plays with a metal Mexican Peso Coin to give him sharper pinch harmonics.

All the best!!!!!!! :cool:

Parrot Head, lalimacefolle, Lordathestrings,

Thanks for your advice. This weekend I had an artificial harmonics breakthrough. I can now easily play them anywhere on the board and can incorporate them into solos like I've always wanted to. I'm not going to tell what I was doing wrong because it was so incredibly stupid, I'm not going to humiliate myself by telling anyone.

But the point is, thanks for your time and tips.

Rock on,
Mr. Crowley