Screaming notes

I play guitar mostly by ear. Generally I just play along to a tape or the radio. I like to use the radio because it provides a variety of play alongs.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else ever had this experience. When playing scales, I tend to turn my pick to its side. First, I will use the pick normally, but then I will tend to turn it slightly to its side and play using the side of the pick. On certain notes, it causes the "screaming" sound. It's a very high pitch and it sounds awesome. But, I haven't been able to make the same sound each time I try playing it the same way. You have to hit the notes hard. I play with a thick pick and I tend to hit the notes as hard as possible. Since I play this way most of the time, I'm used to hitting the notes in the scale very hard and I like to muff the bridge on most notes for effect.

Has anyone tried playing with the side of the pick?

One last thing. When playing a scale, I tend to try and bend the strings. So there will generally be a slight bend in there as well.

1) Thick pick - turn sideways
2) Hit notes hard in scale
3) Use muff technique
4) Bend strings when playing



[Edited by Doxidan2112 on 04-02-2003 at 01:47 AM]

What you're doing there, or what it sounds like from your description, is called a Pinch Harmonic...you'll see it often in tablature as P.H. When the pick turns sideways your fingers are getting closer to the strings. I think every once in awhile you're hitting a harmonic with your thumb at the precise time you hit the string with the pick. This doesn't have to be done aggressively if you train yourself to know where the harmonics are in relation to where you're playing...infact if you do it soft enough it can even sound like a harp...

You seem to use the same technique that I use to play pinches, I find that holding the pick tightly and picking at an angle presents a little edge of skin which makes the harmonic. Because the thumb edge makes a very thin contact (because of the angle the thumb moves across the string) it does not mute the harmonic and a roughly similar technique can be used for upstrokes and downstrokes.
I often change the angle of my pick when I play, I have a circular action to what I play, dragging the pick down strings and then dragging it over the strings on the way up again. I also use a very heavy plectrum, if I was to play without this dragging motion I'd probably break strings.

I hold my pick like that too. That way, I just have to turn it inward slightly to get the right sound, instead of repositioning the pick totally.