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Pinch harmonics are one of the most exciting and expressive sounds on the guitar. They can be used to add aggressive squeals to riffs and leads (think Billy Gibbons and Zakk Wylde) or produce different pitches off a single note for melodic application (a la Steve Vai and Eric Johnson).
Put simply, playing pinch harmonics involves a combination of the pick and the side of the picking hand thumb making almost simultaneous contact with a string during a down pick. There are many areas along a string that can produce a harmonic in this way, but they're commonly favored above the pickups which suits where the picking hand is naturally positioned when playing.
When starting out, sounding pinch harmonics can seem elusive. This is because you're aiming to combine the 'pick and side of thumb' technique while exploring exactly where the best harmonics are. Initially, you will find the process a hit and miss affair (especially if you're varying open strings and fretted notes) until you chance across a your first few successes.
This is part of the joy (and frustration) of playing them. Some will sound partially (often called semi-pinch harmonics), others will be bold and screaming. With a developing technique and armed with a distorted amp and the bridge pickup selected (a humbucker tends to be more fruitful than a conventional single coil), you will find where the juicy harmonic spots are along a string.
Over time, your ratio of 'squealers versus snifflers' with improve, allowing your guitar to scream at will more consistently.
Pinch Harmonics - getting them to squeal
To achieve a great pinch harmonic, angle the pick so after you pass the string, the side of the thumb can lightly make contact. This is all done as one movement that occurs very quickly. As for velocity, aim for medium to strong force when picking - harmonic screamers are less likely to happen with light contact.
Exiting the string with the pick may take some practice; while you want to make string contact with the thumb, you don’t want it to accidentally mute the string which will create a dead sounding note so watch out for this.
Examples
Example 1 - One open string to sound two pinch harmonic notes
This example shows the fundamental approach to pinch harmonics. The tab shows just a low E note played on the open sixth string but with two pitches in the notation.
Using the pinch harmonics technique, you will sound a low E and then a higher E by moving the pick's position from the neck pickup (shown as 'neck' above the tab) to the middle pickup ('mid' shown above the tab). Spend time experimenting with different positions until you find the sweet spots for clear E note pinch harmonics.
Example 2 - One open string to sound four pinch harmonic notes
Here, you will expand on example 1 by sounding four different notes: two different octaves of the E note as well as G# and B.
First practice locating your exact picking points so the notes all sound clear, then engage with the exercise so you can perform this within a specific rhythmic context.
Master these notes and you'll likely be astounded that you achieve so much without the fretting hand being involved at all!
Example 3 - Riffing with fretted note pinch harmonics
Here's a short riff incorporating the pinch harmonic technique applied to fretted notes. It is primarily based around E minor pentatonic (E, G, A, B, D), pedaling off the open sixth string.
The pinch harmonics in the riff scream out, resulting in a very dynamic and exciting delivery. Be sure to spend time perfecting the picking hand positions where you get the pinch harmonics.
At the end (bar 9) you will shift the position of the pick from the middle pickup to the neck pickup to sound different harmonic pitches on the open sixth string.
Example 4 - Soloing with pinch harmonics
Here's a short melodic solo that includes pinch harmonics to achieve different pitches. Those achieved with pinch harmonics help to underpin the accompanying chord progression and highlight chord tones.
Pay attention to achieving accurate 'squealers', playing a static note whilst moving the position of your picking hand to achieve a new pitch (the directives of 'neck' and 'mid' shown above the tab will help).
Example 5 - Whammy bar aided pinch harmonics
This explores whammy bar movements with pinch harmonics - ideally you'll have a guitar with a whammy bar that floats (ie it can both drop/doop and raise/scoop the strings). This combination is a favorite of Joe Satriani (eg Flying In Blue Dream, Ice 9).
To begin, perform a pinch harmonic on the open third (G) string. You will hold the whammy bar by reaching over with your fretting hand, depressing it just before you strike the pinch harmonic, and then raise it to achieve a high squeal. Use the tab as a guide and treat the pitches as approximate guides.
Example 6 - Pinch harmonics galore!
For your final piece, the earlier examples have been combined to create a short hard rock groove that mixes melodic phrases with pinch harmonics and stylistic squeals. For the latter, consider the pitches as a guide, whereas the melodic examples are more specific with the pitch and picking hand placement.
Bars 1-8 kick off with a Zakk Wylde inspired riff based around Em7, embellished with power chords. During the riff you'll see pinch harmonics performed on the third and sixth strings. This section repeats, with the final bar leading into the solo.
The solo starts at bar 9 with a single note figure that follows the chord progression. These are performed with pinch harmonics, picking at different points above the pickups to highlight chord tones derived from the accompanying chords.
Bars 12-13 feature a screaming string bend followed by a descending blues run. The piece finishes with a Satriani inspired, whammy bar enhanced pinch harmonic squeal. Enjoy!
Three rock legends that use pinch harmonics
Black Label Society - Stillborn
The riffs and solo to Stillborn really come to life with Zakk Wylde's searing squealers. Achieving strong pinch harmonics on lower strings can be demanding but Zakk makes them sound effortless.
To emulate him, use a bridge humbucker with a Marshall amp-styled distorted tone (he favored JCM800s for many years). For his lead tone, add a dash of chorus and stomp on a wah pedal (push toe down for the pinch harmonics - they'll scream even more due to exaggerated brightness).
After The Burial - Behold The Crown
Screaming pinch harmonics, low string pedaling and a deep distorted guitar tone form the riff from this modern metal stomper. Featured as the opening track for After The Burial's Evergreen (2019), Behold The Crown features Trent Hafdahl on guitar duties, showing how a great pinch harmonic technique can be pushed to consistently produce bold squealers!
Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) - La Grange
Texas Bluesman Billy Gibbons is arguably the godfather of pinch harmonics. His unique approach is more about digging into the note to see what squeals will come out, making his solos dynamic and organic.
Surprisingly, Billy doesn’t use a lot of amp gain, and is able to produce pinch harmonics with a clean-ish Marshall amp tone. La Grange includes excellent examples in the second solo: in places he’ll play one note but move his picking hand to different positions over the pickups, altering the pitches of the harmonics.
