How To Do Pinch Harmonics On Guitar

Lots of rock guitar enthusiasts want to learn how to do pinch harmonics on guitar. On your own, figuring out how to do pinch harmonics on guitar can be a real chore. Luckily, a little instruction goes a long way when learning this skill.

To do pinch harmonics on guitar, you will need:

• Electric guitar and cable
• Amplifier
• Guitar pick

1. Set the amp to its distortion channel. Playing with a lot of distortion will make your pinch harmonics ring out powerfully when played correctly. Also, you will be better able to hear them while practicing for the first time. Don't turn up the gain too much, however, or the feedback will be too strong to enjoy your practice session.
2. Pluck a single, fretted note on your G-string. The G-string is a good string for practicing how to do pinch harmonics on guitar because the pinch harmonics played on this note have great sustain and require little force to play correctly. The note you start plucking will be the one on which you play your first pinch harmonic. If you must, you can practice on the higher B and E-strings, but you will probably find the G to be the easiest.
3. Pluck the note with your thumb and the pick. This is how a pinch harmonic is achieved. Press hard with the pick on the note and quickly pull off of it with your thumb being the last thing that leaves the string. Normally, you just pick the note with your pick, but now you want to play harder and use your thumb as well. Don't just do this once, but several times in a row until you start hearing the screech of a pinched harmonic. If you're serious about learning how to do pinch harmonics on guitar, you will practice this with someone who is proficient at it, too.
4. Practice often. Eventually, you will get the hang of picking the note with your pick and thumb, and you will have discovered how to do pinch harmonics on guitar. Don't take this skill for granted, however. It took a lot of practice to learn it, and you should be practicing often to maintain your ability. Eventually, knowing how to do pinch harmonics on guitar will come to you intuitively, and you will be able to do it on command.