Uke Minutes 37 - One Handed Harmonics

so simple... yet so nice

*gazing at stars
 
Ok. I have a questions that's probably been asked a hundred times but here it goes again. Why can you only do harmonics on the 5th, 7th, & 12th frets & not the others??
 
Cool lesson. I was watching a video just the other day where this technique was being used. Mahalo nui.
 
It took me months to figure out how to do that on the guitar. Again, Aldrine makes it soooo easy. ;)

Try holding down a chord at some of the lower frets and hitting the one-handed harmonics exactly 12 frets higher than the note you're playing with your fretting hand. If you're holding down an F chord (2010), play harmonics at the 14th, 12th, 13th, and 12th frets respectively. This way, you can play pretty much any pitch as a harmonic. Aldrine does something like this in "Ducky Adores Me" and "Valentine" and it rocks!
 
Try holding down a chord at some of the lower frets and hitting the one-handed harmonics exactly 12 frets higher than the note you're playing with your fretting hand. If you're holding down an F chord (2010), play harmonics at the 14th, 12th, 13th, and 12th frets respectively. This way, you can play pretty much any pitch as a harmonic.
FWIW, the official term for this is an "artificial harmonic."
 
"In acoustics and telecommunication, a harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency."

wow... u know how i read that??said the words with less than 4 letters.
 
Ok. I have a questions that's probably been asked a hundred times but here it goes again. Why can you only do harmonics on the 5th, 7th, & 12th frets & not the others??

You can get natural harmonics at other points along the string, but they generally sound horrible or are much harder to sound properly. And, well, yes, physics explains why, so just refer to the other response.

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I'm thinking perhaps I should actually watch some of these lesson videos one of these days. Probably should have done so before diving into a thread about one of them, at the very least. *ahem* Sorry.
 
wow... u know how i read that??said the words with less than 4 letters.

Here's a link that's a little easier to understand:
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonics_(music)

Notice that the 12 fret is halfway between your ukulele's nut and bridge. By pressing lightly here, it basically doubles the string's vibrational frequency, making it one octave higher (so if you're playing the A string, you get a higher A).

Also notice that the 5th fret is one quarter of the way between your ukuleles nut and the bridge - creating a note another octave higher (so on the A string, an even higher A).

The 7th fret is one third of the way between your ukulele's nut and the bridge - (the "third harmonic") which creates a note an octave and a fifth above (so if you're playing the A string, it will give you an E in the octave above).

I think. If I said anything wrong, feel free to correct me :p Hope that helps!
 
Dibblet, you old smoothie! That was masterly. What's it like to be described as a Junior Member?
 
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