How To Bend Harmonics

[sunspots]

Ive been browsing through the topics here, and theres a big issue with how he bends the harmonics, so here it is:

to bend down/ dive bomb:

lightly touch string with fret hand over fret, pick it, and pull fret hand finger off quick, so it rings a high note, and use the whammy bar to lower the pitch. you can only go so low before you lose the note, and if you dont have a whammy bar just twist the nut. this is probably known already.

to bend up:
instead of the lightly touching the string harmonic, use what i think is called pinch harmonics. you fret a note like you would normally, with the fret hand, press the string down to fret board. now heres the tricky part, you hold the pick right at the tip, so when you hit the string, the side of your thumb hits the string right afterwards, sort of a quick plucking motion. this will sound a harmonic, and you can bend the pitch up like a regular note, since you have it fretted normally. Just like the dive bomb , you can only bend so much.

sorry if this was explained somewhere else.
:bWave:

[cheesenuggett]

thats cool, my friends that play guitar dont know how to, ill show them this, thanks

its easy with bass though, because of the thick strings and all

[Head South]

People didn't know how to do this?

[sunspots]

People didn't know how to do this?

yeh, there was a long thread about it, eventually peopel theorized the craziest stuff, liek actually bending the neck!?!
http://www.modmouse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165&highlight=harmonic (http://http://www.modmouse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=165&highlight=harmonic)

I knew this, and ive only been playing 5 or 6 months now..

[loopdeloop]

If you don't have a whammy bar, you can a. pull on the neck to bend it (not recommended), or b. bend the string behind the bridge.

[ants are cavemen]

i think is called pinch harmonicsmy old guitar teacher called them false harmonics.

anyways, using that technique to bend up does work but its not what isaac brock does a majority of the time if thats what you guys are wondering. he just has a floating bridge so he can both push and pull the whammy bar.

[cheesenuggett]

i wish basses could use a whammy bar :(

that would be so cool

[Ghost Mountain]

my guitar doesnt have a whammy bar, but i allways assumed that was just obvious to most people that thats what you would use. i just bought a jaguar though and should be getting it in a few days so i will have a whammy bar soon.

[my jamaican style dad]

You guys can also just pick a harmonic note and then bend it with your finger.

[sunspots]

i wish basses could use a whammy bar :(

that would be so cool

dont they have guitar pedals for it? i dunno if you can hook a bass through electric pedals though

[badkarma]

my old guitar teacher called them false harmonics.

anyways, using that technique to bend up does work but its not what isaac brock does a majority of the time if thats what you guys are wondering. he just has a floating bridge so he can both push and pull the whammy bar.

Most tremolos will give a little in the opposite direction. I can yank back on my tremolo and reach a higher pitch. Also, you could always remove or move a spring to losen the bridge. You will find yourself tuning your guitar more often though.

[sunspots]

yeh i do that too sometimes. not a good idea to do that though, could break real easy. also you can tug on the neck while doin that, to raise it a tad bit more even, but thats wearin out two important parts... also you can press the string down ultra hard agianst the fret board, so the string lies flat on it, but it hurts, haha, and ive got some dents in my metal fret bars now... well theres three stupid ways to bend it, haha^