Look at the tips below to master this “simple to explain, but not simple to master” technique. It will only take you a few minutes to figure it out, however the advanced part of the technique lies in being able to add a harmonic pinch on the exact note at the precise moment in the song that you are aiming for, without it getting buried in the mix.

I used to call these harmonic-squeaks back in the 1990’s, but over the years they have become more commonly known as “Pinch Harmonics” (or “harmonic squeals” or “that kooky crazy noise you make on that daffy guitar of yours”). Call it what you will. This technique is easy to describe but takes some practice to control and execute properly.

First off, as you know, there are harmonics all over the fretboard on each string. This is just one approach of many that will allow you to access this technique and add some spice to your leads and/or rhythms.

 

This is how it looks: You choke up on the pick like a baseball player would his bat.

This diagram below shows how your picking hand would look from a side view.

—–) thumb
——- pick
—–) index finger

Compared to how you would normally hold a pick, your fingers are almost completely covering it. You can see how the pick is just slightly protruding past the fingers.
This is how it’s played: Picking downward on the string.

• Your index finger barely touches the string
• then your pick hits the string
• and finally the tip of your thumb lightly hits the string as the stroke moves away and leaves you with the harmonic.

 

You need to experiment with this technique by moving in small increments in both directions (toward your tuners, then towards your bridge). Keep your pick above the pick-up area of your guitar until you find the particular harmonic you’re after. There are dozens you can discover in different places on the neck on every string. Some harmonics are easier to achieve than others.
Hint: start with the easier notes.

 

Pinch Harmonics are one of Zakk Wylde’s favorite riffs (clearly). In metal music, these type of harmonics are usually used as a chord or solo accent note. But over the years, hundreds of guitarists have used them since the 70’s, and probably even before.
Example Songs:

• “Outta Love Again” by Van Halen – Eddie Van Halen uses these for a very cool vibe in the song. The Pinch Harmonics are almost used in a percussive manner on breaks between choruses and verses. (apx. 1:07)
• “La Grange” by ZZ Top – Billy Gibbons: On the outro Billy not only uses some tasty clean-versions of these, but a big portion of the outro-solo continues to use these for its melody lines. (apx. 2:30)
• “Destruction Overdrive” by Black Label Society – Zakk Wylde uses these right out-of-the-gate, as a percussion accent between rhythms.

* Another classic example can be heard and seen in the movie “Rock Star” (see image above). In the first scene where the band is practicing, Mark Wahlberg’s character is nitpicking his guitar player to *nail* this kind of riff. It’s pretty funny if you’re a guitarist watching this, but the rest of the audience is probably scratching their heads 😉

 

STRING TIPS:
You can do this on any string. Try the G string first, it’s the easiest to produce great results on. Zakk Wylde, being the psycho that he is, chooses to do this technique on the A and Low E strings between chords.

 

TONE TIPS:

1. An increased amount of distortion will help bring out the pinched harmonic notes. But you can clearly hear in the ZZ Top example mentioned above, you can get pretty good results with a bluesy-clean tone as well. It just takes more practice.
2. An increased amount of compression will also help the note of the pinch harmonic’s squeal, to be heard longer than normal.
3. Like anything else this takes a lot of practice. But when you get it wired, you’ll be able to throw one of these in with your leads or rhythms at-will…and nail it each time =)

Updated 2017. Originally written © 2002 T.Merry