I've recently discovered that there is a real demand for something. I wrote about this in my newsletter last week. (If you don't receive my FREE weekly newsletter, "The Flatpick Post," why not sign for it on the right hand column of this blog?) Anyway, I've been getting a lot of emails recently from people who are beginning to learn the guitar--and it is just not coming together for them. Playing chords that are free from "dead" notes and being able to change quickly from one chord to another has caused a lot of people a lot of frustration. I have found Louise Slavnic's Guitar Made Easy, an instantly downloadable workbook, to be one of the best resources for the frustrated beginner, or the person who is returning to the guitar after a long time of not playing.

Here is a hint Louise offers for helping you learn to switch chords quickly: "When changing chord positions, do not remove hand from the guitar neck. Likewise, do not move your hand/fingers away from the strings. Keep the hand close to the strings, 'hovering' over the frets as your change to the next chord. This promotes the 'flow' of chord changing and ensures that you are developing the skill correctly."

It can take a long time to become familiar with each chord and to remember which chord is which. In her workbook, Louise suggests,"As you practice what has been outlined in the chord practice routine, follow this pattern: Say the name of the chord as you begin change.- Say the name of the chord as you position each finger."

Louise even provides information on how to condition your fingers for pain-free playing. She suggests soaking the fingertips of the chord changing fingers in mentholated spirits before and after practicing. Says Louise, "This helps to harden the skin so that the pressing is not painful. The fingers do not become ugly and hard,they simply become hardened enough to alleviate the pain. Some beginners choose to use a cotton bud to dab the 'mentho' on to their finger tips."

Louise also stresses something that I often harp on: Keep those fingernails trimmed! She points out that not only do long fingernails hinder chord formation and slow down the process or chord changing, but over a period of time they will put grooves in your fretboard!

On a lot of sheet music, the chords are either directly above, or below, the lyrics they go with. It is not always apparent just when to change from one chord to another. Louise gives this word of encouragement: "As you develop as a guitarist you will understand more and more the need for a guitarist to 'feel' a song as you play it. It is important to play according to music, but it is just as important to be part of it. You will feel the time to change the chord sometimes even though the composer does not always point out exactly where to place the chord change--you feel it. The more familiar you are with a song, the better you will play it, so do not be discouraged by the way you play the song to start with." With time you will not even have to think about when to change the chords!

If you're one of those folks who have become discouraged and frustrated with the learning process, Louise's guitar instruction may be just what you need. For more information:
Click Here!

Right well. Why would I waste time doing this? Hmm...good question. 'Cos I'm not wasting time, . I'm just helping you budding songwriters explore the marvelous world of lyric writing with a little encouragement from me...this should cut down your threads saying "how do I write lyrics?".

So...the first question.

Why write?

1. It will help you release all excess emotion in a controlled manner. It will help you cope with difficult situations.
2. You have written a riff...simple; you need lyrics. So now...I'm going to tell you one very important thing.

1st Rule: Don't write for the sake of writing. Make it personal, make it meaningful.

Now, if i was a normal self-disciplined person like all you fine people are, then I would probably tell you what to write, or simply how to write it. But, this is me. So I'll get back to that. I just want to make an observation; there are lots of people who suffer 'writers blocks'. Now this is when the person isn't inspired, and has followed my first rule. So how do you break out of this? Well, you could **** up your personal life. That's sure to give ya something to write about, . But no, there are easier ways...though I will include that one.

Inspiration?


Inspiration?

1. You are having troubles in your personal life. This is one time when you can truly write what you feel and have it sounding pretty good.
2. Walk around, perceive the beauty of the world, the magnificence of people, the self-absorbed cruelty of people, the fake beauty that you?re likely to see all around you?look at the ?fake plastic trees? and always remember them.
3. Read. It doesn't matter what, just read. A newspaper - make a political song? Maybe a book that makes you think, maybe a thriller, **** who cares? At least then you'll get an idea of how to write WHILST also getting a plot/story for your lyrics. Want some good authors?...then ask me...hell I have a thread about them somewhere. A lot of "English is caught not taught"...

Now...the hard part. "I know what I want to say...but I can't say it." Sound familiar?...not to worry.

I'll take bits of various songs to demonstrate thoughtful/meaningful lyrics.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Do You Want Me to Say? - The Dismemberment Plan

Verse:
I lost my membership card to the
human race so don't forget the face
because I know that I do belong here

Verse:
Go down the checklist let's see:
feelings are good dishonesty is bad
and keeping it inside is worse still

Chorus:
What do you want me to say?
What do you want me to do
to let you know that I still love you?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
So just a simple extract there, but if you study it, you'll see wit and intelligence.

In Depth: Verse 1
First line shows how some people don't get accepted and are ostracised (they become outcasts).
Second & third line shows that he wants to belong and to be accepted, even if the people aren't willing to do this for him.

In Depth: Verse 2
First line, looking for the qualities that he needs to fit in.
Second & third line elaborate on what he's found. Basically, it could be about writing a song...so yea, that'll go there in tips.

In Depth: Chorus
The person in the song is anguished at not being accepted and what he has to do to get their love. It's simple, yet so unbelievably honest.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe that these lyrics could qualify as Emo...so now I'll slot in a description on how to write emo lyrics. Please note, below is not my own work but is courtesy of MarkMac...say thanks to him when you get the chance.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So you want to write EMO... okay, I'll share what I've come up with so far.

1. Load up on literature: You can't write EMO if you don't have a good grasp on writing in general. Regardless of how complicated your words get, you need to have a feel for all the different literary instruments like metaphor, allegory, analogy and even onomatopeia. If you don't have this, stick to writing simple, raw emotive lyrics like the stuff you hear from Blink182. Mind you, I'm not saying that's a bad thing. I think that "In Too Deep" by Sum41 is actually a well-constructed lyrical song for its genre.

2. Load up on your angst of choice: EMO's big draw, particularly to college and older listeners is that it bleeds. It's gut wrenching in an intelligent, melodic way and it deals with issues in a very open and honest manner. Also remember that EMO likes dealing with more mature issues. For example, you won't really find any EMO songs about rebelling against authority, while most teen punk is littered with such sentiments. "Anna Begins" by the Counting Crows depicts a guy waking up at night beside his girlfriend and wondering what they're really about. Coldplay's "Yellow" touches on how a girl has everything her way and how the guy can't seem to turn her his way.

Important to remember: you're also loading up on angst because you're going to need to sing with angst. EMO singers have notoriously depressing tones. Crows, Staind, Coldplay, Lifehouse, etc the voice produces much of the feel.

3. Now you're talking about saying everything you feel in a few, simple catchy phrases. This is accomplished by using those literary instruments I was talking about. Look at this line from Counting Crows' "Round Here" -

"Round here, we talk like lions, but we sacrifice like lambs.
Round here, it's slipping through my hands."

The sentiment of disillusionment just drips in these two lines. To achieve the same effect by using literal lyrics would take much longer, and won't have the same effect. Lyrics shouldn't be literally visual. You're not narrating a story, you should think more along the lines of imparting an emotion.

The problem with a lot of beginning writers is that they lock on too much to trying to depict an event. i.e. "I've known you for a while, I know everything about you, I do everything for you, you're amazing but you never notice me" is how a lot of starting lyricists would treat the subject of unrequited love. But I'm not talking about being overly flowery either. Coldplay's "Yellow" goes:

I swam across,
I jumped across for you,
Oh what a thing to do.
Cos you were all "Yellow,"

I drew a line,
I drew a line for you,
Oh what a thing to do,
And it was all "Yellow."

Your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones,
Turn into something beautiful,
And you know
for you I'd bleed myself dry

You might think these lyrics are terribly simple but the truth of the matter is that, coupled with Chris Martin's vocal style, it's very well-constructed. The repeating lines show to the urgency of his actions, the line "Oh what a thing to do" highlights the uselessness of what he's done. Then of course comes the required "thesis statement" which is, "For you I'd bleed myself dry". As you said, you can accomplish a lot with a few simple words and this song shows it.

Important: Note also the use of onomatopeia in these songs. Actually, I don't think I mean onomatopeaia in the strict sense of the word, I'm just saying you should use the correct type of sound at each portion of a song. Though it's not a song that's EMO, a song I use to illustrate this to people is Sum41's "In Too Deep". The line, "Maybe we're just trying too hard, when really it's closer than it is too far." The word "Maybe" produces the exact sound you need. Try singing it with another two syllable word, like "Perhaps" and it doesn't work because its not onomatopeically sound. You can't just replace "closer" either with say, "nearer" because even though they have the same syllables, the sound of the words are not the same. Be conscious of how your individual words sounds at the key portions of your song.

We could deconstruct any number of EMO songs in this way and I suggest you do because it'll give you an idea of what you need to do to build one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now...me (benjmc) again...

Issues:

1. Over using rhyme. I do believe everyone will admit that people on UG tend to fall into this trap. Basically, if you have nothing to say, then using rhyme will probe you to say something, anything, to fill up the page. But this goes back to rule 1...if you've nothing to say, for **** sake don't make a song saying it. Unless that is your actually topic, and you do it in a creative and thoughtful way, So...basically, too much rhyme is alot worse than no rhyme. If you express all your ideas in a logical way, then no one should notice about rhyme anyway. And I know some of you may have got critiques saying "you need a certain rhyme scheme, don't wander" but that's just not right. Speak the truth, not some over rhyming piece of garb. Rhyme is often misused far too much. People don't understand how to rhyme without forcing a song. I'm going to have to go back to that sometime...so listen to me, listen to Pyro, listen to MarkMac, listen to Buzz...we all agree that you shouldn't rhyme too much. But...if you get to an advanced stage in your songwriting you will realise if your non-rhyming song works..and you'll realise how to use rhyme to it's full potential.

History of Modal Playing:

A type of scale useful to know other than the major and minor variants is called the MODE. There are seven types of modes in western playing, and you may be surprised to learn that modes pre-date the diatonic scales (major and minor), which didnt evolve until the 17th century.

The modal system can be traced back to Ancient Greek times. During the middle ages, it was taken up by the christian church, where it dominated western music for several hundred years.

What Are Modes?

Like diatonic scales, each of the seven modes comprises eight notes from root to octave. The notes used by ALL of the modes equate directly to the white notes of a piano keyboard- hence the notes of a C major scale.

You may be wondering what practical use modes have for you. That's a resonable question. It's been asked countless times on here. Originally, the modes were veiwed as a fixed series of pitches and notes, not a set of relative intervals.

Modern usage, however, has reinterpreted a mode merely as a scale with it's own set of intervals. Therefore, it is possible to transpose any of these modes into ANY key, creating seven new types of scales, each with it's own unique set of characteristics.

Familiar Sounds:

After you play all of the modes I will tab, you should be able to recognise that the Ionian mode is in fact, the Major scale by another name. Also, the Aeolian mode uses the same set of intervals as the Natural Minor scale.

If you've gotten familiar with other types of scale positions in your guitar playing carreer, but have never tried modes, you should have very little trouble getting to grips with the seven types of modes.

The Modes Themselves:

Below this, you will see seven TABS. Each one shows the correct fret and string of the mode outlined above the staff. The intervals are typed under the specific mode.

I've tabbed these all in the key of A.

The Ionian Mode in A:

E[-------------------------------------------------------------------
B[-------------------------------------------------------------------
G[-------------------------------------------------------------------
D[--------------------4--6--7--------------------------------------
A[---------4--5--7-------------------------------------------------
E[--5--7------------------------------------------------------------
Tone, Tone Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone

The Dorian Mode in A:

E[-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B[-----------------------------------------------------------------------
G[----------------------------2-----------------------------------------
D[----------------2--4--5----------------------------------------------
A[-----2--3--5---------------------------------------------------------
E[--5-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone

The Phrygian Mode in A:

E[------------------------------------------------------------------------
B[------------------------------------------------------------------------
G[------------------------------------------------------------------------
D[------------------------5--7-------------------------------------------
A[-------------5--7--8---------------------------------------------------
E[--5--6--8--------------------------------------------------------------
Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone

The Lydian Mode in A:

E[-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B[-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G[-------------------------------------------------------------------------
D[---------------------4--6--7--------------------------------------------
A[----------4--6--7-------------------------------------------------------
E[--5--7-------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone, Tone, Tone, Semtitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone

The Mixolydian Mode in A:

E[-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B[-------------------------------------------------------------------------
G[----------------------------2--------------------------------------------
D[----------------2--4--5-------------------------------------------------
A[-----2--4--5------------------------------------------------------------
E[--5----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone

The Aeolian Mode in A:

E[--------------------------------------------------------------------------
B[--------------------------------------------------------------------------
G[----------------------------2--------------------------------------------
D[-----------------2--3--5------------------------------------------------
A[------2--3--5-----------------------------------------------------------
E[--5----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone

The Lochrian Mode in A:

E[----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B[----------------------------------------------------------------------------
G[----------------------------------------------------------------------------
D[-------------------------5--7----------------------------------------------
A[--------------5--6--8------------------------------------------------------
E[--5--6--8------------------------------------------------------------------
Semitone, Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone



There, I hope that helps.

How To Play Guitar Book Download Free Now

Barre Chords:

Barre chords are essentially open-string chord shapes that can be formed at different points on the fingerboard.

To form a barre chord,

1. The first finger is stretched across the width of the fingerboard.

e.g.

E[--2-----
B[--2-----
G[--2-----
D[--2-----
A[--2-----
E[--2-----

Kind of like putting a capo on a certain fret.

2. The remaining three fingers are used to form the chord shape.

e.g. An E Barre Chord thats the shape of an E chord, but is actually F#.:

E[--2-----
B[--2-----
G[--3-----
D[--4-----
A[--4-----
E[--2-----

So now, you are forming an E chord shape, but since it has moved up the fingerboard, you are actually playing F#.

Essentially, the first finger acts as the nut, or zero fret. The great thing about barre chords are that they allow open-string chord shapes to be played in any key.

The most commonly used barre chords are E Shaped (like the exercise above) and A Shape. Less common are those formed around the open C and G chords. They are possible, but much trickier to pull off. Barre chords are also sometimes known as "slash" chords.

Why do barre chords work?

Barre chords work because the first finger acts as a repositioned nut from which open string chord shapes can be built. In practice, this is more complex since you no longer have a first finger to fret individual notes.

Some guitarist like the way the open string chord shapes sound. Others appretiate the ease with which chord changes can be made. Therefore, some players choose to, instead of forming barre chords, they place a CAPO on a fret instead.

The capo works by fitting over the strings of the fingerboard and pressing down, using a clamp on the back, acting just as the first finger of a barre chord would word, but now, you have the first finger back, being able to fret individual notes.

If a capo were fitted on the fifth fret, and a standard E Major chord shape were formed, the resulting chord would be A Major.

The E Shaped Barre:

As we worked on above, the E Shaped barre chord works by having the first finger pressed against all the strings of a certain fret.

After this is done, the remaining three fingers are free to form an E Major chord shape.

The E Major Chord Shape:

E[--0-----
B[--0-----
G[--1-----
D[--2-----
A[--2-----
E[--0-----

If a barre is formed on the fourth fret, and an E Major chord is formed, the resulting chord is G#.

The correct chord name for an E Shaped barre chord can always be found by finding the barred note you are fretting on the sixth string.

The A Shaped Barre:

The A Shaped barre works in the same way as an E Shaped barre, but you only need to barre the first five strings. The sixth string is optional, because the ROOT will always be on the fifth string.

A regular A Major chord looks like this:

E[--0-----
B[--2-----
G[--2-----
D[--2-----
A[--0-----
E[-(0)----

Again, the sixth string is optional, and even though its musically correct, in some cases it just makes the chord sound wrong.

And most players like the lessened strength it takes to hold down one less string in an A Shaped barre chord anyway, so this should'nt be a problem.

So, forming an A Shaped barre on the second fret of the fifth string, will result in a B Major Chord.

E[--2-----
B[--4-----
G[--4-----
D[--4-----
A[--2-----
E[-(2)----

I find the chord sounds better when the sixth string is not played.

I would go into C Shaped and G Shaped barres, but, since they are so uncommon, and this IS the beginner forum, I'll leave them out.

Allthough, if you wish to know about the C and G Shaped barres, then, please, by all means PM me, and I'll edit this lesson to include those chords.

Well, I hope this can help with your barre chord needs.

How To Play Guitar Book Download Free Now

String Bending History and Gauges:

String bending was originally developed by blues and country players to mimic the sound of bottleneck guitars, or much later, pedal steel string guitars.

Bending has now become one of the most widely used effect in most guitar styles, as it can provide greater texture to your sound, as well as added emotional dimention.

The principal factor which governs the degree in which you can bend a string is its thickness, or GAUGE. String widths (gauges) are generally expressed as decimal fractions of an inch and can be found on any package of strings you buy.

Weighing up the pros and cons of each type of thickickness or style of string is really a matter of personal taste.

You must take into account that while thin, light gauge strings are more pliable and easier on your fretting fingers, they are more likely to break with continued use, create a shoter sustain, have a lower volume, and the degree in which they can stretch makes them more troublesome to keep in tune than that of higher gauge strings.

Some players maintain that higher thickness strings simply sound better than thin ones.

If your guitar uses light gauge strings- where the first string is no more than .10 inches thick- you should be able to alter the pitch of a note by at least a tone. Allthough this can also be achieved with steel string acoustic guitars under the most favorable circumstances, it is almost impossible to reach a semi tone on classical or flamenco gutiars, or with evem with thicker electric strings.

With their degree of pliability, the treble strings are most often used for bending, which causes them to break most frequently. So it's wise to keep a supply a spares in your case.

Bending The Strings:

This is one of the most basic and widely used techniques of the modern guitarist today. It is usually achieved by playing a string, then bending the string up or down to create a pitch change.

It can also be produced mechanically with a tremolo arm.

String Bending Exercise:

-Play the 8th fret of the second string. Now, remember that sound, because it will come in handy when attempting to bend up a tone.

- Place your 2nd finger on the 6th fret of the 2nd string.

e.g.

E[------------------------------------
B[------6----------------------------(F)
G[-----------------------------------
D[-----------------------------------
A[-----------------------------------
E[-----------------------------------

- Pick this note. You are playing an F.

-While the note is sustaining, push the string upwards (towards the roof) untill the pitch increases by what you assume is relatively close to a tone (remembering the 8th fret we played earlier)

-You should now be hearing the note G.

At first it may be difficult to stop or get to the correct pitch, but this will come with practice. In fact, some styles of playing dont even need pitch-perfect bending. A slightly flat note in blues playing can be a very nice effect.

Take care, however, not to bend the string to much (called "Over Bending") unless it is called for, because this will make the note sound sharp and not as good.

As an alternative, it is also possible to pull the strings downward, rather than push them upwards. This is generally used when bending the bass strings, because, if the low E string is bent up wards and/or the high E string is bent downwards, it is likely that the string will slip off the fingerboard of your guitar, producing a very unpleasant sound, and killing the note.

This should'nt be too much of a problem considering that most players find it easier to push the treble strings upwards and pull the bass strings downwards anyway.

Well, i hope this can help with some string-bending questions.

Untill the next lesson...

String Bending History and Gauges:

String bending was originally developed by blues and country players to mimic the sound of bottleneck guitars, or much later, pedal steel string guitars.

Bending has now become one of the most widely used effect in most guitar styles, as it can provide greater texture to your sound, as well as added emotional dimention.

The principal factor which governs the degree in which you can bend a string is its thickness, or GAUGE. String widths (gauges) are generally expressed as decimal fractions of an inch and can be found on any package of strings you buy.

Weighing up the pros and cons of each type of thickickness or style of string is really a matter of personal taste.

You must take into account that while thin, light gauge strings are more pliable and easier on your fretting fingers, they are more likely to break with continued use, create a shoter sustain, have a lower volume, and the degree in which they can stretch makes them more troublesome to keep in tune than that of higher gauge strings.

Some players maintain that higher thickness strings simply sound better than thin ones.

If your guitar uses light gauge strings- where the first string is no more than .10 inches thick- you should be able to alter the pitch of a note by at least a tone. Allthough this can also be achieved with steel string acoustic guitars under the most favorable circumstances, it is almost impossible to reach a semi tone on classical or flamenco gutiars, or with evem with thicker electric strings.

With their degree of pliability, the treble strings are most often used for bending, which causes them to break most frequently. So it's wise to keep a supply a spares in your case.

Bending The Strings:

This is one of the most basic and widely used techniques of the modern guitarist today. It is usually achieved by playing a string, then bending the string up or down to create a pitch change.

It can also be produced mechanically with a tremolo arm.

String Bending Exercise:

-Play the 8th fret of the second string. Now, remember that sound, because it will come in handy when attempting to bend up a tone.

- Place your 2nd finger on the 6th fret of the 2nd string.

e.g.

E[------------------------------------
B[------6----------------------------(F)
G[-----------------------------------
D[-----------------------------------
A[-----------------------------------
E[-----------------------------------

- Pick this note. You are playing an F.

-While the note is sustaining, push the string upwards (towards the roof) untill the pitch increases by what you assume is relatively close to a tone (remembering the 8th fret we played earlier)

-You should now be hearing the note G.

At first it may be difficult to stop or get to the correct pitch, but this will come with practice. In fact, some styles of playing dont even need pitch-perfect bending. A slightly flat note in blues playing can be a very nice effect.

Take care, however, not to bend the string to much (called "Over Bending") unless it is called for, because this will make the note sound sharp and not as good.

As an alternative, it is also possible to pull the strings downward, rather than push them upwards. This is generally used when bending the bass strings, because, if the low E string is bent up wards and/or the high E string is bent downwards, it is likely that the string will slip off the fingerboard of your guitar, producing a very unpleasant sound, and killing the note.

This should'nt be too much of a problem considering that most players find it easier to push the treble strings upwards and pull the bass strings downwards anyway.

Well, i hope this can help with some string-bending questions.

Untill the next lesson...

Lesson 1

Harmonics:

The term harmonic refers to the bell-like tones you get by damping specific frets on the guitars fingerboard.

It is worth learning harmonics since they can provide you with some very usefull playing effects.

How Do Harmonics Work?

Each time you strike a guitar string, the sound you hear is the result of a number of different components which, when taken together, form what is known as the HARMONIC SERIES.

The dominant sound you hear is known as the FUNDAMENTAL. This is the string vibrating along the full length of the fingerboard between the bridge and the nut, and consequently the element which defines the pitch of the note. However, their are further tones which can also be heard:

These result from shorter frequencies vibrating along different parts of the string, are strict multiples of the fundamental, and are known as HARMONICS, or OVERTONES. The balance between various hamonics and the fundamental is what creates the tonal characteristics of an acoustic note produced by any instrument.

The Harmonic Series:

You can hear a harmonic in isolation by playing a note muted by the left hand at specified points on the guitar fingerboard. The easiest to produce is an OCTAVE HARMONIC.

Place the tip of your finger EXACTLY above the twelfth fret on any string. (Be sure not to ACTUALLY press down on the fret). Now pick that note. All you should hear is a bell-like tone. This is the harmonic, the fundamental having been muted by your finger.

The pitch of the harmonic you hear depends on the mathematical divisions of the string that is resonating. By muting the fundamental at the twelfth fret, you divide the string in half. The twelfth fret being exactly in between the nut and bridge. This is known as the FIRST HARMONIC.

Other types of harmonics are possible too: The SECOND HARMONIC divides the string into three equal sections, the THIRD HARMONIC divides it into quarters, and the FOURTH HARMONIC divides the string into five equal segments.

The frets for these types of harmonics are these: 12th Fret=First Harmonic, 7th/19th Frets=Second Harmonic, 5th Fret=Third Harmonic, In between the 4th and 5th Frets, and the 16th Fret= Fourth Harmonic, and the 3rd Fret=Fifth Harmonic.

Heres a diagram: (They are applicable to any string)
Numbers in brackets= Harmonic Number

E]--12(1st)---7/19(2nd)--5(3rd)--4/16(4th)--3(5th)-
B]--------------------------------------------------------------
B]---------------------------------------------------------------
D]--------------------------------------------------------------
A]--------------------------------------------------------------
E]--------------------------------------------------------------

Pinch/Fretted Harmonics

It is actually possible to play harmonics (Pinch, Fretted, or even Fake harmonics if you prefer) for any note on the fingerboard.

What a person does is: they fret a certain note of any string (Lets take 2nd fret of the first string as an example) and the left hand frets the notes in the conventional way, while the right hand simultaniously mutes and plucks said harmonic.

For our example, fret with your left hand the 2nd fret of any string. Now, since every twelfth fret is an octave, rest your index finger lightly on the 14th fret of the string while still holding the 2nd fret.

Now, with your thumb/fourth finger, pluck the note while your index finger is still lightly pressing on the 14th fret. You should hear an OCTAVE HARMONIC.

This can work with any fretted note providing you have sufficient fret range, and you follow the harmonic series with open strings.

I hope this helps with some of your harmonical questions.