Zakk Wylde Style Pinch Harmonics

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   Hi GMC - I created this lesson as an exercise to practice the "Zakk Wylde style" artificial harmonics which are also called "Pinched Harmonics". The idea is to incorporate this technique in different riffs to get accustomed to use it in your own ideas.

I received many questions about this technique when I did harmonics in the Alice in Chains Style Lesson . So here you’ll find an explication about how they are generated, very close camera views to my right hand and different riff with harmonics to practice and get into this technique.

Key: D minor
Tempo: 165 bpm
Tuning: Dropped D

See you!

Gabriel.-



D minor 2 copia.jpg


     Lesson Questions, Feedback & Comments



Kristofer Dahl
post 6th December 2007


GMC Founder & Rocker


I have seen this little trick more and more in your playing Gabriel - it's adds such an aggressive tweak, thanks a lot for showing it to us! biggrin.gif
silentkap
post 6th December 2007


Member


wow great lesson
dango
post 6th December 2007


Member


this is so cool. i like it very much. thank you.
spdalton
post 6th December 2007


Member


... i think my face is melting from all the pinch harmonics.

great lesson!
botoxfox
post 6th December 2007


Member


Cool
Ben N
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


wow!!! what a cool lessons smile.gif
love it!!!
The Uncreator
post 6th December 2007


Fire Up The Blades, Moderator


Great lessons, with awesome riffs!
Juan M. Valero
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


That's amazing my friend !!! love this harmonics !!!

que buena leccion Gabriel, genial, que equipo usas para la distorsion??
Luciana Segovia
post 6th December 2007


Singing Instructor


I love Zakk Wylde's playing!! Great! smile.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
post 6th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Thanks for the comments! It's great that you like it!

Juan: Uso un cabezal valvular hecho en Argentina que es una imitacion de los messa boggie. Estan hechos con las mismas cosas pero son mucho más economicos. La marca es Vintage Electric. Ademas uso una caja Marshall.
(Traduction: I used Vintage Electric Tube Amp for this lesson)

gabriel.-
ZakkWylde
post 6th December 2007


Member


Great lesson Gabriel, thanks a lot! The harmonics sound more wyldish the more heavy you use vibrato so squeal 'em all
Batista
post 6th December 2007


Member


Great lesson, now I'm gonna start practicing artificial and pinched harmonics for real! They sound so cool in all type of music almost. This lesson was exactly what I needed at the moment =)
David Wallimann
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


Very cool lesson man! Your tone is great! What amp do you use?
Gabriel Leopardi
post 6th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Thanks guys! I use "Vintage Electric" tube amp (Made in Argentina).

gabriel.-
inertia
post 6th December 2007


Member


Awesome lesson Gabriel and great sound. The extra close up view really helps to see the picking technique.
Dashooter
post 6th December 2007


Member


I still haven't a clue how to do pinch harmonics. I can do them a little bit, but it sounds absolutely nothing like the way your doing it.

I'm hopeless sad.gif
shredmandan
post 6th December 2007


Member


nice
Dejan Farkas
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


Great lesson Gabriel, the artificial harmonics can really spice the things up biggrin.gif
SLASH91
post 6th December 2007


Member


This is an awesome lesson.
Bali
post 6th December 2007


Member


"La marca es Vintage Electric"

Que modelo usas?
Juan M. Valero
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


It's really a good amp mate !!! sounds awesome, aqui tengo un amigo que se ha hecho el solo su imitacion de mesa, jeje wink.gif
Gabriel Leopardi
post 6th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Buenisimo Juan!! decile a tu amigo que te arme uno para vos! smile.gif

Bali: Uso el modelo New Twin con valvulas 6l6.

gabriel.-
Layzer
post 6th December 2007


Member


Me encantan sus composiciones Gab!

Keep up the good work!
lefty01
post 6th December 2007


Member


Finally, a lesson that shows how do to this without fail. THANKS!!!
Davidian
post 6th December 2007


Member


Is it just me or are the e and E string the hardest ones to makes artifical harmonics? It sounds nice on all string except those 2.
Unleash-The-Shred
post 6th December 2007


Member


Great job on this lesson Gabriel.
Nighthawk
post 6th December 2007


Member


This lesson is awesome !Thanks for that Gabriel! Only now, I realise how many other guitarists, next to zakk wylde, make use of this technique. A great example is the famous riff in ain't talking about love by van halen !
But I do also have difficulties producing AH of the 2 lowest strings as Davidian posted! How come? The others work out so well...
Nick325
post 6th December 2007


Member


awsome !!
skennington
post 6th December 2007


Member


wow! if had closed my eyes, I probably would have thought that was Zakk!
Hisham Al-Sanea
post 6th December 2007


Instructor


very well done Gabe
golfrocker
post 6th December 2007


Member


I know it's a great lesson when I see two other instructors practicing it while I am. My guess is that they'll nail it before I do, but I'll see if I can give them a run for their money. Amazing sounds!!
Jerry Arcidiacono
post 7th December 2007


Instructor


Great sound, I agree. smile.gif
krudtaa
post 7th December 2007


Member


This is really great Gabriel. Thanks for this super cool lesson!
mattacuk
post 7th December 2007


Lets go fishing!


Gabriel is a real life Guitaro hero for you! smile.gif

I love the detail that you put into this lesson Gabriel, and the new angles are fab.

Keep up the good work !biggrin.gif
Bogdan Radovic
post 7th December 2007


Bass Instructor


Wow great lesson on pinch harmonics! This adds a lot to heavy songs..
Gabriel Leopardi
post 7th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Thanks! I'm glad that you find helpfull this lesson. And yes Davidian, the harmonics in those strings are a bit more difficult but it's just more practice. wink.gif

Let me know if you have any other questions.

gabriel.-
Maximus
post 7th December 2007


Member


Another great lesson.
richgrafx
post 7th December 2007


Member


You are a metal machine. Good stuff.
Muris Varajic
post 7th December 2007


Instructor


Awesome Gabriel!!!!! smile.gif
at lights end
post 7th December 2007


Member


Playing this gets addictive!
Great lesson, really useful.
Lurgen
post 8th December 2007


Member


Gabriel comes through yet again. I have got to say, it's great that you take the time to shoot the lesson from so many angles. It really does make a big difference. I've never been able to pinch harmonics so now I'll sit down for a few hours and work through this lesson of yours and see if that changes.
Lurgen
post 8th December 2007


Member


Holy cow, I actually did it. Repeatedly. The E strings are both damn near impossible for me just now, but the other strings are all do-able. A is pretty tough, I'm only getting it right about half the time and my AHs don't sound anywhere near as good as Gabriel's, but I'm happy!

I found that it makes a big difference where abouts on the string you actually pick. On my Strat, set to the neck pickup, I noticed that the sweet spot for the A and D strings was just above the middle pickup. The G and B were right over the middle pickup. There must be some way to estimate where abouts on the string the note lands.

I also noticed that there are more than one place on each string where you get a good harmonic, but that each of the spots results in a different note. So an AH on the D string up above the middle pickup results in higher pitch note than just above the bridge pickup.

Anybody else notice this?
Gabriel Leopardi
post 8th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Very good analisys Lurgen! Many guitar players try to reach a scale note when they do the pinch harmonics. Zakk Wylde is only interested in getting strong harmonics and sounding very noisy.

at lights end: Yes. it's addictive. Even more if you have the gain in 10 and the treble in 7. laugh.gif

gabriel.-
RyanS.
post 8th December 2007


Member


Very fun lesson Gabriel!! I love it but everyone on my block don't! LOL Thank you!
lliber
post 8th December 2007


Member


its th first time i have managed AH on the low string thanks Gabriel
Toni Suominen
post 8th December 2007


Instructor


Great lesson Gabriel!
LwShieN
post 8th December 2007


Member


Simple and yet cool ..Loving it Gabriel wink.gif
dreadlocks
post 8th December 2007


Member


whats pinch harmonics? :S
dreadlocks
post 8th December 2007


Member


ok i know whats pinch hramonics is now i need
to know how im doing it ? :S
Lurgen
post 9th December 2007


Member


OK, found another potentially useful detail about pinch harmonics out this morning - if you happen to be playing a Strat, don't use one of the in-between pickup selections. Set it to use just one pickup.

For ages, I was trying to do these with my Highway One, which I almost always leave set to neck+middle. Then yesterday when I found this tutorial I grabbed my 57 re-issue which doesn't have the in-between settings and suddenly I was up and running. Obviously, Gabriel can take 90% of the credit but the pickup selector makes a difference. I grabbed my Hwy1 this morning and couldn't get a single solid harmonic out for the life of me. Then I flipped back to the neck pickup and bam - there they were.

So neck pickup only guys, at least to get going.

Techie bit, ignore if you like: Once I worked out what was going on I realised that two pickups means you have to find a point on the string where both pickups get a harmonic at the same time, significantly reducing the number of places you can strike the string to get one. There has to be some way to calculate these points, but I'm stuffed if I can do the math.


Oh, and my wife, my cat and my neighbours are looking for you Gabriel... and they don't look happy.
Gabriel Leopardi
post 9th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


laugh.gif laugh.gif I'm not responsable! It's Zakk Wylde who made me do this lesson.... laugh.gif


gabriel.-
Davidian
post 9th December 2007


Member


Yeah well this is one of the most addictive lesson for me to tongue.gif
dreadlocks
post 9th December 2007


Member


can i do harmonic pinch without amp cuz i dont have one :S
Gabriel Leopardi
post 9th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Yes. You can practice it. It would sound as a muted harmonic.

gabriel.-
sillyman
post 10th December 2007


Member


im havin problems with the videos on 1,2 and 3 . they either won't load or they get erased once they have loaded.only happens on this lesson. must be all the harmonics
Gabriel Leopardi
post 10th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


I've checked it and it works ok in my computer. Please try again and then tell me. wink.gif

gabriel.-
Ivan Milenkovic
post 10th December 2007


Instructor


Cool riffs Gab, and a solid sound on the LP. I like it very much. Keep on rockin smile.gif
Overkiller
post 11th December 2007


Member


Holy... This is great!! Sounds really like Zakk Wylde. Really like his style. Very unique. Awesome as always, Gabe. wink.gif
buttmonk
post 12th December 2007


Member


Again, another cool lesson dude. So u used a Vintage Electric amp with gain on 10 and treble on 7. Any other effects in the signal chain? What about for ur rock style lessons like Pentatonic Rock Cliches, same setup just different amp settings? You always have great tone and I am wondering where it comes from...smile.gif
fatb0t
post 13th December 2007


Member


Great stuff, reminds me of Van Halen too...

Just a note, people with single pick up guitars, try something with hum buckers: I dunno maybe it's just me, but my Gibson with hum buckers makes his lesson a lot easier. Could be I just need more practice =)
Gabriel Leopardi
post 14th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


Hi buttmonk! That's right but in the pentatonic rock cliches I used my marshall mod 8080 with a similar setting.

gabriel.-
sillyman
post 18th December 2007


Member


no my video 1 still doesn't work, is der any oda way to get that video cuz im assuming theres sum important stuff on the actual technique there
Gabriel Leopardi
post 18th December 2007


GMC Coordinator & Instructor


That's strange... I've just tried it again and it works perfect for me. blink.gif It should be your computer... but you can contact Kris to know if there is any tip to solve this problem.
Tomy Jeon
post 21st December 2007


Member


This sounds awesome! I can't quite get the half-artificial harmonicky sound though...
holoshreder
post 10th January 2008


Member


O.O HOLY GOD OF METAL WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT
that was frikin insane man!!
KICK ASS
EGMONT 1963
post 21st January 2008


Member


hi gabriel

I got it smile.gif and now praticing .......
thx

udo
belgian mathusalem sad.gif
Alec A
post 15th February 2008


Member


Awesome Gabriel! This is a great lesson
Carlos Carrillo
post 21st February 2008