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BASS TIPS
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HARMONICS |
Let's explore
the vast and varied world of harmonics. Harmonics add an extra
dimension to the bass player's range, and the fretless players
amongst us have the added luxury of being able to slide harmonics,
which I'll be covering in a subsequent "bass tips".
I've been incorporating harmonics into my playing for some years
now... they're captivating, fun and daring - just like me! (Ha
Ha!).
So starting
with the basics... use the bridge pick up and pluck the strings
firmly, close to the bridge (if you don't have a bridge pick
up, experiment with the tone control to find the "sweet
spot" - about a third of the way round - to bring out the
harmonics). It is more difficult to get the harmonics to sing
without a bridge pick up, but it can be done. There are harmonics
all over the neck, but let's start by taking a look at the area
between the third and fifth frets. There are so many useful harmonics
in this small area, it's worth spending some time experimenting
and becoming familiar with them.
Example 1
shows a scale using harmonics from this region of the neck. And
look at the pattern that is formed with the finger positions
(on the TAB chart) as they move over the strings. It's a consistent
pattern that just keeps repeating... and if you have a 5 or 6
string bass you can continue the pattern both on the higher and
lower strings.
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| Jaco
Pastorius inspired me to incorporate harmonic chords into my
repertoire. It takes a bit of work to place them into songs but
it's worth it, as they really grab the listener's ears. Example
2 shows a few examples of harmonic chords (there are many more!).
I find them great for solo work too. Using a two or three-note
harmonic chord, I let them ring and pull the neck back and forth,
or shake it, and it sounds like I've got a whammy bar! |
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I love
the way that Jaco used to strike a harmonics chord in a totally
unexepected place in the song - usually mid-groove - and let
it ring while the rest of the band went off into some musical
mayhem exploration until Jaco pulled it back together by kicking
into one of his smoking groove riffs. Oh he was (and is!) SO
GOOD! I'm sure there is a place for this in today's rock music
(I hope so!). Jaco was a rocker and a musical rebel in so many
ways and he's the king of harmonics; check out just about
any recording he made for evidence of that.
You may have
noticed that I am singing Jaco's praises quite heavily here!
If you don't have any of his albums in your collection, I highly
recommend changing that! :) Weather Report's live album, "8:30",
and Jaco's self-titled solo album are probably good places to
start... ENJOY!
Example 3
shows a typical Jaco-type harmonic chord "explosion".
Once you've hit the chord you can let it ring as long as you
like and re-enter with the groove (with AUTHORITY!) at your leisure...
and it doesn't necessarily have to be on the 'one' either.
Example 4
shows how to create a "false" harmonic. Holding down
the B note on the A string (second fret) and making a harmonic
on the sixth fret creates a "false" D-sharp harmonic.
(It is false because we have essentially moved the nut and are
creating a harmonic that normally wouldn't be there.) This is
the same harmonic that Jaco used on "Portrait of Tracy"
(from his solo album), that eluded me for SO long. It's quite
a stretch (although not for his enormous hands!), so I suggest
maybe trying it in a higher postion on the fingerboard to start
with.
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A few final
tips:
A chorus
or harmonizer makes those harmonics sound so-o-o-o sweet.
- Playing
with the fingers (not the plectrum/pick) is essential. The harmonics
sound much fatter and fuller.
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Copyright 2000 Tony Franklin
