How To Find a Tap Harmonic on the Guitar

Ever write a solo or a song, but it sounds boring? Well there is a way to add more zing to your song or solo or both, and its very easy to do. Here's a technique that is heavily used and perfected by Eddie Van Halen.

Step 1  

Find a note you would like to add more of a zing to. It can be a regular note or an open note; it doesn't matter.

Step 2  

Strum the note, not hard, but just as you regularly would. However, not too soft either. Find a happy medium there.

Step 3  

After you strum it, as it is ringing, count 12 frets down from the played note and just barely tap it. Not hard enough to stop the sound, just a slight tap that barely touches it.

Step 4  

Listen closely. If you can't hear the note at all, you tapped the note too hard. Try again, and if you hear a ringing sound, then you did it!

Tips

• Remember, every time it will be 12 frets after the played note.
• Barely touch the string.
• You can also find tap harmonics 5, 7, and 9 frets up from where you are playing, or on those frets if the string is open.
• Don't get frustrated; it's something you have to practice. Keep trying to touch the string softer and softer.
• Instead of strumming the note, you can simply hit the harmonic with your tapping finger while holding your left hand finger on the fret. This won't give your harmonic as much volume, but with enough distortion and just the right amount of power on your "tap", you can pull this off. Try it with chords.

Warnings

• Touching the string too much or too hard will cause it to stop all together.
• If you fret the string above the tenth (twelfth or higher on some guitars) fret where there is no fret twelve higher, you'll have to tap past the neck. This is much harder to find, simply because there's no frets to guide you. Good luck

Things You'll Need

• Guitar
• Pick or fingers