How to Play Lead Guitar - Pinch Harmonics - Metal Guitar Lesson

[Ulfification]

Been trying to do this shit for a while now and I still can't quite get it.

[ClaytonGold]

Nice video man, thanks a lot !

[DJ4geodeath]

easy thx man =D

[k5lta]

this is hard to do with weak single coils.

[LeadGuitarist1999]

is it not for rhythm?!

[wkriski]

@LeadGuitarist1999 sure you can do it for rhythm too

[LeadGuitarist1999]

@wkriski Oke thnx! and btw, i still don't understand, i was playing today with my friend and it worked a little bit, i hit the string first with the pick and then i hit carefully with my middle finger the string because i can't do it with my thumb... Grtz

[devilmas1]

I´m havin a problem i just can do harmonic in the 1,2,3,4 strings but i cant do in the 5 and 6 strings is there a tip how to do it ? or its just harder?

[wkriski]

@devilmas1 some people have more luck on certain strings...try digging in more as the lower strings are looser (less tension)...if you can get them somewhere at least you're in good shape

[girmasterman]

im still one of those 44 who cant do it. probably still a little too advanced for me. but I will prevail eventually! but until then i will return here once a month until i can hit the harmonics!!

[wkriski]

@girmasterman keep trying and good luck. let me know when you can get them!

[girmasterman]

@wkriski GOT IT!!! I wasn't holding the pick right. little things make all the difference.

[darianNK]

44 got their fingers pinched by the strings

[lianeardo]

can u make a video on how to play harmonic feedback, like in dont cry by guns n roses , PLEEEEAAAAAAASE!!!!

[FromDevouredGround]

Fuck this these are impossible

[BlackGhost574]

i can do it but... my amp is crap T.T do i get a good harmonics out of this 15watt practice amp? cause i can totally hear my harmonics almost sound like that but its pretty quiet like the volume is so low...

[Unduust]

Just teach at the a strin at the e is the hardest ^^

Bute nice Toutorial

[FallenInHistory]

Love the harmonic u do at 0:11

[MrVendetta210]

thanx man really helped me out there iwas wounderin wut they ment by useing ther thumb

[SmaustinsMusic]

Quick question: does it matter if i use hard or medium picks?

[wkriski]

@SmaustinsMusic not really

[donSparda]

Haven`t played for than a year and..11 months now, i seem to have the technique, but i don`t have the pickups for a good pinch harmonic :(

[RammsCarvalho]

Something to notice is that you CAN'T do this totally on Amplitube :P LOL

But seriously, when you shorten the distance between right and left hands, you might lose some harmonics that you could use holding the 5th position e.g. isn't it? When I change left hand position, some harmonics come to fade, but I think it's due to shitty gear (please DO NOT ask :P)...

Very nice vid!

[wkriski]

@RammsCarvalho yeah it depends where you fret and pick, over time you might remember some areas that work (adjust picking location based on the fret) or do a quick adjustment if you don't get a squeal the first time if you are improvising

[thehecticgamer]

Ive looked at a lot o videos for squelies and this one has helped me by far.

[3010smejo]

I can do it ... But only on the fretboard ( like on the 24th fret ) ?! Any suggestions ??

[wkriski]

@3010smejo nothing comes to mind - might be based on where you fret - so the distance between where you pick - try picking at different spots near the pickups or move your fretting hand to other frets

[3010smejo]

@wkriski With my new guitar is getting even easier, however I would train your method and I hope I´ll get it right !! :) Thanks bro ;) !!

[BlackLabelFREAK]

YOU MAKE SOOO MUCH SENSE!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!!! imma share this with the people who ask me how to do it cuz i cant teach u totally made sooo much sense in this video

[wkriski]

@BlackLabelFREAK thanks dude!

[Udontgetmymetal]

so fucking helpful I used to think you physically pinched the string....

[CreepingMetallica91]

Geez!!! At first I Couldn't do 'em, now through practice I nailed 'em. (Thanks To The Video. Awesome Job Dude.) But now, my problem is that, I can't play them inbetween my playing, like I'm actually trying to learn the song "My Fist, Your Mouth, Her Scars" By Bullet For My Valentine, but I just can't go from the standard pick formation to the holding to end type of think for the harmonics. :| Anyone got any tips to change formation?

[JollyJollyJoseph]

@CreepingMetallica91 Practice picking with the pick held close to the edge and just don't use your thumb until the harmonic?

[wkriski]

@CreepingMetallica91 i don't really change my picking style, maybe just dig in a little more...try picking a note normally then squeal, back and forth...so work on the transition it's tricky but keep at it!

[CreepingMetallica91]

@wkriski Okay, thanks dude! I'll try it and hopefully I get better to eventually hit them all the time

[SirComment33]

I love pinch harmonics :D Only playing guitar about 2 and a half yrs so still learning hard stuff

[cwalkapprentice23]

this shit is hard D:

[mikecrowphone]

THANK YOU

[MRTTVD]

i cant do it and im pissed off

[essendonfcTV]

i just learn them!

[slayerfog]

it counts when i don´t pick i mean??.... i just "pick" when the pick its perpendicular to the string not paralel, like using it digging the string.... it is ahmmm fair.. or its ok to do it this way???

[METALLICA848]

nice video dude you helped me to do pinch harmonics :D thank you thank you so much

[Jura8308]

GOD DAMN :(

[codismyBxTCH]

@ObeyYourMaster123 Just don't hit other strings?

[TheZombiesarepeople2]

Wow, 0:47. When my friend explained it to me for like 10 minutes I still didn't get it, but just those few seconds made me learn. Thanks dude, I can finally play Welcome Home.

[deathbysilence1]

im so confussed how to do a pinch harmonic

[AdamDoc1995]

@deathbysilence1 just as it says on the video when u hit the string with your pic just let ur thumb softly hit the string straight after :) takes time to get used to but can be picked up with practice

[Crystalforge66502]

AHHHH!!! why cant i do this shit?!?! >:(

[ObeyYourMaster123]

I always hit the other strings, what should i do?

[jcw3032]

Hey thanks for the great video :D So now i can get the pinch harmonic no prob. Its just incorporating that into a song/solo. It takes me about 5 seconds just to hold the pick right for harmonics then back for chords. How do you change holding the pick so quick? Just practice?

[iCadaverx]

do you have to have certian strings on the guitar?

I'm using a Shecter Hellraise and i've been at it for about an hour. Dx

can't do it.

[NickDAwsome]

holly crap you sound WAY better than my pinch harmonic :\

[NickDAwsome]

holly crap you sound WAY better than my pinch my harmonic :\

[JJchoy1593]

i cant do it after i watched shit load of other video and i still cant do it

and i fucking learned it here!

[acousticforlife8]

I like this video because you had a few extremely key parts of the pinch harmonic process that Sandercoe just completely left out. Thanks

[emoboi425]

how long did it take you to learn this cause i still cant do it very well, btw good video

[Shredin0id]

Shit I did the thumb part wrong XD

[fozza3232]

thanks man! you really helped me! and ur a great guitarist BTW!

[wkriski]

@fozza3232 glad to help. thanks!

[keshinko]

is this right? press the fret, play the note, and then bend and touch the string at the same time?

[wkriski]

@keshinko pick the string as usual, but dig into the string lightly brushing the string with the side of your thumb, not to dampen it but set off the harmonic, all in one quick motion.

[keshinko]

@wkriski ok, thanks. really liked your videos.

[wkriski]

@keshinko thanks

[wkriski]

@renesebasgg any amp with distortion, i'm using line 6 podxt with is modelling software

[DCSk8der]

Thumbs up if you learned to play pinch harmonics from this video.

[wkriski]

@DCSk8der hopefully a lot of thumbs up! thanks

[iseeandmakevideos2]

I have a hard time trying to nail a pinch harmonic on the low strings. I just end up getting the note sound but not the harmonic sound.. Any help?

[wkriski]

@iseeandmakevideos2 everything's in the video,keep trying stay patient...pick at different locations, dig into the strings

[MarkstheManiac]

44 people cant do pinch harmonics

[jix33333]

@MarkstheManiac iam one of them but iam not going to dislike it

[friedchikn1]

thanks a lot

[revolutionize017]

3:24 - 3:26 sounds Dirty Little Secrets intro :)

[HoNgamers145]

when you started talking in the zoom in part you sounded like stone cold steve austin so immediately started doing pinch harmonics cause you know : Stone Cold said so!

[snoutszer]

thanks to much.

[MattRuins]

Definitely a good tutorial, but I still have an issue. I have what's known as a "hitchhiker's thumb." Which is basically where my thumb can bend backward a bit on the middle joint. This makes holding the pick and doing pinch harmonics very difficult. What do I do?

[wkriski]

@MattRuins not sure man, sorry

[Jfitch08]

More treble, more gain, more distortion, will help. Also if you have a pickup switch on your guitar, flip to the bridge pickup, It will bring the higher pitches out,thus making it easier to harmonic or squeal.

[Huntington12345678]

Wow. What a simple lesson, plainly explained and easily seen, in the closeup. Thanks for the tip.

[wkriski]

@Huntington12345678 glad to help

[MrMeatBullet]

Using a medium pick makes this way easier! heavy/extra heavy picks don't flex enough and it makes it harder to get your thumb on the string

[mariokilledpikachu]

Your awesome thank you!!!!!!

[MRec1124]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

[comethgatorade]

Help? As soon as i strum and try to touch my thumb to the string the sound stops?!!?

[wkriski]

@comethgatorade it's very quick, don't mute the string, do it all in one motion while digging into the strings, keep trying

[comethgatorade]

@wkriski Got it 5 minutes later :P.

[wkriski]

@comethgatorade great

[FunkAlma]

Bravooo!! Very good lesson!! :-)

[stehphyn]

nice vid, man.

[xxHolyxxWolfsbanexx]

@GenNarwhal Yeah. Good pickups help a lot. A good amp does as well.

[deadlyfine]

i though pinch harmonic is a guitar effect!! Damn haha. i'm ignorant

[GenNarwhal]

is part of making it sound so good is good pickups too?

[thirdeyeassassin]

is that an esp kh-2?

[wkriski]

@thirdeyeassassin it's an Ibanez RG series

[kain50144]

@wkriski what amp are you using in this? and if i may ask what settings are you using treb/mid/bass wise?

[wkriski]

@kain50144 i use line6 podxt usually high bass and treble 80% or more, and lower mid range. i mostly use downloadable patches that are preset

[kain50144]

@wkriski hmm, i have a pod xt but i can never get that tone out of it. could you perhaps send me a email with you're tone in it? mthomas@vom.com

[Rebackka666]

hay it is late to night so i can't try it but i will later but thanks and will it work with my guitar i have a Dean VMNT jet black and i have a guitar head metal pick up on the bridge pick up an i have a AXL amps amp

[sorcerr007]

I've watched a lot of videos and still can't play a single pinch harmonic :( Metal gods please help me!

[chickensoup61]

@sorcerr007 it takes lots of practice , believe me i thought i would never get it

but now its very easy ^^

[chpsoh]

everytime i hear the word "pinch harmonic" i think off zak whylde (or howeveryou spell the ledgends name"

[knight1754]

ok just stating the obvious thanks cause i cant get enough of doing these! make me feel more badass!

[therarglefrargle]

LOL. I tried this on my acoustic guitar. :P

[sillymonkey829]

The distance between your finger and your pick, there's different nodes in that, and there's some theory about harmonics, but...

A highly technical description lol. But really, this is the best pinch harmonics lesson I've seen on YouTube. The way you actually DESCRIBE THE FINGER MOTION instead of just showing closeups of the wrong hand the whole time! Thanks for the upload!

[TheGuitarrist97]

GEEEEZUS! i want to play citizen erased xD

[CuttingOliver]

dude i fuking love you ....

[PrivateSniper1]

I have been trying FOREVER and i still cant get it!!!!!!!

[xx3DGxxRIOTxx]

Every time I try it, I get the harmonic, but it just sounds too weak.

[cybercop112]

i realized that pinch harmonics are easier on the 3rd fret of every string but i wanna do it on the 7th and 12th fret but i cant pull it off any tips

[newyork1222]

dunlop green tortex xDDDD

[Cescus86]

@newyork1222 I prefer the blue one :P

[wkriski]

@GorrorMOVIE quick touch to set off the harmonic

[xMyNameIsMike]

This is the most helpful vid on pinch harmonics I've seen, its tricky but this helped a lot! thanks!

[caiohdkr]

*-* Got it!Some little problems using 4th/5th/6th strings xD[Idk if the problem is my guitar] really thanks!!

[wkriski]

@MarcoTonyVargas doesn't matter, i've used really small ones but usually just regular size

[crash9321]

can it work on a stratocaster

[wkriski]

@crash9321 sure

[crash9321]

@wkriski Thanks for replying.

[Sidewinder9877]

I've been playing for about 15 years and I could never get them to work. It's frustrating as hell.

[YoCrunchiness]

i know how to do pinch harmonics but they don't sound right on the lower strings. am i just not doing the harmonic well or is it my pick ups or is my ibanez gio just not very good guitar for harmonics?

[wkriski]

@YoCrunchiness hard to say without seeing your setup. see if you can go to a music store and try a different guitar/amp or a friend's...sometimes it's harder to get pinches on lower or higher strings - each person seems to have different issues

[YoCrunchiness]

@wkriski k thanks man

[HerrStoneman]

@YoCrunchiness

Where you pinch on the string matters, and also, the angle of your thumb and how you hit the string. Also, your distortion settings and whether you're using bridge or neck pickup matters. (If this is in the video, I'm sorry. I watched the first minute or so :P)

[YoCrunchiness]

@HerrStoneman k thanks. ive been working on holding the pick differently too, and now my harmonics are sounding way better

[miko1127]

i hated learning it but i love doing it !

[shishir16089]

you cannot get pinch harmonics on single coil guitars right

...

[wkriski]

@shishir16089 sure you can

[shishir16089]

@wkriski YEA I REALISED THAT RIGHT AFTER THIS VIDEO ENDED....

[untamedsoul0]

@wkriski I was just wondering, can you do pinch harmonics on any guitar or just certain guitars?

[AvengedZeppelin20]

You don't do pinch harmonics. You are making your guitar orgasm.

[AvengedZeppelin20]

44 people still can't do pinch harmonics :P

[ArmenianSnipe13]

Okay, yeah, nevermind :P A TON easier with a pick. Thanks for the vid

[ArmenianSnipe13]

Gah this is difficult for me... I don't usually play with a pick, so I guess I'll start trying now.

[012Hubba]

Ibanez RG?

[extrememonaXXX]

hey, I'm an acoustic guitar player and I just bought an electric guitar just recently, I'm kinda new to it, like how do I make my E.guitar sounded like yours? like to play awesome metal solos. I don't even know much about how to adjust the amplifier.

Do I need a distortion or effect pedal? a friend of mine encourage me to buy the pedals after I'm used to E.guitar, but I just wanna know how you guys made that awesome sound! :DD

[rhcpkzi]

okay everyone, i'm going to say it. pinch harmonics are a fucking bitch.

[CheetosWiitard]

The Intro sounds like hes playing psychosocial by slipknot anywayz thanx man I kinda know how to do pinch Harmonics now :3

[ThaUltimateDragon]

subscribed, thanks so much!

[MrEastEmpire]

GOD DAMN I've been trying to learn this for almost 6 months and never figured it out. THANK YOU SO MUCH BRO. Subscribed already. \m/\>.</\m/

[wkriski]

@MrEastEmpire glad to help!

[wkriski]

@MrEastEmpire your welcome!

[leo3k]

thanks a lot!! i got thanks to your vid especially when you said to play like your digging in to the string.. i got it now.. just a little more practice.. thanks again.. =)

[wkriski]

@leo3k awesome!

[casazavodu]

43 fools tryed this on the acoustic guitar. xD

[EndlessBlake]

I give up.

[wkriski]

@EndlessBlake keep trying!

[sno5161]

@EndlessBlake

i give up too



[xSceN3]

I had to set my peavey to the tube scream effect (for extra distortion) to get them going, all the people that are struggling, took me a year to get them down but you will get there :)

[giedriuszel]

if someone is still having problem you should try playing it on ful gain and overdrive .that helped for me

[SpyderSixx15]

awesome!!! Dude!! I Have Never Been Able To Do Them Till Youve Come Along!! Zakk Wylde Be Damn Proud

[dalexizdz]

Can I do this even though I play electric guitar with my nails? (I like to use fingerpicking on acoustic and also use it for electric)

[NekrosisPolykastro]

Thanks dude i think that i love u!!! :P

[jklonmajszter]

witch string type is the best for drop d tunning and pinc.h. , i want to find the best string for lamb of god covers why they always use pinc.h. ?!?!?!??!??!

[wkriski]

@jklonmajszter sometimes I use a hybrid set of GHS boomers meaning the lower strings are heavier gauge and the higher pitched strings are thinner. but generally I get great pinches from the EMGs pickups, podxt and my fingers (where a certain amount of tone comes from, that's why we all sound different)

[jklonmajszter]

@wkriski thx man!!!

[Icekler]

The close up was very helpful thank you very much!

[wkriski]

@Icekler no problem!

[BlackToothMetal]

Finally someone else that doesn't hate Line 6 products!

they are fucking awesome, fantastic for recording!

[wkriski]

@BlackToothMetal fuck em, they rock! :)

[RagnaLoki]

i have an IBANEZ which can play without the amp like a classic guitar and can also plug in, can i still do pinch harmonics? plus im using marshall amp. i've been trying to do pinch for almost a year and cant...

[wkriski]

@RagnaLoki sorry for your struggles. any guitar can do pinches, it's the distortion and pickups that amplify and distort the harmonic. keep trying

[freemovingwind]

Omg! Today I played my first pinch harmonic! I hope I learn how to do it well though.

[wkriski]

@freemovingwind that's the first step, they will get better

[CLayneFarr]

I have trouble when doing this, i have to slide my thumb down a tad more to get the harmonic, but then it feels very awkward after the harmonic and im just playing the riff. How do you go back to the regular pick holding after you hit the harmonic?

[wkriski]

@CLayneFarr I don't really change how I hold the pick, it's more that I dig into the strings more aggressively.

[ilovewhiteboy30]

Thanks so much!!!! Couldn't figure it out from any other video.

[tajulafham94]

great tutorial

[fetus909]

great video, it is really tricky, thanks for the vid

[BlaBlaGirl1]

u need to have a metal distortion do do this or every cheap amp distortion can do this pinch harmonic?

[wkriski]

@BlaBlaGirl1 you will get the harmonic from the guitar but the distortion will amplify it. doesn't sound great on crappy amps usually

[SIipknotMaggot]

can you do a pinch harmonic with a wah wah pedal by not using your thumb? plzz reply

[wkriski]

@SIipknotMaggot no.

[elyricc]

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

[ilikepenguins100]

yeah i still have no fuckin clue how to do this

[BaDG0oD]

Thanks dude,i watched alot of videos,but they doesnt helped me,after ur video i watched it,and its works, thanks :)

[StCrow13]

Thanks for the video man, really helped with my playing. :)