Slapped Harmonics

 

Slapped harmonics is a guitar technique for tapping, instead of picking, string harmonics.  Instead of muting the strings with your left hand at a harmonics node; for example, the 12th fret, and then using your right hand to pick the strings to elicit the harmonics, you use a finger or fingers to rapidly slap the strings against the harmonic node fret.  This produces the desired harmonics, but in a rather explosive manner with a more percussive attack.  Picked or strummed harmonics can sound rather delicate; slapped harmonics sound explosive.  I use this technique quite a lot with my right hand.

However, I also wanted to do slapped harmonics with my left hand, which would open up a new territory for me.  If I could slap harmonics with both or either hand(s), I could get almost contrapuntal textures with slapped harmonics.  Or, I could slap harmonics with my left hand while maintaining chords, a bass line, or a contrapuntal line with my right hand.

The down side is that slapping harmonics with your left hand is much more difficult than it sounds.  Or it was for me, anyway.  After shedding it for a few weeks, I can now execute slapped harmonics with my first, second, and third fingers of my left hand.  This is pretty interesting to me, as now I have options to create ongoing slapped harmonic parts with my left hand, while I execute other things with my right hand.  For example, bass lines, melodic lines, contrapuntal harmonic structures, or even more slapped harmonics to layer against the left hand slapped harmonics.

If you're a guitarist, I encourage you to try slapped harmonics.  Maybe you'll like it; maybe not, but it's certainly another color and technique at your disposal.

-kk