Sol Hoopii's method of playing harmonics ?

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 21 Jun 2009 1:05 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb0A2RLE32U
WTF are the ones at 5:03 called ?
More examples of his technique here :-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=422yGi5zhP4

Jon Nygren · Post by **Jon Nygren** » 21 Jun 2009 2:08 pm

It's dark so it's hard to tell...but kinda looks like he's picking with his index fingerpick and resting his pinky on the string?

Richard Terry · Post by **Richard Terry** » 21 Jun 2009 4:49 pm

I think John is right. I think Sol's 2nd finger is arched to stay clear of the string as he chimes it with the 3rd or pinky. I kept wanting to move my chair to get a different angle on his hand. Somewhere I've seen this suggested as a method and I've tried it but my fingers don't like it. Ha!

Richard Terry

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 21 Jun 2009 4:57 pm

I think he's actually using the first finger as the harmonic and plucking behind it with his pinky. I tried it using as close to his hand position as I could get and it worked well. One reason I believe this is because it looks as if his right hand is too far down the neck for his pinky or palm to be only one octave from the bar.

Jon Nygren · Post by **Jon Nygren** » 21 Jun 2009 5:02 pm

I think you may be right Mike. Makes practical sense too because you can easily see where you are fretting the harmonic. I just tried it that way, and though it is a bit awkward at first, with a little practice it works nicely.

Danny Naccarato · Post by **Danny Naccarato** » 21 Jun 2009 8:12 pm

I've actually used this technique as a reverse harmonic rake, for a number of years. I never saw anyone do it, and can't tell you how it came about, but I use it a lot..

I place the pinky on the fret for the harmonic (E9th, open G rake, pinky at 15), then rake my middle finger down the strings, from high to low. I never tried it as a single harmonic until reading this, but found it works just as easily as the rake.

Danny

Don Kona Woods · Post by **Don Kona Woods** » 21 Jun 2009 11:32 pm

While the harmonics may be accomplished with using the first finger as the harmonic and plucking behind it with the pinky, I believe in the video that he is plucking with his index finger and using his pinky for the harmonic position. Further evidence for this comes at one point in the video because he also does a harmonic with his index finger and his thumb using a palm harmonic.

Aloha,

Don

basilh · Post by **basilh** » 22 Jun 2009 1:04 am

You're quite correct Don, Jerry Byrd used this method in combination with his thumpick to play "Double stopped" notes in harmonics.

(On reading this I'm wondering if the terminology "Double stopping is colloquial or does it transcend the oceanic barrier ?)

John Bushouse · Post by **John Bushouse** » 22 Jun 2009 5:28 am

Aren't they pinky knuckle harmonics? My steel teacher, Al Dodge (of the Cheap Suit Serenaders) showed me how to do them. He uses them to play single note lines much like Sol does. I'm still very much a beginner, but I do the majority of my harmonics that way - for example, to do harmonics on the 6th then 5th then 4th strings, the knuckle gives more accuracy than any sort of palm harmonic can.

Or am I totally missing the mark? Like I said, I'm a new guy...