Harmonics

  • Don’t be scared of music theory ir is way simpler than languages and having even a little basic knowledge really opens a lot of doors. I often think a lot of people like to male is seem more complicated that it need be to make themselves sound/feel important or superior. Remember There are only 12 notes so it can’t be that hard. Don’t try and master everything in one go either. Start by learning as much as you can about the basic major scale and the chords that can be built from it. You will be amazed at how much you can do with nothing more than a deep knowledge of the major scale.


    Good luck and remember to report back and let us know how you get on experimenting with the harmoniser.

  • I am also autoditact, but in a laborious way I have acquired some theory. Less because I need it to play but to write notes for others.

    I would suggest not to play this 2-tone solo at all with a harmonizer but with a technique called "doublestop" (I don't know if that's really the name but Hank Marvin once used this term in an interview).

    But here is something tricky, that you don't have Bendings or a Slide over 2 sides but always only one side.

    Tried to write it down as TAB (notes also to see the timing)

    I hope I have succeeded to some extent, because Finale does not have its strengths exactly with tablature production.

  • Good luck and remember to report back and let us know how you get on experimenting with the harmoniser.

    I sure will do thatl!

    I would suggest not to play this 2-tone solo at all with a harmonizer but with a technique called "doublestop" (I don't know if that's really the name but Hank Marvin once used this term in an interview).

    But here is something tricky, that you don't have Bendings or a Slide over 2 sides but always only one side.

    Tried to write it down as TAB (notes also to see the timing)

    I hope I have succeeded to some extent, because Finale does not have its strengths exactly with tablature production.

    Hi Sharry, I know what you mean. There are many examples of doublestops on video on youtube and in the past I used this technique many times in songs. I have never problems to play them over a length of the fretboard within the scale and then I mean the intervals . But this solo is something different. You're right about bending. That's not possible in my situation. So I guess I have to study hard on the harmonics and the scales, as Wherestedug suggests... Thanks anyway!

    It goes pretty automatically.

  • Please do update with your progress, since I am in a similar position, it'd be good to see someone make some progress. :D

    Disclaimer: When I post demo clips for profiles, there will be some minimal post-processing, unless stated otherwise. I normally double-track hard L/R, and add to the main buss a small amount of EQ and a limiter/comp set pretty light as well. Sometimes I get test profiles in advance of release, though 90% of my clips will be from packs I have purchased.

  • Hi everyone. GOOD NEWS!


    In experimenting and dialing knobs (like a headless chicken) I came up with something completely different now. It came out that I have been struggling on the wrong side of the Kemper: the left stomp block. I noticed only now that the Harmonist fx in the X section looks quite different from the rest. Wherestedug, you took me to the right place: this X-section .

    Anyway. It turns out now that I finally found my right Harmonist fx. I can't thank you all enough! And right in time for needing it for playing in the band.

    Here's the screenshot where I I found it by tweaking and tweaking until I got the right interval. Therefore I need to play it now somewhere else on the fretboard. I can't figure out why but it surely wil have to do with the scale. I start now on the second tone in my previous example, so at B12. But it sounds perfect in any way! WOW!

    ">[Blocked Image: https://www.imgdumper.nl/uploads9/5bd79f2f929c3/5bd79f2f8b1c9-Harmonist.jpg]

    Here's what I now can play on just one string and WITH bending. https://soundcloud.com/theplay…eal-harmony-on-one-string

  • Brilliant! I’m glad you got it working the way you want and glad we could have helped.


    Incidentally, the reason you have to start on the B12 (second harmony part) is simply because you have the Voice 2 interval set as +3rd. In my example it was -3rd. You have the same two notes but in my case I play the higher guitar part and the harmoniser plays the lower one along with me. In your solution you play the lower part and the harmoniser plays the higher one along with you. Its just like you and another guitarist in the band agreeing who will play which part. Both ways of doing it achieve the same result.


    Well done. Hope it sounds great with the band.

  • Again I learn something new now from you! Thanks. As you suggested: working around this fx and experimenting with it will surely lead to more insight of how this it works. The manual can't beat this...

  • So I guess I have to study hard on the harmonics and the scales, as Wherestedug suggests.

    Wish you good success.

    What I have mentioned in sound example that there are movement in the lower voice (b3->3) with a steady tone (5) in the higher voice.

    This can not be played with the harmonic. Either moll terz or major terz.

    If you use a determined scale than you will have on a certain point a diminished 5.

    But could sound interesting if you like that.

  • Well done, congrats on figuring it out.


    Your settings are basically a major triad, just the 5th an octave up. Voice2 is on the 3rd up and Voice1 is on the 13th for which 13 = 8 + 5, so an octave and the 5th. (In A-major they are C# and E.)

  • The 13th is actually the 6th and octave up. That would be A C# F#. Which would be F#min. It still sounds good though :)

    This just proves that trying to do note math this early without coffee is a non-starter.;)


    While 13 is in fact 8 + 5, on a scale 1 is the note itself, so naturally 9th is a 2nd over the octave so 13 would be 6th. Thanks for correcting it.

  • I see that I'm corresponding with some really pros in understanding musical theory... Nice competition guys...! There's a whole area in front of me to discover... the love for music is mutual!

  • Hi Sharry, I guess this is what you mean by doublestops, right?

    Yep this is an example what I ment.

    You can combine this technique with slides and/or bending just at one string.

    For example in Bar 3 the b string start bending immidiatly and in the middle of the bar a short slide of the e -string when the bending of b-string is finished .

    But the your last sound example would be quite good enough :)