# Squeals on the low string?



## silentrage (Nov 8, 2008)

Hey guys, I'm having trouble getting pinch harmonics right on my low string.
It's dropped to G right now.
I tried with both the bridge warpig and the neck CS, they both get squeals easily on any other string, but on the 7th string I just can't hit it.
Is this a problem with 7s? My gear not right for the job? Or I just plain suck?


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## JoryGriffin (Nov 8, 2008)

Erm, I dunno about anyone else but I normally find it harder, the lower tension I have. Maybe it's just because you're dropped?

Should still work though


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## silentrage (Nov 8, 2008)

Is there a way to improve on the tension on the lowest string then?
Would higher/lower gauge string help or do I need a baritone?


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## JoryGriffin (Nov 8, 2008)

Fatter strings will help tension, but a little practice and you should get used to the floppier string


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## Mattayus (Nov 8, 2008)

7 strings have no set backs in terms of pinches man. I find that tension doesn't really make an awful lot of difference. Then again, I can pinch a bass  It's just practice practice practice. My discovery of metal is founded on bands like Pantera, Ozzy and Black Label Society, and in my first band the other guitarist had to stop me throwing so many pinches in everything. They're addictive once you can nail'em.

Don't forget - They're different depending on where you pinch with your right hand.

Find a note you're having trouble with, and try pinching in tons of different positions between the bridge and neck pickup. You'll find that each fret has its own 'sweet spot' 

Also - neck pickups aren't very trebly, so pinches are much harder to hit, especially on the lower strings


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## TomAwesome (Nov 8, 2008)

Move your right hand around a little. Different notes and different strings work better at different spots on the right hand. You're probably just having trouble finding a good harmonic node or something.


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## silentrage (Nov 8, 2008)

I think I tried both pickups on every position and picking technique, maybe it's lacking gain or something.
Like I said I can get a really nice squeal on all the other strings, just the 7th giving me trouble... 

I'll play with it some more.


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## damigu (Nov 8, 2008)

what string gauge are you using and what's your scale length?
floppy strings can still get harmonics, but it becomes exponentially harder to nail them cleanly as the string tension goes down.

do you get a lot of fret buzz on the low string when playing clean?
the string hitting the frets like that can be a pinch harmonic killer.


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## WillingWell (Nov 8, 2008)

Personally I think it's harder hitting them when the string is too large too and your 7th string would be the largest. But I use a 56 for my low B so I don't really have any issues. Same goes the other way though, it's difficult to hit them on the super light strings too, like the 2nd and 1st string. I would say just keep practicing them and search for different spots on the string between the fretboard and bridge.


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## HamBungler (Nov 8, 2008)

I can hardly hit pinches at all on the lower strings haha, so what I did to solve this was to play natural harmonics at the same frets and just bend the hell out of em'. I takes a bit to get used to, and you gotta make sure you find the harmonic node just like with pinches, but once you get it down it sounds just as good or more extreme than pinches.


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## silentrage (Nov 8, 2008)

damigu said:


> what string gauge are you using and what's your scale length?
> floppy strings can still get harmonics, but it becomes exponentially harder to nail them cleanly as the string tension goes down.
> 
> do you get a lot of fret buzz on the low string when playing clean?
> the string hitting the frets like that can be a pinch harmonic killer.



I use a set of standard 10s for 7 string, so it should be 56.



HamBungler said:


> I can hardly hit pinches at all on the lower strings haha, so what I did to solve this was to play natural harmonics at the same frets and just bend the hell out of em'. I takes a bit to get used to, and you gotta make sure you find the harmonic node just like with pinches, but once you get it down it sounds just as good or more extreme than pinches.



You mean hit a natural harmonic and use the whammy bar?
Natural harmonic is when you press your finger lightly on the harmonic node but not fret it and pick right??


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## yellowv (Nov 8, 2008)

I have no problem on my Loomis, but I only use a .59 and play in standard so tension is not an issue.


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## Crucified (Nov 8, 2008)

i can hit a pinchy on any string on my 8 strings even, just takes practice.


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## budda (Nov 8, 2008)

if your low G is a 56, you need to get a thicker string!! try a 65.


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## killiansguitar (Nov 8, 2008)

Far too often too much emphasis is put on the gear, when really the problem usually lies in the players technique.

Just keep trying man, and keep trying in different spots like others have said.


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## silentrage (Nov 8, 2008)

Well you could've just all said "you suck go practice" that would've made it easier.

_GOD_

Off I go to practice.


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## damigu (Nov 8, 2008)

silentrage said:


> I use a set of standard 10s for 7 string, so it should be 56.



i think that's your problem. 0.056 is about right for B tuning. it's a bit on the floppy side for G. most/all of us would have difficulty with pinch harmonics on that.

i'd step the low string up to somewhere in the 0.060-0.065 range.


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## silentrage (Nov 9, 2008)

damigu said:


> i think that's your problem. 0.056 is about right for B tuning. it's a bit on the floppy side for G. most/all of us would have difficulty with pinch harmonics on that.
> 
> i'd step the low string up to somewhere in the 0.060-0.065 range.



Thanks, will try that out when I get the chance.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Nov 9, 2008)

You'll have to adjust your right hand position a bit. On my sixer, which has a 65 tuned to C, I can get squeals. Same with my bass. Another thing to consider is how you excute your sqeals, some techniques work better on certain string sizes.


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## Esp Griffyn (Nov 9, 2008)

I had no problems getting them on the F# of my 8 string, and I kept that with a 62 or whatever it came with for a djenty tone.


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## JoshuaLogan (Nov 9, 2008)

damigu said:


> i think that's your problem. 0.056 is about right for B tuning. it's a bit on the floppy side for G. most/all of us would have difficulty with pinch harmonics on that.
> 
> i'd step the low string up to somewhere in the 0.060-0.065 range.



How does having a bigger string help pinch harmonics at all? I think the complete opposite...... looser string tension seems to let them ring out more easily, in my opinion... I use a 56 for a low Ab on a 7 string and it's fine.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Nov 9, 2008)

Because if your string is really floppy it's difficult/impossible to get sqeals on them. a 56 in G is REALLY thin, not saying it doesn't work for everything other than squeals, but it'll need to be bumped up if you want to perform them.


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## JoshuaLogan (Nov 9, 2008)

All_¥our_Bass;1269257 said:


> Because if your string is really floppy it's difficult/impossible to get sqeals on them. a 56 in G is REALLY thin, not saying it doesn't work for everything other than squeals, but it'll need to be bumped up if you want to perform them.



Give me a reason why, because I don't agree with you at all. From what I've noticed, looser string tension allows the string to vibrate more easily (as well as allowing extreme vibrato more easily) and the harmonics ring out longer and with less effort. Besides that, we all know thinner strings are naturally more trebley...


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## CrushingAnvil (Nov 9, 2008)

Appart from it sounding stupid - just practise it or change the string guage


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## damigu (Nov 9, 2008)

JoshuaLogan said:


> Give me a reason why, because I don't agree with you at all. From what I've noticed, looser string tension allows the string to vibrate more easily (as well as allowing extreme vibrato more easily) and the harmonics ring out longer and with less effort. Besides that, we all know thinner strings are naturally more trebley...



the reason has to do with physics. namely, the kinetic/potential energy as tension increases in a string with mass.

the greater the energy that the string can store, the better it will sustain--this is true regardless of whether you have a standing wave or traveling wave. guitar notes (including pinch harmonics) are essentially standing waves (fundamental frequency for fretted notes, higher order frequencies for harmonics depending on which one you hit).

looser tension does allow the string to be initiated into significant vibration (ie. loud enough to be heard properly) with less picking force, but a higher tension string will sustain much longer due to the greater energy in the system (even if your picking force is constant in both cases because your applied force gets added to the force already stored in the string). since distortion compresses both signals anyway, which one is louder becomes a moot point and the sustain issue becomes more important for most players.


take a physics class if you want to learn more about this. but it would have to be a calculus based physics class. algebra based physics is missing the mathematical tools necessary to calculate how strings with mass behave.


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## PlagueX1 (Nov 9, 2008)

Personally I can hit pinchs easier on the lower strings that on the higher strings. They sound sicker too.


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## HamBungler (Nov 9, 2008)

silentrage said:


> You mean hit a natural harmonic and use the whammy bar?
> Natural harmonic is when you press your finger lightly on the harmonic node but not fret it and pick right??



Nah, no whammy bar, just finger vibrato, though with natural harmonics you got to bend it in a way that you don't touch the string to the fret when doing so, its kinda tricky. Say you were having problems with 3rd fret pinches, what you do is find the natural harmonic on the 3rd fret, and add whatever amount of finger vibrato you want to get it screamin'. And yes, that's how natural harmonics work, the easiest nodes to hit are the 5th, 7th and 12th fret ones, but they're all over the fretboard if you look for em', a lot more possibilities with harmonics.


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## PlagueX1 (Nov 9, 2008)

I didn't think you could bend natural harmonics?


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## silentrage (Nov 9, 2008)

HamBungler said:


> Nah, no whammy bar, just finger vibrato, though with natural harmonics you got to bend it in a way that you don't touch the string to the fret when doing so, its kinda tricky. Say you were having problems with 3rd fret pinches, what you do is find the natural harmonic on the 3rd fret, and add whatever amount of finger vibrato you want to get it screamin'. And yes, that's how natural harmonics work, the easiest nodes to hit are the 5th, 7th and 12th fret ones, but they're all over the fretboard if you look for em', a lot more possibilities with harmonics.



you mean you put your finger on the NH node, pick it, and bend it around without touching the string to the frets??
@[email protected]


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## All_¥our_Bass (Nov 9, 2008)

PlagueX1 said:


> I didn't think you could bend natural harmonics?


 
You can also slide harmonics if your really careful. Works better on fretless instruments obviously.



damigu said:


> the reason has to do with physics. namely, the kinetic/potential energy as tension increases in a string with mass.
> 
> the greater the energy that the string can store, the better it will sustain--this is true regardless of whether you have a standing wave or traveling wave. guitar notes (including pinch harmonics) are essentially standing waves (fundamental frequency for fretted notes, higher order frequencies for harmonics depending on which one you hit).
> 
> ...


 
This is exactly why I suggested a larger string size.


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## zackkynapalm (Jan 16, 2009)

for me, the lower strings are EASIER to squeal on, and they are much more epic sounding.


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## Stephen (Jan 17, 2009)

All down to technique... Gain or pickups shouldn't have anything to do with it. With the right technique you can do them on an acoustic or an electric unplugged.

I don't do Pinch harmonics like a lot of people, i use the side of my little finger because i find it easier and quicker


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## silentrage (Jan 17, 2009)

Stephen said:


> All down to technique... Gain or pickups shouldn't have anything to do with it. With the right technique you can do them on an acoustic or an electric unplugged.
> 
> I don't do Pinch harmonics like a lot of people, i use the side of my little finger because i find it easier and quicker



Thanks, interesting tip about the pinky pinch, I'll defo work on my sloppy-ass playing.


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## thebhef (Jan 17, 2009)

This picture from wiki shows how harmonics work. An A note one octave up has twice the frequency and half the wavelength as the lower A. So, 2 can fit in the space of one string. you can also divide it in 3rds or whatever. 

so - 3 things.
1. You could bend a natural harmonic if you could keep from choking it out.

2. you couldn't slide a harmonic, as you would be changing the division on the string and simultaneously choking the note.

3. the better the string tension, the more consistent the speaking length of the string stays, and the easier these nodes develop.


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## rasse (Jan 17, 2009)

personally I find it easier to do a pinchie the lower the tension is. for example I can do them alot more effortlessly in adadgbe on the A string with .60 than in standard tuning with the same gauge. same goes for every other string too. and writing on an ipod is a bitch


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## The Atomic Ass (Jan 17, 2009)

Mattayus said:


> I can pinch a bass



Pinching bass = 
Pinched harmony harmonics with 2 guitars and bass = 



silentrage said:


> You mean hit a natural harmonic and use the whammy bar?
> Natural harmonic is when you press your finger lightly on the harmonic node but not fret it and pick right??



I'm not 100&#37; sure, but I think he does something like what I do, in the you hit a natural harmonic node, fret it there without loosing the harmonic, and then vibrato the shit out of it. Really neat once you get the hang of it, as you can combine it with a pinch harmonic at the same fret for a squealy-sundae.


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