How do you make your guitar scream?

[antshodan]

Just like the title says - how can i make my guitar scream?! You get all these guitarists who, rather than just playing a note normally, they can, well.... make it scream!

I cant really describe it any better.

If anyone has the "Classic Albums - Making of the dark side of the moon" then watch dave's solo on Time, and he makes his guitar scraem on the first bend he does! Its a fantastic effect, and one ive sometimes pulled off by accident, but ive had no idea how!

Any help anyone?

Cheers!

[usandthem]

Yah i have that movie 2 , its wicked good.If u wanna make it scream, there is a certain way of bending the string that will give it that effect, kida har to explain. Another way to make it scream is get some overdrive distortion or super overdrive.That will probably make it easier for you to get that scream sound.

[Shane G.]

I think you're talking about pinch harmonics, and it's all in the way you pick. It's extremely hard to describe, but you've got to hit the pick and the tip of your thumb on the string at the same time. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy.

[ADO]

You need distortion, otherwise is wont be noticeable.

And yeah, they are pinch harmonics... you have to hold the pick so the edge of it is really close to the end of your thumb.

Then pick the note with your thumb really close to the end of the pick.. and touch the string with your thumb instantly. Its easier to do it when bending.

Look up 'pinch harmonics' in google... there surely must be a better desciption than that of mine. :P

Good luck.

[stratman]

Pinch harmonics are more of a "squeal". I think the "scream" he's seeking would be more of the heavy overdrive / feedback / distortion.

[ADO]

Its definately a pinch harmonic.

Have you seen the clip he's talking about?

[CerpinTaxt]

Yeah, I love pinch harmonics. A lot of shredders do it quite a bit. Joe Satriani, Van Halen, etc. It sounds really good if you have a lot of distortion, and a lot of high end and reverb. You can do it wiht a clean tone, but it's harder.

[Fulghum]

If you can pull off a pinch harmonic with clean tone and a fair amount of gain it sounds Effing incredible.. but it's certainly easier with overdrive.. I usually use a good amount of overdrive/compression/reverb..I controll it all in my digitech RP-200a, and controll the OD with the pedal..

Shane is right.. pinch hramonics are a bitch at first, but with practice you can do them in your sleep.

[Ian Bowkett]

Yeah, hard technique...

I find them easier to do whilst bending the string so I can bend them in to touch my thumb. Try it on the G-string at around the 5th or 7th fret, those are probably the easiest places to learn it....

[tiger]

It is advisable to use the bridge pickup for pinches and add more high frequencies, since pinch harmonics are produced in higher frequency bands (they are two octaves higher than the normal notes).

So if you rotate the treble knob to the max it will be much easier to produce them even with a clean sound. It's easier to do them with overdirve since distortion produces many harmonics in the high bands