Pinch Harmonic

As time went on and the development era, musicians began to develop his skills to make music and play an instrument itself, especially on the guitar. In the discussion of my time, I will review the technique of playing the electric guitar "Pinch Harmonic". Often we hear someone playing guitar electric guitar especially, when at the last moment of his solo guitar sound produced very high pitched sounds and also sounds very cool. This technique is called as Pinch Harmonic is also often used by the world of guitar gods like Eddie Van Halen, John Petrucci, Joe Satriani, Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill (Skid Row) and many others.

1. Understanding Pinch Harmonic
A pinch harmonic technique or also referred to as engineering squelch picking, pick harmonics or squealy, is a guitar playing techniques which produce sound audible tones on the guitar strings screeching or screaming. Literally the word "pinch" itself is English, if interpreted is pinched, so in this case probably so named because the technique produces the sound harmonies on the guitar by means such as pinching.Mechanical pinch harmonics or also called Squealing basically only reduces vibrations on the guitar strings suddenly or cancel the fundamental frequency of the sound of the strings so that the pick-up on the guitar just caught the sound resonating only. Pinch Harmonics more voices heard loud and mature, usually coupled with the effects of distortion or overdrive. Uniquely for the guitarist in 80-90s era techniques like this more people know him as Choking techniques, and is regarded as one of the variation technique is quite difficult to do.

2. Development of Mechanical Pinch Harmonic
There is no definitive information at the beginning of the creation of a pinch harmonic techniques. This technique makes it possible to play in every bedawai or stringed musical instrument. An early example of the voice of the pinch harmonic is contained in the recording of a song from a musician named Roy Buchanan with a song called Potato Peeler in 1962. Robbie Robertson is one of the classical guitarist learn the techniques of pinch harmonics directly from Roy Buchanan. At that time, pinch harmonic is a something unique and new. Over the development time of this technique became known and played by many musicians, especially guitarists. Other examples of this technique can be heard in a concert of the music of Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead "Loser" on May 8, 1977. 

Pinch Harmonic used extensively in death metal music genre. Used by many guitarists such as Dallas Toller - Wade in Permitting The Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld solo), Joe Duplantier of Gojira and many more. The use of this technique in death metal music is an important thing. Pinch harmonic techniques are also included in the riff, not only used in the guitar solo. In death metal, pinch harmonic technique combined with a lower tuning guitar melodies creating more complex contours. This technique is also commonly used in sub - other genres such as Heavy Metal, primarily by guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, Tommy Victor, Steve Morse, Glenn Tipton, Zakk Wylde, Angus Young, Randy Rhoads, Mark Morton, Synyster Gates and Dimebag Darrell. One guitarist of the rock genre that is widely known for his use of pinch harmonic technique is Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top in the song called La Grange. One guitarist Blues / Rock Irishman Rory Gallagher, also uses techniques such as pinch harmonic is heard in solo song entitled "Walk On Hot Coals" from the album "Irish Tour '74". Billy Corgan also often use this technique in the song Smashing Pumpkins, especially in the song entitled "Mayonnaise", in which he uses pinch harmonic intro section without distortion.

3. Pinch Harmonic Playing Techniques
Pinch Harmonic fundamental techniques can be done by picking the strings of a guitar in the downstroke, then temporally in less than one second (almost simultaneously) the right thumb lightly touches the guitar strings are plucked after plucked guitar string.  

Mechanical pinch harmonics typically can only be done on a quote from one string only, not in the passage simultaneously in two or more strings. This technique can be used on a string of one to six, but the sound of harmonics that feels the strings 1 and 2 will be thinner than the string of 3 to 6, for strings 1 and 2 have a smaller size and thinner than the strings of 6 to 3, so that the sound pinch harmonics generated will certainly be smaller and thinner. Factors pressed fret on the left hand was also very influential. In order to sustain the pinch harmonics sound more pronounced, the left hand should remain shut down or pressed in a way her fret-bending continuously. If the left hand is not strong enough to suppress fret, vibration harmonics can be reduced or even stopped vibrating strings (no noise harmonics generated). The strength of picking the right hand is also very influential. If the passage is too harsh, sometimes sounding harmonics do not come out and instead will produce a short sustain. Hence the passage must be tackled with appropriate power. Pinch Harmonic would be better if it is done with electric guitar and use the distortion effect.
  

In the game of the guitarist of the world, pinch harmonic technique is also often combined with other techniques such as bending guitar, slide, tapping, vibrator, use the whammy bar and wah guitar effect pedals as in a solo song Joe Satriani's "Summer Song". In his 2006 live concert, coda section of the song Summer Song, joe satriani using pinch harmonic techniques combined with voice distortion and the use of whammy bar to produce sound sharper, piercing and shrill. But in contrast to other guitarists, pinch harmonic satriani use this technique on open strings or open strings (without pressing the left hand fingers on the fretboard). This technique is called the Harmonic arificial.

In other cases, one of the world guitarist Paul Gilbert used a technique that blended with the pinch harmonic staccato technique, legatto and bending in one of his songs with the band Mr. Big entitled "Rock n Roll Over" - section and feelin interlude before the coda.
 

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