Discover Harmonics for Advanced Players

Skill Building Guitar Course from Jeff Gunn

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This comprehensive course was designed to focus solely on harmonics, 'Discover Harmonics for Advanced Players' teaches guitarists how to include harmonics as a mainstay in their performance through multiple genres. Guitarists will learn how to take a variety of harmonics including natural harmonics, artificial/harp harmonics, percussive harmonics and pinch harmonics to the next level using a range of fingering hand, strumming hand and picking techniques.

26 Lessons

Complete course with step-by-step lessons and practice examples.

Multi-Camera

Course filmed with 6 cameras for the perfect angles.

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Full Course Breakdown

This course explores how to use harmonics in solo guitar and band contexts on both acoustic and electric guitars. Watch your skills and musicality soar as you learn how to transform familiar lead lines, solos, chord progressions and compositions into fresh expressions as you discover new worlds of sound. Students will learn how to enhance their musical skills and performance with harmonics while opening up an entire new way of playing guitar.

Begin the Course
1

Discover Harmonics for Advanced Players

Jeff Gunn takes an in-depth look at the world of harmonics. This course is designed for the intermediate to advanced player that is looking to spice up their playing with the addition of harmonics.

3:54 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

2

Sounding Natural Harmonics in Familiar Locations

Our first lesson focuses on a variety of approaches to sounding natural harmonics at the 3 most common positions including the 12th, 7th and 5th frets.

32:35 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

3

Exploring Natural Harmonics in Other Locations

Of course, some natural harmonic locations are not as common, and in this lesson Jeff explores how to sound natural harmonics in other positions including the 2nd, 4th, 9th, 19th frets and over the soundhole

20:44 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

4

Natural Harmonics as Melodies

Now let's take some of the natural harmonic locations we explored in the first two lessons and create a melodic passage from them, using Jeff's song 'Starlight'.

18:04 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

5

Sounding Artificial Harmonics

Artificial harmonics are all about getting used to certain distances on the guitar. In this lesson, we will explore the 12 fret, 7 fret and 5 fret distances required to sound artificial harmonics and the technique used to sound the harmonics.

20:52 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

6

Fluidity Between Artificial Harmonic Locations

Now that we have explored the various distances needed to sound artificial harmonics, will learn how to move between artificial harmonic strumming hand locations in order to develop a sense of fluidity in their movements and musicality.

22:21 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

View this Lesson
7

Creating Melodies with Artificial Harmonics: Candle Lanterns

Just like we did with natural harmonics, now let's create a melody using artificial harmonics. For this lesson, we will use Jeff's song 'Candle Lanterns'.

12:04 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

8

Creating Melodies with Artificial Harmonics: Luminescence

Let's up the challenge of creating melodies with artificial harmonics with Jeff's song 'Luminescence'.

11:59 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

9

Using Artificial Harmonics in a Pop Song: The Key

Artificial harmonics can be used in a variety of different genres. Including pop music as Jeff demostrates here using his song 'The Key'.

6:02 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

10

Sounding Percussive Harmonics in Groups

Let's move into some percussive or 'slap' harmonics. This lesson gets you familiar with the technique, and gives you a few different ways to execute it as well!

9:04 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

11

Sounding Percussive Natural Harmonics with Rhythmic Accompaniment

Now take the percussive harmonic technique one step further by adding rhythmic accompaniment. Again, we will look at sounding locations at the 12th, 7th and 5th frets.

3:28 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

12

Sounding Single Note Percussive Natural Harmonics

This techniques is acheived by executing a 'tapping' motion on a single string above your harmonic locations. Let's look at 12, 7 and 5th fret distances.

22:12 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

13

Single Note Percussive Natural Harmonics with Rhythmic Accompaniment

Now Jeff adds rhythmic accompaniment to the single string natural percussive harmonics. It's easy! Keep the beat while tapping on your harmonic locations.

2:27 Runtime

0.0 Difficulty

14

Creating Melodies with Percussive Natural Harmonics

Putting this technique to practical use now, Jeff explores how to create a melody using percussive natural harmonics by using his song, 'Beginnings'.

3:21 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

15

Sounding Single Percussive Artificial Harmonics

As you might have guessed, it's time to explore artificial percussive harmonics. We start by learning to execute them on a single string.

11:58 Runtime

2.0 Difficulty

16

Fluidity Between Percussive Artificial Harmonic Locations

This lesson looks at achieving a smoothness and fluidity with your percussive artificial harmonics as you move between the various locations.

6:01 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

17

Single Percussive Artificial Harmonics with Rhythmic Accompaniment

Time to add some rhythmic accompaniment to your percussive artificial harmonics. This will help you to integrate this technique into a more musical and song-like setting.

2:39 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

18

Chords with Percussive Artificial Harmonics and Rhythmic Accompaniment

Not only can we play single notes with our percussive harmonics, but this technique works great on chords as well! Jeff also adds in some rhythmic accompaniment, to bring this to a more musical place.

1:54 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

19

Creating Melodies with Percussive Artificial Harmonics: Angelicus

Jeff uses his song 'Angelicus' to demonstrate how you can use percussive artificial harmonics to create melodies in songs.

3:26 Runtime

4.0 Difficulty

20

Creating Melodies with Percussive Artificial Harmonics on Electric: Stargazer

Now let's switch over to the electric guitar! Using amp tone and effects can create a fantastic atmosphere in which percussive artificial harmonics really thrive! Jeff uses his song 'Stargazer' to demonstrate.

4:40 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

21

Sounding Pinch Harmonics on Electric Guitar

Pinch harmonics are generally associated with electric guitar, so let's stay on the electric! Jeff turns up the gain and demonstrates how to get these tricky harmonics to sound!

2:49 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

22

Sounding Pinch Harmonics on Acoustic Guitar

Not to say we can't sound pinch harmonics on acoustic guitar! Although a little harder to achieve, Jeff shows that playing pinch harmonics on acoustic is possible!

2:23 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

23

Exploring Pinch Harmonics in Riffs and Solos

Pinch harmonics can add a lot of flavor to your riffs and solos. In this lesson, Jeff plays a few riffs on the electric using pinches along the way.

4:30 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

24

Sounding Pinch Harmonics in Compositions

Can pinch harmonics be an element in your composing? Absolutely! Jeff shows us how we might purposefully use pinch harmonics when composing riffs or songs.

4:30 Runtime

3.0 Difficulty

25

Putting It All Together through Melody: Beginnings

As we near the end of the course, let's put all of the techniques we've learned into one piece. Jeff's song 'Beginnings', serves as the vehicle for all of our harmonic techniques!

10:23 Runtime

3.5 Difficulty

26

Putting it All Together Through Melody: Electric Guitar

Of course, these techniques can also work on the electric guitar as well. In the last lesson of the series, Jeff shows us how to effectively play various harmonic techniques on electric, and how they can take on a new and exciting flavor!

5:34 Runtime

2.5 Difficulty

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Jeff Gunn

54
  • Playing since 2000
  • 112 lessons at JamPlay
Begin Course
Jeff Gunn is Juno Award nominated guitarist, songwriter and producer for his work on Emmanuel Jal's The Key (Gatwitch/Universal). He is the author of the Hidden Sounds: Discover Your Own Method on Guitar (Mayfair Music Publications) and a regular “guitar tips” contributor in print and film with Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Guitar World, Canadian Musician, Overdrive (Thailand), and The Guitar Mag (Thailand).

Jeff Gunn is Juno Award nominated guitarist, songwriter and producer for his work on Emmanuel Jal's The Key (Gatwitch/Universal). He is the author of the Hidden Sounds: Discover Your Own Method on Guitar (Mayfair Music Publications) and a regular “guitar tips” contributor in print and film with Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Guitar World, Canadian Musician, Overdrive (Thailand), and The Guitar Mag (Thailand). He co-wrote the song "Scars" with Jal and Nelly Furtado for the film The Good Lie (Warner Brothers 2014) and The Black Prince (2017) soundtrack. He has recorded with Emmanuel Jal, Nelly Furtado, Bibi McGill, Mark Pellizzer, Kae Sun, Domanique Grant, Rayzak, performed with DMC, Swizz Beatz, Kate Todd, Tanika Charles, and continues to serve as musical director for Jal opening for such acts as Nico & Vinz, Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Angelique Kidjo, Xavier Rudd, Mumford & Sons and Ellie Goulding. He has performed at Glastonbury, Juno Songwriters’ Circle, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Ringo Starr’s Birthday Concert at Capitol Records, United Nations, Grammy Museum Concert Series in Honour of Bob Marley, Jimmy Kimmel’s Annual Italian Festival, and at the Dalai Lama One World Concert. He has appeared on CBC, CTV Canada AM, Good Day New York, Fox TV, Ted Talks, The Travel Channel (Thailand) and more. Jeff is endorsed by Godin Guitars, D’Addario Canada, Levy’s Guitar Straps, Planet Waves, G7th Capos, JHS Pedals and Gravity Guitar Picks.