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Lesson 36 Advanced Chapter IV — Advanced & Beyond

Guitar Harmonics & Open Tunings

Harmonics produce bell-like tones that seem to float above the instrument. Open tunings transform familiar chord shapes into rich, resonant new sounds. Both techniques expand what is musically possible on the guitar.

Natural Harmonics

A harmonic is produced when you lightly touch a string at a specific point — a node — rather than pressing it to the fretboard. The touch divides the vibrating string into equal segments, producing a frequency much higher and purer than normal fretted notes.

The sound is often described as bell-like, chime-like, or crystalline. It is used for special effects, delicate melodic passages, and as the most accurate method of tuning a guitar by ear.

How to Play Harmonics

  1. Rest the tip of your left-hand 2nd finger directly over the 12th fret wire on the 1st string — not behind it, directly on top of the metal bar
  2. Pluck the 1st string firmly with your right thumb or finger
  3. Immediately lift your left finger away from the string as soon as you pluck
  4. A clear, pure bell tone should ring — one octave above the open 1st string
✦ Touch, Don't Press

The most common mistake is pressing the string toward the fretboard. The touch should be so light that the string barely makes contact with your fingertip. Think of it as a whisper of contact, not a press.

Harmonic Positions

12th Fret

One octave above the open string. The clearest, loudest harmonic. All 6 strings have a strong harmonic here. Used for tuning and for musical effect.

7th Fret

One octave plus a fifth above open. Also strong. Used in tuning (the 7th fret harmonic of one string matches the 12th fret harmonic of the string below it).

5th Fret

Two octaves above open. Very clear. The 5th fret harmonics on adjacent strings give useful tuning references.

4th Fret

Two octaves plus a major third. Higher and softer. Less used musically but produces beautiful bell-like clusters when multiple strings are played together.

Tuning with Harmonics

Harmonics are the most precise way to tune a guitar by ear because the pure tones are much easier to compare than ordinary fretted notes. Use these pairs:

  1. 7th fret harmonic of string 6 = 12th fret harmonic of string 5 (both = A)
  2. 7th fret harmonic of string 5 = 12th fret harmonic of string 4 (both = D)
  3. 7th fret harmonic of string 4 = 12th fret harmonic of string 3 (both = G)
  4. 7th fret harmonic of string 3 = 12th fret harmonic of string 2 (both = B)
  5. 7th fret harmonic of string 2 = 12th fret harmonic of string 1 (both = E)

When two harmonics of the same pitch are played together in sequence, any tuning discrepancy creates a wavering 'beat' effect. When perfectly in tune, the beat disappears and the two tones ring together as one.

Open G Tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D)

Open G tuning re-tunes three strings so the open guitar sounds a full G major chord. Starting from standard EADGBE tuning:

In Open G, laying a straight finger barre across all strings at any fret produces a major chord. Fret 2 = A major. Fret 3 = Bb major. Fret 5 = C major. Fret 7 = D major. Slide guitar and bottleneck playing work beautifully in this tuning.

⚠ Re-tune Before Playing

Always re-tune your guitar when switching between standard and open tunings. Never forget to retune back to standard EADGBE when returning to standard playing. Leaving a guitar in open tuning long-term is fine as long as the neck relief is checked periodically.

Open D Tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D)

Open D produces a D major chord across all open strings. From standard tuning:

Open D is slightly lower in overall tension than Open G, making it particularly suitable for acoustic slide guitar and solo fingerpicking. Joni Mitchell used Open D and related tunings for much of her most distinctive work.

What's Next?

Lesson 37 covers the guitar troubleshooting guide — how to diagnose and fix the most common guitar problems including buzzing strings, tuning instability, and strings that keep breaking.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about guitar harmonics & open tunings

Harmonics are high, bell-like notes produced by lightly touching a string directly over a specific fret wire (not pressing it down) and plucking. The light touch divides the string into equal vibrating segments, producing frequencies that are whole-number multiples of the fundamental pitch. The result is a pure, ethereal chime sound used in classical, folk, rock, and jazz guitar.

The strongest natural harmonics on guitar are at frets 12 (one octave above open), 7 (one octave plus a fifth above open), 5 (two octaves above open), and 4 (two octaves plus a major third). There are also weaker harmonics at frets 3, 9, and other positions. The 12th and 7th fret harmonics are the clearest and most commonly used.

Rest your finger tip lightly on the string directly over the fret wire — not behind it, but directly above the metal fret. Do not press the string to the fretboard at all. Pluck the string firmly with the right hand, then immediately lift your left finger away. A clear, pure bell tone should ring. If you get a muted thud, you are pressing too hard or touching in the wrong position.

Open G tuning (D-G-D-G-B-D from low to high) tunes the guitar so strumming all open strings produces a G major chord. It is widely used in blues, slide guitar, and folk. Famous players who used Open G include Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) and many Delta blues players. A straight finger barring across any fret produces a major chord in that position.

Open D tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D from low to high) produces a D major chord on all open strings. It is popular for slide guitar, fingerpicking, and folk guitar. Joni Mitchell used Open D and variations of it throughout her career. As with Open G, a straight barre produces a major chord at every position.