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DouglasNiedt's
GUITARTECHNIQUE
TIPOFTHEMONTH

Yes,it's"Doug'sDirtyLittleSecrets"

IsubtitledmyTechTip"Doug'sDirtyLittleSecrets"afterreading
someone'spostedmessageonaguitarwebforum.Thewriterasserted
thatprofessionalvirtuosoguitaristsallhadsecretstheykeptto
themselvesandwouldn'ttellanyoneelse,sonoonewouldplayas
wellasthem!

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CascadingHarmonicsforClassical
Guitarists

Thetechniqueofcascadingharmonics(orharpharmonics)isaveryuniqueharmonictechnique
seldomheardinclassicalguitarplaying.Steelstringplayersusethemmorefrequently.
CascadingharmonicshavebeenusedveryeffectivelybyguitaristssuchasChetAtkins,Lenny
Breau,andTommyEmmanuel.

WatchTommy.

TommyEmmanueldescribescascadingharmonicsasawaterfallingsoundthenotestrickle
downinastreamofsound.Initsbasicform,itisasequence(usuallyfast)ofarighthand
harmonicpluckedbythethumbfollowedbyanonharmonicnotepluckedwiththeafinger.
Theyaremosteffectivewhenthelefthandholdssomeformofalush9th,13th,diminished,or
augmentedchord.Thebasicrighthandsequencemaybeextendedwithslurs(hammerons
andpulloffs),artificialharmonics,andothertechniques,allofwhichIwilldescribeand
demonstrateforyouinthistechtip.

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WatchthisoverviewofthebasicsequenceonanEdominant9thchord:(Videoclip#1)

Example#1showstherighthandpatternonopenstrings:

Watchthevideoofthisbasicpattern.(Video#2)

Hereinexample#2isthechordIwasholdingintheoverviewandtherighthandartificial
harmonicsIplayed:

Watchmyvideo#3.

Next,thenonharmonicnotesareinsertedbetweeneachharmonicnote:

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Watchmedemonstrateinvideoclip#4.

Cascadingharmonicsareverydifficulttoexecutewell.TommyEmmanuel,amasterofthe
technique,saysittakesyearstogetthissoundingright,i.e.,withtherightbalancebetween
opennoteandharmonic.
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Unfortunately,theyarefarmoredifficulttoexecuteontheclassicalguitarwithitshighaction
thanonasteelstringguitarwithitslowaction.And,theharmonicsdontringasclearlywhen
pluckedwiththethumbnailonnylonstringsastheydowhenpluckedwithathumbpickonsteel
strings.

So,weclassicalguitaristshaveourworkcutoutforus.Letsgetstarted.

WARNING:Donotproceedwiththistechniqueifyouhavenotwatchedmypreviousvideo
techtipsonnaturalharmonicsandrighthandharmonics.Itisessentialthatyouknowand
havemasteredthedetailedinformationinthosevideosbeforeattemptingcascading
harmonics.Iamassumingyouhaveallthatinformationunderyourfingers.Inthisarticle,I
willmentionverylittleoftheunderlyingtechniquesrequiredtoplaythesecascading
harmonics.

MasteringtheRightHandAlone

Irecommendlearningtoplaycascadingharmonicsatthe19thfret.Manybooksandvideos
demonstratethematthe12thfret.Fortheclassicalguitarist,practicingatthe12thfrettends
toproducerightshoulderandarmtension.Practicingatthe19thfretlessensthetendencyto
tensetherightshoulderandkeepstherightarminafairlynormalposition.

Thisisimportantbecauseyouwillneedtopracticeendlessrepetitionsoftheseexercisesovera
periodofmonths.Youdonotwanttopracticeanddevelopahabitoftensingupwhenyouplay
theseharmonics.Plus,youwillbeabletopracticetheexercisesinasinglepracticesessionfora
longerperiodoftimewithnodiscomfortifyoupracticethematthe19thfret.

Watchvideoclip#5onpracticingatthe19thfret.

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TheAscendingCascade

Inthefollowingvideo,Idemonstratehowtoputtogethertheascendingsectionofaharmonic
cascade.Ialsorepeattheimportanceofpracticingyourbeginningexercisesatthe19thfret.
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Watchthevideofirsttogetanideaofwhatyouaretryingtoaccomplish.VideoClip#6.

Now,followthedetailedinstructionsthatfollow.

Webeginbypracticingwithjusttherighthandthumbpluckingthe6thstringharmonicatthe
19thfretfollowedbytheafingerplayingtheopenthirdstring(Example#4):

Then,practicetherighthandthumbpluckingthe5thstringharmonicatthe19thfretfollowed
bytheafingerplayingtheopensecondstring(Example#5):

Then,combinethosetwosteps(Example#6):

Next,practicetherighthandpluckingthe4thstringharmonicatthe19thfretfollowedbythe
afingerplayingtheopenfirststring(Example#7):

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Then,combinethosetwosteps(Example#8):

Finally,combineallthestepsintoafullascendingcascade(Example#9):

Donotbeconcernedwithspeeduntilyouhavemasteredtheclarityoftheharmonicsandcan
balancethevolumebetweentheharmonicnotesandthenonharmonicnotes.

Whenitstimetoworkforspeed,beginagainwiththebasiccombinationsillustratedabove.
Starteachoneslowlyandthenspeedupasfastasyoucanwithoutlosingcontrol.

Noteinthevideothatawidespaceismaintainedbetweentheindexfingershootingthe
harmonic,andthethumbpluckingthestring.Alsonotetheimportanceofkeepingthea
fingerinpositionveryclosetothe3rdstring.

Oneofourmajorgoalsistomatchthevolumeoftheharmonicandnonharmonicnotes.The
onethingmostpeoplegetwrongisthis:theytrytoplaytheharmonicloudertomatchthe
volumeofthenonharmonicnote.Itshouldbetheotherwayaround.Plucktheharmonicwith
justenoughforcetomakeitringclearlywithoutapercussivethudandplaythenonharmonic
notewiththeafingerveryquietlytomatchtheharmonic.Theyshouldsoundalmost
exactlyequal.

TheDescendingCascade

Watchallthestepsonlearningthedescendingcascadeandcombiningtheascendingand
descendingintoafullcascadeinvideoclip#7.

Now,followthesedetailedinstructions.

Beginthedescentofthecascadebypluckingthethirdstringharmonicatthe19thfretwiththe
thumbfollowedbytheafingerpluckingtheopenfirststring(Example#10):

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Next,pluckthefourthstringharmonicatthe19thfretwiththethumbfollowedbythea
fingerpluckingtheopensecondstring(Example#11):

Then,combinethosetwosteps(Example#12):

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Moveontothenextcombination.Pluckthefifthstringharmonicatthe19thfretwiththe
thumbfollowedbytheafingerpluckingtheopenthirdstring(Example#13):

Now,combinethosetwosteps(Example#14):

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Thefinalcombinationistopluckthesixthstringharmonicatthe19thfretwiththethumb
followedbytheafingerpluckingtheopenfourthstring(Example#15):

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Youmaynoticethattheafingerpluckingtheopenfourthstringmakesascratchysound.That
isthefingernailscrapingacrossthewindingsofthestring.Youwontbeabletoeliminatethe
noiseentirely.Thankfully,whenthefullcascadeisplayed,thescrapingsoundislessnoticeable.

Now,combinethiscombinationwiththepreviousone(Example#16):

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Now,youcanpracticetheentiredescendingcascade(Example#17):

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Next,combinetheascendinganddescendingcascadesintoacompletecascade(Example#18):

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AddingtheLefthand

Inthenextvideoclip,Idemonstratethestepofstringingseveralcascadestogether.

Then,Iintroduceusingthelefthandtoholdchordswhileexecutingthebasicharmoniccascade
pattern.ThechordsIuseinthisvideoclipare(Example#19):

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WatchthevideodemonstrationinVideoClip#8.

Adaptingtherighthandtechniquetothechordheldbythelefthand.Howto
practice.

Inthenextvideoclip,Idemonstratehowtherighthandpatternchangesaccordingtowhat
chordyouholdwiththelefthand.Ialsoshowindetailhowtopracticethesechanges.

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HerearethechordsImusing(Example#20):
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WatchhowtodothisinVideoClip#9.

ExtensionsoftheCascade

Sometimesyoumaywanttoextendthedurationofacascade.Thiscanbedoneinseveral
ways.

WatchthisvideoasIdemonstratethefirsttwomethodsofextendingacascade:thethreenote
rollandtheadditionofartificialharmonicsattheend.

Threenoteroll
Thisisthenotationforathreenoterollofthebassstring.Thisisaddedbeforethefirst
harmonicisplucked(Example#21):

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AddingArtificialHarmonicsattheend

Hereisanothervideoviewofthistechnique.

Thisisthenotationforanextensionofthreeartificialharmonics.Thisisaddedattheendofthe
ascentofaharmoniccascade(Example#22):

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Repetitionofnotepairs

Acascadecanbeeasilyextendedbyrepetitionofnotepairswithinthecascade.

WatchmedemonstratethisveryeffectivetechniqueinVideoClip#12.

Oneofthemostcommonexamplesofthistechniquerepeatsthe3rdstringharmonic1ststring
nonharmonicand4thstringharmonic2ndstringnonharmonicpairs(Example#23):
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AddingSlurs(hammeronsandpulloffs)
Theharmoniccascadecanalsobeextendedbytheuseofslurs(hammeronsorpulloffs).

WatchmedemonstrateinVideoClip#13howtouseslurstoextendacascade.

Next,followthesedetailedwrittenexamplesandtrythemout!

Inexample#24,Iaddanascendingslur(hammeron):

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Inexample#25,Ikeeptheascendingslur(hammeron)andaddadescendingslur(pulloff):

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Or,inexample#26,Ikeeptheascendinganddescendingslurs,plusaddaseconddescending
slur:

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Addingrepeatabletripletnotegroups
Alittletrickierextensionofaharmoniccascadecanbemadewithtripletnotegroups,often
repeatedseveraltimesinarow.Thetripletnotegroupconsistsofaharmonicpluckedbythe
thumb,thenanonharmonicnotepluckedbytheafinger,followedbyadescendingslur
(pulloff).

WatchmedoitinVideoClip#14.

Hereisanexampleofabasicrepeatabletripletfigure(Example#27):

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Thesameideacanbeappliedtoasecondnotepairinthechord(Example#28):

Thesetwonotegroupscanbecombinedintoadoublerepeatabletripletnotegroup(Example#
29):

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Hereisanexampleofacascadeconsistingof:thebasicascendinganddescendingcascade,an
addedascendingslur,arepeateddoubletripletnotegroup,andthefinaldescenttotheend
(Example#30):

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Conclusion

Harmoniccascadesarerarelyusedbyclassicalguitarists.Butitisadazzlingtechnique.With
experimentationandimagination,harmoniccascadescanbeusedveryeffectivelyinnewer
repertoire,andespeciallyarrangementsofpopularmusicfortheclassicalguitar.Althoughthey
aremoredifficulttoexecuteonaclassicalguitarthanasteelstringguitar,theyarevery
feasible.Itjusttakesatonofpractice!Sowhatelseisnew?

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SIGNUPFORTHEGUITARTECHNIQUETIPOFTHEMONTH
The"GuitarTechniqueTipoftheMonth"isavailableinnewsletterform,whichcan
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thenewtipisouteachmonth.VERYconvenient.SignUpForDouglasNiedt'sGuitar
TechniqueTipoftheMonth.WepromiseyouwillNOTbesentanythingelse.Thisisjustthe
TechTip.

BESURETOVISITDOUG'S"SECRETVAULT"
Doug'sDirtyLittleSecrets.
ItcontainsALLofDoug'sPrevious
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