I'm not sure how to play artificial harmonics. My teacher showed me, but since it is holiday time, i won't see him for a while. I saw a lesson on the site about harmonics, but nothing about artificial harmonics. Can anyone explain them to me, please???

I can tell you what I know about harmonics...artificial or otherwise...you can get harmonics from your basic fith fret,7th fret and so on which you probably know...also when you pluck the string with pick have the string slightly touch your thumb simutaniously as you pick...meaning the pick hits first and thumb second however its done quick and seemless...This produces a squeal.

also play any chord...(bar chords work well)...play any chord but dont strum chord...lets say you have a A bar chord on the 5th fret...hold the chord form without struming...Now go to the 15th fret and tap on the postion that you are holding on the 5 th however tap on the 15 th...I think it works if you tap on the steel fret its self to get the harmonics...If you still have questions just ask.

"Artificial" Harmonics: fret any note as usual with the left hand. With the right hand index finger, lightly touch the string (without deflecting it) 12 frets above the fretted note. Pluck the string with the right hand pinky finger while touching the string with the right hand index. This gives a "harmonic" sound one octave above the fretted note. You can also touch 7 frets above the fretted note for a harmonic an octave and a fifth above, or 5 frets above for a harmonic 2 octaves up.

The full name is "harmonic overtone" - "harmonic" is for short but nowadays everybody knows what it means and has forgotten the original term and where it arose. There is an infinite series of harmonic overtones, of which you can hear about the first 16 on a guitar string by lightly touching the string at the 1/2 point, the 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6 etc points with a left hand finger while plucking close to the bridge for a bright trebly sound which will bring out the sound of the upper harmonics better. Only the first three harmonic nodes are to be found exactly at frets - the 12th, 7th and 5th. After that the math of the harmonics and the fret layout goes in two different directions.

Or in the Rock world it's called Tapped Harmonics like Eddie Van Halen made popular.