Just a small observation I made about OTBOA

[2Timer]

Maybe it's been mentioned before...I don't get to spend much time here. I've been listening to the song a lot (and love it btw), and today I noticed the lack of artificial harmonics. I mean, there may be a few, but compared to lots of the recent stuff, JP has really toned it down, at least in this song. In a lot of the newer stuff, there are tons of them, and they really stick out. I like it a little better this way. It's not a big deal when they're in the songs all over the place, but this makes the guitar seem more subtle in a way, which is a nice change.

[BlobVanDam]

I love artificial harmonics, as long as they're not Zakk Wylde level overdone of course!

But I don't find it too unusual for one individual song to not use them. Plenty of DT songs that don't.

[2Timer]

I agree, but I noticed so many spots in the verses of the new song where you just *knew* you were going to hear them, and he chose not to use them every time.
And yes to the Zakk Wylde reference. Whenever I see Bark at the Moon live on Metal Mania I want to smack him. I never do, though, because the dude's about 10 times my size.

[Apricot]

I thought artificial harmonics were essentially natural harmonics but not on the octave of an open string (For example. fretting the 5th fret and playing a harmonic on the 17th fret as opposed to the 12th on an open string), and Zakk Wylde overuses pinch harmonics?

[Jamesman42]

Zakk Wylde overuses pinch harmonics?

he overuses everything.

[BlobVanDam]

Zakk Wylde overuses pinch harmonics?

he overuses everything.

Except for restraint and taste.

[Jamesman42]

Well, he doesn't use those at all so...

[hefdaddy42]

The master of the pinch harmonic is Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

[Sketchy]

Well, pinched harmonics are a way of doing artificial harmonics. Let's face it, the only way you can do a harmonic on the 17th while fretting on the 5th is with a pinched harmonic. In fact, it's not necessary for a pinched harmonic to make that screech, that's just something gained from where the harmonic is pinched, distortion and often whammy bar too.

I can think of examples where pinched harmonics are used on really quiet songs without them screeching. I guess a more succinct (not sure about the spelling here, just in case it's incorrect) version of this post would be "pinched harmonic = artificial harmonic, artificial harmonic = pinched harmonic in a lot of cases including this one".

[Apricot]

Zakk Wylde overuses pinch harmonics?

he overuses everything.

Apologies, I worded that a bit poorly. I meant he overuses pinch harmonics as opposed to artificial harmonics as I've had the two terms separate.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Petrucci's always been awesome with harmonics. Honor Thy Father is pure harmonic goodness.

[IdoSC]

Edit: mistake, remove it please :X

[JPX]

I would hardly say that JP has been over using harmonics at all, pinch or otherwise.

Where exactly are these passages that highlight the excessive use?

[3xodus]

So um.. To me he uses 3 pinch harmonics in the first part of the riff that backs the first verse. It's a little reminiscent of one of the Forsaken riffs which has heavy useage of AH. Not that I feel it's over used at all but, to me, he seems to use them a bit MORE in OTBOA than I can remember in other songs. Correct me if I'm wrong though...

[Adami]

I would hardly say that JP has been over using harmonics at all, pinch or otherwise.

Where exactly are these passages that highlight the excessive use?

He used them a good amount in Honor They Father.

Aside from that? I'm sure he uses them, but I can't even recall a single use outside of that song, so clearly he's not overusing it.