Sweep picking, pick scrapping, slide guitar, hammer on, pull off, hybrid picking, using a Wah pedal, bending, vibrato, legato are various guitar techniques that give different effects to your music. Over the years, different artists have used these techniques and become famous for popularizing one or more of them.

This is a popular guitar effect that can be produced using an amplifier. Many amplifiers these days have a built-in distortion feature but guitarists prefer using distortion pedals also known as “stomp boxes” for more flexibility. The function of the distortion pedal is to boost the raw sound coming from the guitar.
Distorted guitar sounds were originally not intentional.

They occurred because of dislodged amplifier tubes or torn speaker cones. But certain performers liked the resulting sound and tried to recreate it, at first by recreating the problems that caused such sounds and later by using “fuzz” pedals.

Pinch harmonics are effectively used on electric guitars along with distortion. Using distortion makes the effect more audible, something that may not be so using a clean amp channel.

The basic idea behind creating pinch harmonics is to strike a note with the pick and then touch the string with the picking thumb. The technique is called pinch harmonics because you are expected to grip the pick in such a way that the tip of the pick can barely be seen between your fingertips- almost like holding it in a pinch.

The position of the plucking along the length of the string is one of the most crucial steps of this technique. The correct position for picking is vital in this technique because even tiny shifts in position can result in totally different harmonics. You can even try striking the string in different places on the pickup area of the guitar while fretting different notes to discover which kinds of harmonic sounds can be produced.

Pinch harmonics in classical guitar or jazz finger-style guitar is produced without a pick, by plucking the string with the fingertip and touching the string with the fingernail.

You must know the exact spot on the string where you need to strike with the pick, in order to play pinch harmonics well. If you strike the string in any random place or a different spot on each stroke, you won't be able to produce the clean sound that you are looking for every time.

Try to find the right spot on the string by trying different places in isolation and listening carefully to each sound that is produced.

When guitarists learn that they must first strike the string with the pick and then touch the string with their thumb, they tend to kill the sound that is created instantly, rather than letting it sustain. There is probably just a difference of a micro second between the strike of your pick and the touch of your thumb. If the time gap between the two is distinct, the harmonic will be muted.

Try practicing downstrokes while holding the pick very close to the tip. This can help you train your thumb and pick to strike the string at almost the same moment.

Almost all guitar players have the habit of constantly looking at their fretting hand and ignoring the hand which is striking strings with the pick. While practicing this technique, looking at the picking hand will help you identify what you are doing wrong, so you can rectify it.

Look at your picking hand while practicing rather than at your fretting hand.

Good music is a combination of different sounds, effects, and techniques. Most guitarists tend to focus on learning and mastering only one technique without integrating it with other ones. If you only practice one technique in isolation, you won't be able to use it as and when you want to.

Practice one technique in isolation but also try playing it in different musical contexts even if you haven't mastered it yet. With regular practice, you will improve the technique you are focusing on as well as your overall performance.

Vibrato is a different guitar technique altogether, but without it, your pinch harmonics will sound too plain. Vibrato helps the harmonic have a more aggressive sound and sustain longer. It is vital to integrate pinch harmonics with vibrato.

Learn vibrato and practice it along with pinch harmonics. You will feel the difference between that and playing the harmonics as an isolated technique.

Although controlling unwanted string noise is always important, remember that it must be muted to keep from destroying your pinch harmonics.

Learn the technique of using both the picking and fretting hands to mute all strings that are not being played.