Single Note Soloing with Harmonics

Paul Bollenback teaches a short power course on soloing in single notes using false harmonics — fretting a note with the left hand while the right hand touches the node twelve frets above, producing a chiming tone an octave higher. It's a distinctive color used by players like Tal Farlow, Lenny Breau, Bill Frisell, and Vic Juris.

What's covered

• The difference between natural harmonics (12th, 7th, 5th fret) and false harmonics
• Right-hand execution: touching the node with the index finger while plucking with the pick, plus thumbnail and thumb-on-node variations
• Finding the node accurately — playing right over the fret bar, not in the fret space
• Mirroring lines an octave up: imagining what you play at the 3rd fret happening at the 15th
• Applying the technique to a B-flat major 7 arpeggio line
• Sliding into false harmonics instead of picking every note

A focused mini-lesson for intermediate players who want to add a unique, bell-like sound to their single-note solos. The technique takes some practice to get clean, but Paul breaks it down slowly with close-up demonstrations.