Seahive is an all level 5 piece containing many harmonics. To play these the student must locate the fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, and twelfth frets. These are marked in the score with Roman numerals. Encircled numbers specify which string or strings to play. A method for teaching harmonics follows:
The student locates the fret, then places a finger on the string directly above the fret.
The student applies light pressure to the string, not enough to cause the string to touch the fret.
The student plays the string with the right hand.
If the harmonic does not sound clearly, or the student produces a thudding sound, evaluate the placement of the left hand finger. Playing behind or in front of the fret will produce a muddier sound.
In the case of the fourth and ninth frets, the harmonic node is very slightly behind the fret. Have the students experiment with left hand finger placement until they produce a consistent sound.
The physics of a vibrating string:
The vibrating string moves in waves. The overall vibration of the string creates a fundamental pitch which is relatively constant. The string also oscillates at many other frequencies simultaneously. Placing a left hand finger at one of the harmonic “nodes,”disrupts the fundamental frequency and allows one of several overtones to become the primary audible pitch. For example, placing a finger at the twelfth fret divides the string in half. Each of the two halves of the string vibrate at twice the frequency of the fundamental, creating a pitch that is twice the frequency of the original. Placing the left hand finger at other “nodes,” which divide the string into other fractions (1/3, 1/4, 1/5, etc) will create pitches at higher frequencies.
The attached performance video was recorded by Moriarty High School under the direction of Justin McMurdo.
Despite the challenges they face in a rural town with a high rate of poverty, the Moriarty High School guitar program has garnered a reputation as one of the strongest guitar programs in New Mexico. Some of their students have gone on to study guitar at the college level and been offered very generous scholarships from schools like the San Francisco Conservatory, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Colorado Boulder. They are fortunate to have amazing support from administrators who see the value of what they do in and out of the classroom, and we feel confident that MHS guitar will continue to reach new heights in the future.