Are harmonics pretentious?

[mississippidave]

After reading a recent conversation about a song in the songwriting forum, I am rethinking some life choices. It appears that guitar harmonics can be a red flag that someone is pretentious and also could be a potential sign that someone is a total loser. As a guitarist who occasionally uses harmonics, I am now wondering if perhaps I have been a pretentious loser the entire time and didn't even know it! I mean- I can handle being a loser for entirely different reasons. But pretentiousness? Man that really sucks! I feel like I should just go the rest of the way now and install an incense burner at the end of my guitar and start making sex faces every time I bend a note. You know- Like pretentious losers do. Sorry if anyone in here does that btw. You're probably not pretentious or a loser. And if so I love you anyway. 

[Richard Tracey]

That's why I don't play the guitar 

[john]

Yeah, and using distortion or effects of any kind. Oh and strumming. Picking, forget it, and if you are a big smarty pants and play fingerstyle hang your head in shame! Guitars are for looking at!

 

I guess it depends what tradition you follow... for me it's somewhat pretentious to pull up a guitarist for using harmonics on the grounds of pretentiousness. It speaks of a mind that focuses a bit too much on what so called tastemakers say. That and perhaps someone that struggles with technique lol. A bit dated if you use them some ways. Cheesy sometimes, but hardly the crime of the century. Used in an innovative or creative way they are just as valid as any other guitar technique.

 

(Lights blue touch paper and runs for cover)

[mississippidave]

21 hours ago, john said:

Yeah, and using distortion or effects of any kind. Oh and strumming. Picking, forget it, and if you are a big smarty pants and play fingerstyle hang your head in shame! Guitars are for looking at!

 

I guess it depends what tradition you follow... for me it's somewhat pretentious to pull up a guitarist for using harmonics on the grounds of pretentiousness. It speaks of a mind that focuses a bit too much on what so called tastemakers say. That and perhaps someone that struggles with technique lol. A bit dated if you use them some ways. Cheesy sometimes, but hardly the crime of the century. Used in an innovative or creative way they are just as valid as any other guitar technique.

 

(Lights blue touch paper and runs for cover)

I was kidding around for the most part. This was all based on a conversation happening about a song over in the songwriting forum. (A song called Total Loser by Hobo Sage - really awesome btw you should check it out!)  But yeah I totally agree with you and enjoyed reading your insightful thoughts on the subject. I'm just kind of clueless when it comes to stuff like this. I've always been prone to hitting harmonics from time to time, and even though the whole thing is kind of a joke- It did make me pause to question my playing a little bit. That is probably a good thing to do once in awhile right? Oh who am I kidding... I question myself all the time! ha! I'm a self taught player and never really got the memo either way.   

[john]

Me too. Well semi-serious. I had read Hobo's topic so I knew there were some good guitarist's replying... that was why I laughed when I made the comment about struggling with technique... and why I added "lights blue touch paper", but no one rose to the bait lol

 

Ach well. It's all good. Apart from harmonics apparently.

[Rudi]

huh? what up with harmonics?

 

oh.... !

do you mean that pinch harmonic whizz-kappow stuff that metallurgists use? 

 

To prove your unpretentious, just do all of the following:

 

Studded snakeskin headbands, leather and chains, enormous tattoos, braided beards, goth eye cosmetics and sneers perfected after hours of mirror practice. That's the real deal.

harmonics? yeah, they are for pussies man!

[TCgypsy]

Harmonics ARE pretentious. That's why I feel compelled to use them in EVERY song. 

[MikeRobinson]

C'mon ... in the end, ain't it just ... "we are here now, en-ter-tain us!"