Pinch Harmonics on an Electric Guitar

What is a (natural) harmonic?

A natural harmonic is a musical note played by preventing or amplifying vibration of certain overtones of a guitar string.  They are usually played by lightly placing a finger on a string at a nodal point (where the string is divided in ½, ¼, etc.).  When picked,  the string vibrates at a higher frequency than the fundamental tone causing a higher pitched overtone.

What is a pinch harmonic?

A pinch harmonic is a guitar technique in which the player's thumb or index finger on the picking hand slightly catches the string at a nodal point near the pickups after it is picked which cancels the fundamental tone of the string, and lets one of the overtones dominate. The result is a high pitch squeal.

Turn up the gain on your amplifier or use a distortion pedal.  

(Note: The more distortion, the easier it is to play a pinch harmonic.)

Hold your pick so only a small piece of it can be seen between your thumb and index finger.

Fret the 3rd string (g in standard tuning) at the 12th fret. 

Note: Pinch harmonics can be played with any note on any string, but I find they are easiest to play on the g string.

Pick the string and lightly touch it with your index finger at various points to find the natural harmonic points over the pick-ups.  Make mental note of the location of these points.

Pick the string and follow through with a slight roll with your pick hand so that your thumb lightly touches the string at a point we found in the previous step.

Pay Attention!
Make sure to lift your thumb after making contact so the string is not completely muted.

Add string bends or use a whammy bar after picking to make the pinch harmonic really ring out.