Learning To Use The Whammy Bar

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By chris

There are just some techniques that a beginner isn’t going to be able to execute with a guitar that the professionals can perform with ease. Using the whammy bar is one of these advanced guitar techniques that guitarists should only approach once they have a solid understanding of the fundamentals.

Properly known as a tremolo arm, the whammy bar was introduced in the 1950s. There are a number of popular designs produced by the major manufacturers but the whammy bar was first developed by Fender and released with the original Stratocaster. Since then, legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eddy Van Halen have made the whammy bar a major part of their personal sound. For this reason, a lot of beginning guitarists want to emulate their favorite guitar legend and dive right in to using the whammy bar. This is a mistake however, and it’s important to take it slow when learning how to use it.

The whammy bar requires quite a bit of attention and coordination to use effectively so it’s probably best for advanced or intermediate guitarists. It produces a vibrato effect by temporarily changing the tension of the strings on an electric guitar. Once you’ve inserted the whammy bar into the body of the guitar, it’s possible to produce a higher pitch by pointing the whammy bar toward the bottom of the guitar and gently pressing down on the bar.

To produce a lower pitch, simply point the bar up toward the headstock and press down. This is done while playing a note (and sustaining it) or while playing a chord. This type of sound effect was first used in Blues and Jazz but has made its way more prominently into modern Rock music.

You have to be more vigilant to your guitar’s needs when you’re using a whammy bar because it causes the guitar to go out of tune more quickly than it would otherwise. Once you’ve mastered the basics, beginning to use a whammy bar can add some variety to your sound. It’s one of the more advanced guitar techniques that you don’t need to learn right away but it will improve your sound and allow you to put your own spin on classic chords and songs.

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