The Purpose Of The Whammy Bar…

There actually a ton of name in which this incredible guitar accessory has been labeled. Examples its nicknames include the vibrato bar, twang bar, tremolo arm, and the tremolo bar. That’s quite a few, I know. No matter what you call it, the tremolo bar or whammy bar has one core function and that’s to create a vibrato kind of sound on the guitar.

With help of some creativity and imagination, the whammy bar can be used in a ton of situations. If you play around with it enough and just experiment, you’ll find and unlimited number of sounds this thing can generate.

Where can you find this thing called the “whammy bar?” Well, if you look right along the bridge of the guitar, you’ll have found it. To be able to use a whammy bar, there needs to be a hole at the bottom of the bridge where the strings tuck in. If the hole is not present on the guitar, then it might not be possible to use the whammy bar (…what a bummer).

But for those of you that do have a hole in your guitar, you’re in for something really special. You’ll be able to generate sounds that aren’t even imaginable on another guitar. You’ll be able to formulate sounds that are much deeper than normal, sounds full of dissonance.
The whammy bar gives the best sound when played on just one note instead of the whole chord.

It needs to be pressed down gently towards the guitar while pointing the bar in the direction of the head stock. Players use the whammy bar to make their compositions exclusive and more effective.

Though the whammy gels the best with a single note, it can also be used with the entire chord. By pressing the whammy bar down slowly, a player can generate a very soothing effect. But this needs to be done correctly to get the desired melodious effect for the listeners. Extra care should be rendered when using the whammy bar for chords. It can get chaotic if you don’t go slowly on it.

There are different variations that can be tried with the whammy bar. Positioning of the whammy bar plays a very important part in creating music. Like when you hold the whammy in the direction of the head stock. This makes the sound a softer and deeper. When you hold the whammy bar facing the bottom of the guitar and play it softly, it results in the pitch going up.

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The Anatomy and Parts of a Guitar

A new guitar player first and foremost needs to become familiar with all the parts of his instrument before she or he starts to learn to play. Now different types of guitars may have additional parts but the basic parts will remain the same for across the board.

The three main parts of a guitar are the body, the headstock and the neck.

The headstock is also known as the peghead and is located at the top of the guitar. The headstock can be attached at an angle or flat so that it forms a plane in sync with the neck of the guitar.

The straight long portion that is present between the headstock and the body is known as the neck.

And the entire lower portion of the guitar is known as the body. It is here that a major part of activity takes place when the guitar is in use.

The other parts that constitute the guitar are tuners, the nut, frets, the bridge and the guitar strings.

The tuners are also known by a variety of names. Out of the many, tuning pegs and tuning keys are the most popular. The tuners are placed along the headstock of the guitar in 1 out of the 3 typical configurations.

The small piece that is present between the neck of the guitar and the headstock is known as the nut. This may look like a small piece that is not important but it actually serves two critical functions.

The frets of the guitar are placed along the body of the guitar in equal spaces. The frets can be small, raised metal bars or even simple lines that are marked on the neck of the guitar.

The point where the strings attach to itself to the lower end of the guitar is known as the bridge. The bridge is located on the body of the guitar.

Lastly, but most important are the guitar strings. These are important because without the strings, the guitar would not be able to produce any music.

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