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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