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The humble whammy bar is behind

Hank Marvins gentle twang, Gilmour
and Becks expressive pitch bends
and the screaming harmonics of Eddie
Van Halen and Dimebag Darrell. Follow
TGs easy lessons to kick yourself off

5 ways to
improve your
whammy bar skills
getting started C major scale

when youre starting out the whammy bar can present

quite a challenge. Designed for slick pitch changes with a
smoother sound than standard fretting, the whammy bar
takes precision and control, and this requires practice. We
recommend starting with light use too aggressive and
you may send your guitar out of tune. If youre into the
gymnastics of Eddie Van Halen or Dimebag Darrell then
a locking vibrato system is an essential bit of kit. For our Most of this months examples use the scale shape shown here. Theres no easy
lesson, however, well look at some techniques that you finger choice when you are playing along the length of the string, but we
can play on any guitar equipped with a whammy bar. recommend switching between your first and third fingers.

EssEntial tEchniquEs

1. using the whammy bar. Operating a whammy bar is easy: play a 2. Vibrato. Vibrato is the effect you get when you wobble a string as a 3. holding your pick. Sometimes youll need to pick the strings and
note, grip the bar, then dip it down towards the strings to lower the note rings out. You can use your fretting fingers or simply wobble the use the bar in rapid succession. Keep your pick by the strings and use
pitch. use small movements at first. whammy bar. your free fingers to move the bar.

72 summer2016
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1. scoops Track 77 2. doops Track 78

start off with some easy scoops the opposite of a scoop
C Am G

~~~~~~~~~ w/bar
C Am G

w~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
q =75
Scoop

w/bar

& 44
& 44
Scoop
Scoop Scoop
w/bar Doop
Scoop Doop
Doop Doop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~
Scoop
w/bar w/bar
Scoop Scoop Scoop Scoop

T T Doop Doop Doop Doop w/bar

A 5 7 9 12 7
A 5 7 9 12 7 [7 ]

B B

A scoop is when you dip the whammy bar before you play a note.
Quickly raise the bar back to its resting position as the note rings out
for a fluid, vocal effect as you bend into each note. The toughest
part is picking the string and using the whammy bar at the same
time, but there is a trick you can employ: the hammer-on from
nowhere. The idea is to tap (ie, hammer on) the string with a fretting
finger to sound the note instead of using your pick.
The weirdly-nAmed doop is the opposite of a scoop. This time
you dip the bar immediately after a note for a quick drop in pitch;
picking is made easier thanks to the brief moment you gain between
pick stroke and whammy bar motion. Weve played the same line
again here so listen carefully to the audio to hear how doops sound
different to scoops. If you have one, a wah wah pedal sounds great
with these techniques perfect for Steve Vai-style crying effects.

3. note to note Track 79 4. harmonics Track 80

targeting specific notes Pitch-shifting harmonics
~~~~ w/bar
~~~~ w/bar w/bar ~~~~~~
C Am G

.
qw/bar
=75

w/bar

& 44
.
w/bar

& 44
w/bar w/bar

J
w/bar ~~~~
w/bar
w/bar ~~~~
w/bar
w/bar ~~~~~~
w/bar NH
w/bar w/bar
T T
A 7 (5) (7) 9 (7) (9) 12 (9) (12 )
A 5 (-2 ) (-0 ) 7 (-2 ) (-0 )

B B

whereAs scoops and doops are based on feel, using the
whammy bar to target specific notes needs precision and lots of
practice. In this example weve started with a two-fret whammy bar
bend. The tab tells you to play the 7th fret (a D note), dip the bar
down so you get the pitch of a 5th fret C note then go back up to D.
Bar 2 is a bigger three-fret dip from G down to E so take your time
getting used to how hard to press the whammy bar.
were TAking the Jeff Beck approach to harmonics here with a lick
that takes precision and control as you change from note to note. To
play a harmonic simply touch the third string over the 5th fret (bar 1)
and the 7th fret (bar 2) without pressing down. You should get a
sweet chiming sound as you pick the string. Once the harmonic is
ringing out, play a two-fret dip with the whammy bar. Try scooping
and dooping the harmonics for a Dimebag Darrell vibe.

5. Whammy bar bass notes Exploring the lower range

Tracks 81-82

~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C5 A5 G5
~~~~~~~~~
C Am G

& 44 .
w/bar w/bar w/bar w/bar w/bar w/bar w/bar: 16th note w/bar: 16th note

..
. #
w/bar
j
n. #
w/bar ~~~~~
w/bar
w/bar ~~~~~
w/bar
w/bar ~~~~~
w/bar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
w/bar: 16th note
~~~~~~~~~
w/bar: 16th note

T
A 5 5 [5 ] w/bar
B 3 (2) (3) 5 7
5 (4) (5) 3 (2) (3)
3 [3 ] 7
5
[7 ]
[5 ]
5
3

The firsT three notes include a one-fret dip from the 3rd fret down to the 2nd and back again, before finishing with the wobble of light vibrato.
Make sure youve got this down because the phrase is repeated twice in bar 2, but using different notes. For the vibrato in bars 3 and 4 gently tap
your bar with a steady rhythmic pulse. The arrows at the end of bar 4 indicate a divebomb so dip your bar hard so the pitch goes way down low.

summer2016 73