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"Modern Whammy Bar Tricks -- How To Captivate Your Audience With Vibrato!"

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There are many different ways in which you can use your whammy bar -- also known as a tremolo bar or a vibrato bar -- to make cool sounds and effects!

Unbeknownst to the majority of the population, The Whammy Bar was manufactured in outer-space on an alien planet far, far away. It gives YOU special access to alien powers and capabilities, as well as the ability to recreate your favorite 80's movie soundtrack with one simple device: the TREMOLO BAR!

Therefore, the most authentic way to use the vibrato bar is in a manner that simulates its true nature, one reminiscent of 1980's films and extraterrestrial life forms, of course!

BUT WAIT! You say, this is supposed to be a beginner introduction to the most basic whammy bar tricks, one which introduces said vibrato bar techniques from a traditional approach and one which includes only regular vibrato and dive bomb techniques?

Yes, we will indeed hold off on recreating the soundtrack to Brainscan (1994) for now. It would be more accurate to dedicate this lesson to all you neophytes out there who are willing to take this time to merge your guitar playing skills into the next level of intermediacy!

Creative use of your whammy bar will:

• Work wonders on your sound
• Create impressive sound effects
• Modernize your guitar playing style with up to date use of your vibrato bar!

For more guitar solo techniques and tips, go up to Top Guitar Solo Techniques For Lead Guitar: How To Use Flashy Tricks In Your Guitar Solos!

Want to learn how to play any song, at any speed, just by listening to it?

Narrow Vibrato and Wide Vibrato

The whammy bar can be used to make narrow vibrato, which creates a dreamy atmosphere for your astronomical notes. For this kind of vibrato, gently move your tremolo bar up and down after striking a nice major seventh chord or something of similar tonal nature.

For a much wider vibrato, try playing single notes with distortion and moving your vibrato bar up and down with increasing speed and force, creating a gyrating effect. Example 1 contains examples of both narrow and wide vibrato.

Pro tip: after extensive use of your tremolo bar, gently pull each string to remove slack from behind the nut!

Example 1:

Click tablature to enlarge:

Dive Bombs and Squeals

Back in the eighties, you had to have excessively long hair and leather pants to perform dive bombs and squeals. Nowadays you don't need long hair anymore, just a fancy schmancy whammy bar on your guitar!

A good dive bomb emulates the result of the business end of a Consolidated B-32 Dominator. When you go for a DIVE, push the bar down in an even motion as far as it will allow. Make sure you dampen the strings at the bottom of this motion to prevent unwanted noise and create a cleaner dive.

To make a squeal, begin with your vibrato bar completely depressed, do a natural harmonic, and then release the bar, yanking it up as far as it goes. You'll need HIGH GAIN for this trick!

Example 2:

Click tablature to enlarge:

Whammy Bar Dips

A favorite among the vibrato bar techniques is to hold the bar between your index and middle fingers while you play. I suggest practicing this maneuver until it feels natural, because it is a valuable technique to master.

These dips are performed by lightly pushing the tremolo bar down into your notes just as you strike them.

Example 3:

Click tablature to enlarge:

Inverted Dips

To make inverted dips, rotate your tremolo bar into the opposite direction so that it faces the tail end of your guitar. From this position, you can raise your notes by pushing down on the bar. You can flutter it, whack it, and even SMACK it!

Since having your whammy bar in the reverse direction keeps your pick hand away from easily attacking your strings, I find that you can use legato phrases and activate your notes by hammering on to them with your fret hand instead.

Example 4:

Click tablature to enlarge:

Correct Set Up and Adjustments

If your vibrato bar screws in (the conventional Fender Stratocaster way), you should never need to tighten it ALL the way down. Leave some extra thread so that it swings freely. I usually tighten the vibrato bar until it stops and then loosen it one turn.

Most people don't realize that you can literally bend the bar itself to sit at an angle that feels comfortable for you. When the whammy bar is too far away from the strings, it prevents you from holding it WHILE you play with it (a technique described above).

If you find that your bar has TOO WIDE of an angle, bend it with a vice until it fits comfortably in your pick hand. Voila!

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