How to Create Tremolo Effects on Electric Guitar

In the world of electric guitar music, tremolo refers to the regular, controlled variation in volume as a special effect. You can produce tremolo manually using a tremolo arm, also known as a "whammy bar," or electronically with a tremolo effect pedal. Some people use the terms "tremolo" and "vibrato" interchangeably, but strictly speaking tremolo is a change in volume while vibrato is a change in pitch.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Try out a guitar with a tremolo, or "whammy" bar. Notice how when you press the bar, the tension on the strings relaxes and then returns to the original position. This change in tension produces a shift in volume.

2. Strike a chord, depress the bar all the way and then return it to the normal position. This produces one volume shift from full-on to almost full-off and back. This is a nice end-of-the-song effect.

3. Hook the little finger of your picking hand over the tremolo bar, and depress it slightly and rapidly while you pick. This produces a quivery effect throughout a lead solo or chord progression.

4. Attach a tremolo effect pedal to your system. With the pedal, you can set the speed and the depth of volume change to create different effects while you play.

5. Experiment with setting the pedal for slower and faster volume changes, and for different depths of change. Notice the different effects and where they might fit into the music you are composing or playing. Think about places where you have heard these effects in the music you listen to.

Tips & Warnings

• "Whammy" bars are often found on older, vintage guitars that were made and played before advances in electronics made the pedals more attractive.