How to Use the Whammy Bar on Electric Guitar
The whammy bar, or tremolo bar, on the electric guitar can be used to create many interesting sounds, and guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix used it extensively in their playing. The whammy bar is usually attached to the lower portion of the bridge, and when pressed, it moves the bridge, which in turn stretches the string and changes the note. Finding out about some different techniques you can use when playing with a whammy bar can help you get new sounds out of your guitar.
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Instructions
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Fret and pluck any note on your guitar. Bend it downwards if you wish. Pull the whammy bar around so that it points to the neck of the guitar, and press it down towards the body of the guitar. Do this whilst the note is ringing out and you will hear the note's pitch dip noticeably. This can create a dive-bomb effect, and is the most basic way to use the whammy bar.
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Play any note on your guitar, bending it upwards if you wish to accentuate the effect. Spin the whammy bar around so that it points away from the neck of the guitar if you have a Fender or Bigsby bridge. If you have a "floating" bridge, then you don't have to do this; just pull the whammy bar up when the note is ringing out to raise the pitch of the note. For Fender or Bigsby bridges, point the whammy bar to the bottom of the guitar, and then push gently downwards on the bar to raise the note's pitch.
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Play a single note or a short lick on your guitar. Put the whammy bar in any position you wish; pointing it toward the neck will work. As the note rings out, wiggle the whammy bar up and down. This creates a "vibrato" effect, which is a quick fluctuation in pitch, going both up and down in quick succession. This is a good idea if you are letting a single note ring out for a while, such as at the end of a guitar solo.
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Push the whammy bar down towards the body of the guitar. You can do this with the whammy bar pointing in any direction, and you can also pull the whammy bar up if you have a floating bridge. Pluck an open string, and slowly move the whammy bar back into the neutral position. This creates a "ghost bend" effect, where the pitch was altered before the note was played, and it slowly reverts to a natural pitch as the note sounds out. Play around with this idea to create some interesting effects.
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Play a trill and then depress the whammy bar. A trill is a rapid hammer-on and pull-off combination. For example, fret and play the fifth fret on the G string, and then repeatedly tap the eighth fret with your little finger. Dipping the pitch of the trill with the whammy bar is another commonly used whammy bar effect.
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References
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