How to Get the Cat Cry Effect on Guitar

A whammy type of effect can make your guitar sound like a crying cat.

Electric guitars have the ability to change their sound through the use of certain effects pedals. While some seek a more widely accepted sound, others like to experiment and create crazy effects. With a guitar effect pedal that changes pitch, such as the Digitech Whammy, you can easily have your guitar emulate the crying sound of a cat. While this particular sound might not serve well for musical purposes, it is at the very least a neat trick to show your friends.

Things You'll Need

• Digitech Whammy pedal

Instructions

1. Set the Digitech Whammy pedal to the "+2 Octaves" setting. Add a distortion or overdrive effect next to the Whammy pedal to get a more pronounced sound.

2. Play a note higher on the guitar, preferably on the high E or B strings. With the Whammy pedal cocked up, let the note ring. Use your foot to slowly bend the pitch up higher and higher until you get into the range of a cat's voice.

3. Lightly press the Whammy pedal up and down with your foot in order to fluctuate the notes; this makes the guitar sound like a cat crying or meowing.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have a Digitech Whammy pedal available, most multi-effects pedals provide some sort of octave-up pitch-bending. If cost is an object, you can find a pedal with this whammy feature for as little as $60 to $70.

References

• Cat Guitar Sound; Modern Prophets; 2009
• Digitech Whammy Pedal Demo; Tone Factor; 2008