Wah Pedal Techniques

Wah pedals, which can make an instrument sound like it's crying, are ubiquitous in rock music. From Jimi Hendrix onward, it has been a staple sound of the electric guitar. Other instrumentalists, like mandolin player Michael Kang, have incorporated the wah pedal into their sound. Wah pedals vary greatly in their complexity.

Basics

A wah pedal is fairly simple to operate. You run the cable from your instrument into the input and another cable to your amp from the output of your wah pedal. To operate the wah, stomp on it first in a toe down direction, then rock the pedal back and forth. Notice the change in the sound of your wah. Toe down gives more treble while heel down gives more bass. Experiment with the wah; leaving the wah in one position gives a boost in that particular frequency that can help with sustaining or generating a Leslie cabinet effect. A Leslie effect is created by speakers rotating in a cabinet.

Volume

Many modern wahs allow you to customize the volume level of the wah to either give a boost or a transparent effect; with a transparent effect, the tone changes, but the volume level stays the same. Start by playing a chord on the guitar, then stomp on the wah. Notice if the volume changes. Turn the volume up or down until the sound level is identical with the pedal on or off. From there, you can customize it to give a boost if you want, or leave it transparent.

The Q

Many wahs now offer a "Q" control on the side of the wah that lets you control the sweep of the wah effect. Turning the Q high gives a sharp peak while turning it low gives a more subtle wah sound.

References

• Wah pedals
• Leslie cabinet mysteries