Wah Wah Pedal - Guitar Playing Tips

Like many great ideas, the Wah pedal was invented on accident. The invention was originally intended to sound like a muted trumpet and be used for saxophones, but the circuits ended up creating a strange filtered sound. The now legendary guitar effect came into being. The patent was applied for in 1967 by Warwick Electronics Inc. and soon the effect was out on the market along with imitators. But only when guitarists got hold of these effects did the music really start changing.

What does a Wah pedal do, exactly?

By filtering the peak frequency on the guitar tone as the player moves the pedal up and down, the pedal creates a noise similar to a person saying the word "wah," which inspired the name. This effect can be found in a variety of musics, especially rock and roll, and many people know its sound without knowing what effect is making it. Wah Wah pedals are used mostly during lead guitar solos in order to help them cut though the other instruments and be heard more easily. The wah pedal does not increase volume, but by imitating some of the noises of human speech, people naturally pay more attention to it. Many people find that the use of the wah pedal brings more emotion to a solo because of this. It is most famously used by Jimi Hendrix in Voodoo Child, Cream's White Room, Guns'N'Roses's Sweet Child of Mine and U2's The Fly, to name a few.

How can I get a great sound out of mine?

Wah pedals can be used one of two ways. The first is for an excellent lead like Jimi Hendrix would commonly do, but the other is for beautiful rhythm parts, such as those in Reggae music by artists such as Bob Marley. When a wah wah pedal is used in this way, the sound is very clean and the effect is used to accentuate the rhythm of the song. You will want to sweep the pedal forward with each chord to create that classic "wah" sound. Another popular technique is to dampen the strings while doing this to create a dead "wah" noise, which sounds more like "cuh." Reggae music also used wah wah pedals in their solos, but it is important to remember that Reggae aims for beautiful sounds and the the wah pedal must be used with a clean tone to accentuate notes. Using a digital delay with a wah is also a very popular sound with Reggae and other beautiful wah music.

For most guitar players, however, the wah pedal is best served for excellent lead guitar. So what do you need to get this awesome tone? First of all, the really great wah solos require a good amount of distortion, whether it be from a distortion pedal or naturally occurring from your amp. Secondly, it is best to play your solos on the bridge pickup of your guitar. This pickup has the most treble and will allow your wah to really sing. Finally, there are some basic tricks for great wah sounds. Try techniques like bending notes while moving the pedal forward and backwards, hammer on the same note over and over again using the wah to make it stand out, and try to use the high end of your wah to do some pick harmonics. One of the most important tricks to a great wah solo is to change the speed of your pedal movement throughout it. If it is too steady, the solo will sound stale and predictable. At some moments, try slowly pushing the pedal forwards for a gradual effect. Other times, it works very well to quickly accentuate notes. Finally, remember that the wah pedal makes your licks sound great without them being very complicated; many times one of the best techniques is to simply repeat the same lick while using your wah wah pedal to really make it stand out. This is a real crowd pleaser and you should keep it mind if you plan on rocking on-stage.

The wah pedal is a brilliant addition for any guitar player. It is simple to operate and yet elegant in its performance. And best of all, as people hear you rock out wah wah style, they won't be able to help but remember such great artists as Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Lang, and Bob Marley.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wah_wah_pedal