Your whammy bar isn’t just for divebombs – it can also be an amazing slide, capable of all kinds of mind-bending soundscapes

In this lesson, we have something rather different in store as we welcome Brazilian psychedelic master Fabio Golfetti. As with all our video masterclasses, each example has been transcribed and then analysed from a technique and music theory point of view. You can then learn the techniques and concepts with a view to broadening your vocabulary and musicianship. 

The main concept demonstrated by Fabio is to detach the whammy bar and use it as a device for slide playing. By rubbing the bar back and forth on the fretboard in a similar way to how a violinist uses a bow, it is possible to add sustain to notes. The whammy bar can also be moved up and down the strings like a slide guitarist does, to create swooping glissandos.

If you have no detachable whammy bar to hand then fear not as a little experimentation with similar items could bear fruit. Of course these include a traditional guitar slide, but a metal drinking straw or a screwdriver could potentially work just as well!

The use of a compressor pedal can help in creating the sustain. To bring extra ambience with the texture, some delay, reverb and chorus can also be added. 

Single-note melodies tend to work best when played on the first or sixth string due to the ergonomics of bowing the guitar. However, Fabio also demonstrates how to create various chords. These are limited by what’s available across a fret in standard tuning, but there’s no reason this idea couldn’t be used with altered tunings. 

To get more mileage out of these ideas Fabio uses a looper to layer up the sounds. Either buy a looper pedal or use a delay pedal which often has the facility to record/playback. He also utilises a volume pedal to swell into chords which helps to smooth out the delivery and remove the attack. 

All the examples were performed freetime so we have notated the rhythms with a view to being easy to learn from. Also the idea of bowing the string with the whammy bar is fairly unconventional so again the tab has been designed for ease of use; therefore we have provided the fret number, along with a tremolo marking, the same way that we’d notate a sustained, tremolo note in traditional classical guitar notation.

Once you have mastered the concepts here experiment with a looper pedal. This way you can create some of your own soundscapes using the whammy bar glissando technique.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 3, Bass 6, Middle 7, Treble 7, Reverb 3

Any electric guitar will work well and it doesn’t even need a vibrato unit if you use any of the items mentioned in the main text. Dial up a clean tone with plenty of sustain. Some compression will help with this, as will a long delay and reverb, and perhaps chorus to provide extra ambience. Experiment with a volume pedal and a looper if you have one.

Example 1. Melody on a single string 

In this first example, Fabio plays a melody on the first string. Explore the amount of pressure and speed of the bowing required in order to get the best results. 

The whammy bar can be lifted off the string and moved to the next note or used like a slide to gliss along to the next note. 

As with basic bottleneck slide technique, place the whammy bar directly over the desired fret to ensure good intonation.

Example 2. Chords (major, minor, sus4, 6th) 

The same technique can be used to play chords. The types of chord available are limited by standard tuning, but it is still possible to get useable major and minor chord sounds by pulling out the available triads. The options are endless if this technique is combined with open or altered tunings. 

Example 3. Chord progressions 

Playing three-note chords on the top three strings is the easiest option and sounds very effective. In this example, Fabio links together chords on the 9th, 10th and 12th frets to create a functioning chord progression that sounds incredible!

Example 4. Melody with chords

Using a looper pedal allows Fabio to improvise a first-string melody over a pre-recorded chord progression. We’d recommend giving this a go if you have a looper to hand. Playing melodies on a single string is a good way to break out of those familiar ‘box’ shapes and a solid way to develop your musical ear. 

Example 5. Low drone notes

One of the most effective-sounding examples here is the low drone idea. The notes of a second inversion B minor chord (ie 5th in the bass;  F# note being the lowest note for a Bm chord) are layered up. The final low D note is not played and is the product of a pitch-shifter in the looper pedal.

Example 6. Clusters

This final example is the product of layering up the various chords we have learned so far. Fabio improvises which chords are recorded in the looper and which chords are played over the top. To keep things simple, we have only notated the chords as seen in the video performance.