Whammy Bar Tricks with Dream Theater's John Petrucci

We recently found this video by the gang at Reverb.com, in which Dream Theater guitarist—and certified shred master—John Petrucci gives an inside look at his technical and creative approach to the whammy bar.

“Whammy bar technique is one of those ways you can make the guitar sound bad,” Petrucci says in the clip.

Petrucci demos a variety of approaches to incorporating unique whammy methods into your playing: creating “the Horse” whinny made famous by Eddie Van Halen; Allan Holdsworth’s approach of using the system to slide into notes; and even more avant-garde techniques, like some of Petrucci’s own tricks.

Petrucci also demonstrates "the Satch method" and more—and offers plenty of helpful tips and guidelines.