Help me cry.....wah technique

[BloodRose]

I need help.. I CANT get a decent sound using a Wah.. I had a bad horsie and never could get anything resembling classic wah sounds. I then found out that the BH is kinda a unique creature.. So, I bought a VOX 847 and still cant get a traditional wocka wocka.. Can anyone give me some pointers??

thanks

 

[these_go211]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

sorry i can't help. just wanted to say i'm very interested in this thread too. been trying to work on wah technique as well. let's hear it guys.

 

[GoDrex]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

uh... you step on the pedal - make the switch go "click" and then you move your foot back and forth... make sure it's plugged in the right way and the battery is good - it's not rocket surgery.

oh yeah - forward is more trebly - - back is bass-ier

seriously though

to me the "wocka wocka" sound comes from hitting the strings without really playing a note - just muting it or holding the strings and moving the pedal

try synch'ing up your picking and your foot motion

try using it as a sweep - moving the pedal very slowly as you play


if we could hear what you were doing maybe we could help more

here's something a I did a while ago that features the wah wah - - yeah it's cheesy:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6185321

other tracks with wah wah:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6196576

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6216726

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6194058

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

to me the "wocka wocka" sound comes from hitting the strings without really playing a note - just muting it or holding the strings and moving the pedal

try synch'ing up your picking and your foot motion

try using it as a sweep - moving the pedal very slowly as you play

The sweep thing is great for triplets way up the neck. Follow them up with a big bend at the high point of the wah's tone, then switch to the syncro picking/wahing thing afterwards. Killer.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

The sweep thing is great for triplets way up the neck. Follow them up with a big bend at the high point of the wah's tone, then switch to the syncro picking/wahing thing afterwards. Killer.

+1

I do this all the time. Any time you're trying to build some excitement slowly start to toe up as you're playing notes higher and higher . . . wah usage is just one of those things where you have to play around with it until you do it without thinking.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

uh... you step on the pedal - make the switch go "click" and then you move your foot back and forth... make sure it's plugged in the right way and the battery is good - it's not rocket surgery.

oh yeah - forward is more trebly - - back is bass-ier

seriously though

to me the "wocka wocka" sound comes from hitting the strings without really playing a note - just muting it or holding the strings and moving the pedal

try synch'ing up your picking and your foot motion

try using it as a sweep - moving the pedal very slowly as you play


if we could hear what you were doing maybe we could help more

here's something a I did a while ago that features the wah wah - - yeah it's cheesy:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6185321

other tracks with wah wah:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6196576

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6216726

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=795734&songID=6194058

I know how to turn it on, and where the treble and bass is. Im just not getting very musical response.. I know its just technique, but I tried for several hours and only got frustrated.. haha

 

[GoDrex]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

Yeah I was just messing around. If I knew what you were doing it might be easier to give you some tips.

Are you using any other effects? I'd make sure the wah was first in line.

 

[Guitar-Sam]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

The way I use it is to accent my stretchs,sweeping from bass to treble as I stretch a note.It accents the stretch making it go waaaaaaahhhhhh in a screaming sorta way.I mainly hold it in a mid sweep position rocking it slightly as I play and sweep it to toe down when I stretch.
You can sweep it also slowly rocking from bass to treble back and forth.Sometimes this works during fast playing I'll rock it from mid sweep to treble and back,I usually don't go to full heel down as it gets to bassy.
Going from full heel down to toe down makes the most "wah" sound so sometimes I will do that if I need the most "wah" for the buck.
What you need though is a little Hendrix 101,listen to a few Hendrix records he is the true master of the wah.
Personally I never liked the sound of rocking a wah to the beat.The wah is a active midrange tone control,so I like to us it more to accent what I'm playing than use it as an out and out effect.

 

[GoDrex]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

Personally I never liked the sound of rocking a wah to the beat.The wah is a active midrange tone control,so I like to us it more to accent what I'm playing than use it as an out and out effect.

 

[Guitar-Sam]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

Frank Zappa is another master of the wah.
Slash and Jerry Cantrell are also decent wah users.
Kirk Hammet on the other hand annoys me....................no offense to any fans.

 

[Guitar-Sam]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

Frank Zappa is another master of the wah.And clapton also.
Slash and Jerry Cantrell are also decent wah users.
Kirk Hammet on the other hand annoys me....................no offense to any fans.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

EDIT-sometimes speaking my mind is a bad thing- edited for more friendliness

My advice:

For classic- emulate Jimi Hendrix

For classic but with an arrogant twist- emulate Brian Robertson

For someone who thinks outside of the box, listen to anything Michael Schenker did from Lonesome Crow through Built to Destroy.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

Black Sabbath -
A National Acrobat, beginning at 2:16
Electric Funeral main riff
Supernaut (very subtle effect)


Also try to mimic Joe Walsh's Talkbox on Rocky Mountain Way


Just like everything else, you have to have something you're going for to practice the technique. If all you want is classic 70s porn "chicka wow wow", get some old 70s songs like the Shaft theme.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Help me cry.....wah technique

i found that for me, it's all about riding the middle of the range. the 'still-a-bit-dark' through 'wah-cracked-halfway' to being mostly treble is the useful range for me; i rarely use full bass or treble.
keep it slow, keep it controlled and don't go to extremes... kinda like buttsecks