The "whammy
bar" goes by many other names as well: wham
bar,
wang bar, vibrato tailpiece, tremolo arm, Floyd, etc. (Although "Floyd" properly refers only to the "Locking Tremolo System" designed by Floyd
Rose). The names come from manufacturers or from users.
Although some refer to this device as a "tremolo bar" or a "tremolo arm", the use of the word "tremolo" is misplaced. Tremolo refers to volume modulation. The term was originally used for instruments of the violin family. If a violinist's (or violist's or cellist's or bassist's)
score is marked "tremolo", it means the
player will rapidly move the bow back and forth across the string, resulting in a "trembling" sound.
"Vibrato", by contrast, is pitch modulation. Returning to the violin family: watch a violinist's left
hand wiggle quickly while holding down a string. By moving her
hand this way, the violinist is constantly and subtlely changing the pitch of the string. This makes the sound of the string very "wide" and "alive" -- more "vibrant."
The wham bar on the
guitar changes the pitch of the gutar's strings. Therefore, it's properly referred to as a "vibrato" device, not a "tremolo" device.
You can use the whammy
bar for anything from a subtle vibrato to a full on crazed dive
bomb.
Is that finger vibrato, or is he using the whammy
bar?
