using the bar - help me please

[caprile]

hey! last xmas i got my first edge ibanez, so now i can use the bar. i think i can play pretty good, but the thing is i never used a bar before, so now when i try (yes, to copy SSV!) it sounds like play-stop to grab the bar-continue playing. any tips? i tried to play while holding the bar a la steve but i move the thing. also i would like to learn other things vai doesn't do with the trem (there must be some!) thanks

[ripl3y]

I also find holding the bar whilst playing a little difficult.
What I do it make sure the bushings are tight so you can position the bar wherever you want and learn to play with your pinky extended so it can grab hold of the bar anytime you need it.

As for some basic tricks...

Try things like diving way down then hitting a natural harmomic and bringing the bar back up to create a cool rising effect.

Hit the bar quickly (downwards) with the outside edge of you hand for that Satch effect, works especially well when trilling or pulling off/hammering on.

Dive, then bring up as you slide up/down to another note on the neck.

Pull up on the bar with a "flicking motion" to give you that "Gargle" sound. (Vai apporaches this differently, by turning the bar backwards and flicking down on it.

There's lots more.....just experiment, it's great fun to find out things on your own.

Steve

[davester1234]

one cool trick. play a note, any note, say, low g. *Slowly move the finger playing that note up the fret board, while dropping the whammy bar at the same time. *so, pitch on the fret board is increasing, while the whammy is lowering the pitch. *Makes for a really cool growl sound, if you can sync the two techniques together.
In the end, when u do them both at the same time, the pitch of the note stays almost the same: sounds like a suffering animal. *turn the distortion up!

Also, if u face the whammy to the outside of the guitar, over to your far right, and just tap it towards the body of the guitar each time u play a note (i like using notes from harmonic minor), u can sound real freaky! *TAp the bar down with each note very lightly, sounds like an east-indian type of tone. *Really cool, vai does it all the time.

[sixstringphoenix]

Provided your bar is stationary, give it a good whack while sustaining a note. If hit hard enough, it will vibrate fast enough to cause a "flutter;" this should sound familiar.

-Justin

[yurich]

technique will come, what you need to work on is the feel. I think I saw this in Vai's lessons too: try doing a scale but use the bar to move from note to note. that way you'll know just how much you need to pull up or dive to hit certain notes, and use the bar in your solos. I'm not quite there yet myself, but it really does help. try it

[caprile]

well thanks for the tips! i can now play that attitude song bit when *you hit the harmonic on the 5th fret in the g string. also i can play the second 'verse' of the ultra zone which is articulated only with the bar.
the edge is incredible! hours wanking the bar and just some subtle touches to the fine tuners.
the other thing is your typical b string bend while playing the high e on the same fret, which detunes the high e. i've noticed vai correcting this with the bar (FTLOG in the G3 dvd), so that's my next goal.