How To Use A Wah Pedal

The wah-wah pedal is a staple of any great guitarist’s pedal board. From Hendrix to Clapton, Zakk Wylde to Joe Satriani, all the greats have used wah pedals extensively to get their sound, and add emotion and intensity to their lead and rhythm guitar playing.

Could you image the intro to Voodoo Child (or Voodoo Chile for the purists out there!) played without a wah pedal? No, me either. And I don’t want to  It’s an iconic sound, and one that has been used for decades to make some timeless classic songs sound the way they do.

Whether you are playing clean or dirty, rhythm or lead guitar, there is a place to use a wah pedal.

Although the wah pedal is, in it’s most basic form, just a simple tone control, wah pedals are capable of so much more than turning the treble up and down on your sound. They can add a huge amount of expression and emotion to your playing, make your lead parts cut through a mix, or even make it sound like your guitar is talking to you 

In this video lesson I show you a variety of ways to use your wah pedal, for both rhythm and lead guitar playing. We cover the basics of how a wah pedal works, how to use one, and some of the more interesting sounds you can get out of one.

As with all guitar effects pedals, using the wah comes down to experimenting and trying things out! Take the examples in this video and try them out for yourself, and then make some ways to get your own unique sound from your wah pedal.

And don’t be afraid to show off your ‘wah face’! It’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that your mouth will want to copy the sound that your wah pedal is making. And it’s OK to do that