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 Glossary Wah-Wah Pedal Originally, in the late 1960s, the wah-wah was a specialised foot pedal, similar in shape and appearance to a volume pedal. By rocking the pedal up and down whilst playing, the mid to upper frequencies are fluctuated creating a human-like 'talking' effect – as its name implies. The wah-wah pedal is particularly associated with 70s and 80s funk - listen to Isaac Hayes' theme-song from Shaft. Whammy bar (also known as a tremolo bar) A sprung lever on the body of an electric guitar, which slackens the strings for pitch effect. Listen to Jimi Hendrix’s "Star-Spangled Banner" for a defining example. Woodwind Woodwind instruments produce sound when air is blown through them. Air might be blown across an edge, as with a flute, between a reed and a surface, as with a clarinet, or between two reeds bound together, as with a bassoon. The sound is produced by the vibration of air inside the instrument. Woodwind instruments include flute, piccolo, clarinet, recorder, bassoon, and oboe. The duck-billed platypus of the instrument family, the saxophone is technically considered a woodwind instrument even though it is made of brass, because it is sounded using a reed rather than a mouthpiece. |
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