Whammy Harmonics on a New Floyd Rose Tremolo

Out With the Old, In With the New: Whammy Harmonics on a New Floyd Rose Tremolo

If you caught my previous video, you know I was feeling a bit nervous about fitting my new Gotoh Floyd Rose-style tremolo into the slot where my old Flo R Special used to be. But guess what? It worked! Not only did I get it installed, but there’s even a bit of space left, which means I can close the guitar without any issues. Super exciting!

To celebrate this win, I thought I’d show you a fun technique that really takes advantage of having a Floyd Rose tremolo: whammy harmonics. If you’ve got a Floyd Rose-style bridge, you know the joys of using the whammy bar to bend your pitch. But adding harmonics into the mix can elevate your sound to the next level. Here's how to pull it off!

What Are Whammy Harmonics?
Whammy harmonics involve pre-bending the string with the whammy bar, which is a lot of fun if you’re using a Floyd Rose-style bridge. To make these harmonics sound great, you really need to master a technique called the whip harmonic. This is key to getting the right sound while controlling both the tremolo and harmonics at the same time.

Getting the Basic Harmonic Sound
Before you try combining the whammy bar and harmonics, you need to get comfortable with producing regular harmonics. I’d recommend starting with a basic harmonic, especially on the seventh fret of the G string. Position your finger right over the fret wire, and lightly touch the string while picking it to produce the harmonic sound.

Once you can make a clean harmonic, you can start adding the whip technique. This means you’ll be “whipping” the string with your left hand, almost like a flicking motion. The important part here is that you don’t push the string down to the fretboard—you're only lightly striking the string and letting it pop back up, which will give you that clean harmonic sound.

The Whip Harmonic Technique
Here’s where things get interesting. To produce the whip harmonic, you’re not hitting the string to make it touch the fret wire. Instead, you’re striking the string in a very relaxed, loose manner, as if you were using a whip. You need to strike the string hard enough to get the harmonic but without pushing it down into the fret wire.

Now that you have the basic whip harmonic down, it’s time to add in the tremolo. Push down on the whammy bar while you’re producing the harmonic. As the pitch rises from the tremolo, you’ll hear that iconic rising harmonic sound.

The Big Picture
In summary, here's the process:

• Get the basic harmonic: Practice regular harmonics first on the seventh fret of the G string.
• Learn the whip harmonic: Strike the string with a flicking motion, letting go of any finger pressure so the string doesn’t touch the fretboard.
• Add the whammy bar: Before you’re creating the harmonic, push down on the whammy bar to achieve that rising pitch sound.

Once you’ve nailed these steps, you’ll be able to effortlessly create whammy harmonics and add some serious flair to your playing. It’s a fun way to spice up your solos and really make the most of that Floyd Rose tremolo!

Good luck with your whammy harmonics, and I hope this helps you unlock some new sounds. 

--Kris