Wah-wah
Encyclopedia
Wah-wah is an imitative word (or onomatopoeia) for the sound of altering the resonance of musical notes to extend expressiveness, sounding much like a human voice saying the syllable wah. The wah-wah effect is a spectral glide
, a "modification of the vowel quality of a tone" (Erickson 1975, p.72). Although this effect is thought of almost exclusively as the electric guitar wah-wah pedal
, it is also used in other contexts, listed here.
's wah-wah pedal
, the sound is much older, having been significantly developed by trumpet
and trombone
players using mute
s in the early days of jazz
.
Joe "King" Oliver recorded "Wawawa" in the '20s
. Bubber Miley, Cootie Williams
, trumpeters, and Tricky Sam Nanton
, trombonist, of the Duke Ellington Orchestra
pioneered in using plunger mutes ("plumber's helper
") to create wah-wah sounds.
The effect was used in the '30s
on "Sugar Blues
" by commercial Dixieland
trumpeter Clyde McCoy
, who built a long career around the sound, and even today has a popular wah-wah pedal by Vox
named after him. "The Fat Man"
, the first hit by Fats Domino
, features Fats singing vocal trumpet wah-wah. Another New Orleans singer, Chuck Carbo
frequently performs vocal wah-wah. "Tuxedo Junction
," a signature tune for the Glenn Miller Orchestra
, uses the effect prominently in its trombone parts.
Karlheinz Stockhausen
notates the use of the wah-wah mute in his Punkte
(1952/1962) in terms of transitions between open to close using open and closed circles connected by a line (Erickson 1975, p.73).
The animated Peanuts
film and television specials used a trombone with a plunger mute to stand in for the voices of adults, who were always off-screen when they spoke.
, wah-wah effects are easy to produce by controlling any number of filter types with a modulation envelope.
Wah-wah effects can also be achieved by using a vocoder
to modulate an instrument sound, and speaking "wah-wah" into the modulation control input of the vocoder. The vocoder then impresses the formant
s of the spoken sound into the musical sound.
Spectral glide
A spectral glide is a "modification of the vowel quality of a tone" . Since the vowel quality of a tone is determined by the overtones, spectrum, or timbre of that tone, a spectral glide is a move from one spectrum characteristic of a vowel to another...
, a "modification of the vowel quality of a tone" (Erickson 1975, p.72). Although this effect is thought of almost exclusively as the electric guitar wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
, it is also used in other contexts, listed here.
Wah-wah in trumpet and trombone playing
Although perhaps best known from the electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
's wah-wah pedal
Wah-wah pedal
A wah-wah pedal is a type of guitar effects pedal that alters the tone of the signal to create a distinctive effect, mimicking the human voice...
, the sound is much older, having been significantly developed by trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
players using mute
Mute (music)
A mute is a device fitted to a musical instrument to alter the sound produced: by affecting the timbre, reducing the volume, or most commonly both.- Musical directions for muting :...
s in the early days of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Joe "King" Oliver recorded "Wawawa" in the '20s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
. Bubber Miley, Cootie Williams
Cootie Williams
Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter.-Biography:...
, trumpeters, and Tricky Sam Nanton
Tricky Sam Nanton
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton was a famous trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra.-Early life:Nanton was born in New York City and began playing professionally in Washington with bands led by Cliff Jackson and Elmer Snowden. He joined Ellington in 1926.From 1923 to 1924, he worked with Frazier's...
, trombonist, of the Duke Ellington Orchestra
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
pioneered in using plunger mutes ("plumber's helper
Plunger
A plunger is a common device that is used to release stoppages in plumbing. The tool consists of a rubber cup with an attached stick "shaft", usually made of wood or bronze. Before use, any objects such as hair in the plug grate should be removed and, if possible the overflow hole should be...
") to create wah-wah sounds.
The effect was used in the '30s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
on "Sugar Blues
Sugar Blues (song)
Sugar Blues is a song that became popular by Clyde McCoy featuring the sound of the growling wah-wah mute. He recorded it no less than four times. It became his trademark song. It was written in 1920 by Clarence Williams and recorded for the first time by Leona Williams and her Dixie Band in 1922....
" by commercial Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
trumpeter Clyde McCoy
Clyde McCoy
Clyde McCoy , was a jazz trumpet player whose popularity spanned seven decades. He is best remembered for his theme song, "Sugar Blues", written by Clarence Williams and Lucy Fletcher...
, who built a long career around the sound, and even today has a popular wah-wah pedal by Vox
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
named after him. "The Fat Man"
The Fat Man (song)
"The Fat Man" is a rhythm and blues song co-written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew and recorded by Fats Domino. It is considered to be one of the first rock and roll records.-History:...
, the first hit by Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, features Fats singing vocal trumpet wah-wah. Another New Orleans singer, Chuck Carbo
Chuck Carbo
Hayward "Chuck" Carbo was an American R&B singer , best known for his time as a vocalist in the New Orleans group The Spiders.Carbo sang with his brother, Leonard "Chick" Carbo, in The Spiders, who recorded for Imperial Records in the 1950s and scored a string of hits on the U.S. Black Singles chart...
frequently performs vocal wah-wah. "Tuxedo Junction
Tuxedo Junction
"Tuxedo Junction" is a song co-written by Birmingham, Alabama composer Erskine Hawkins and saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson. Julian Dash is also credited for the music. The song was introduced by Hawkins's orchestra. Lyrics were by Buddy Feyne...
," a signature tune for the Glenn Miller Orchestra
Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Glenn Miller Orchestra was originally formed in 1938 by Glenn Miller. It was arranged around a clarinet and tenor saxophone playing melody, while three other saxophones played the harmony...
, uses the effect prominently in its trombone parts.
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
notates the use of the wah-wah mute in his Punkte
Punkte
Punkte is an orchestral composition by Karlheinz Stockhausen, given the work number ½ in his catalogue of works.-History:Punkte originated as a punctual orchestral work which was begun in September in Hamburg and had reached a first-draft stage by 30 September...
(1952/1962) in terms of transitions between open to close using open and closed circles connected by a line (Erickson 1975, p.73).
The animated Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
film and television specials used a trombone with a plunger mute to stand in for the voices of adults, who were always off-screen when they spoke.
Wah-wah in electronic music
In electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, wah-wah effects are easy to produce by controlling any number of filter types with a modulation envelope.
Wah-wah effects can also be achieved by using a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
to modulate an instrument sound, and speaking "wah-wah" into the modulation control input of the vocoder. The vocoder then impresses the formant
Formant
Formants are defined by Gunnar Fant as 'the spectral peaks of the sound spectrum |P|' of the voice. In speech science and phonetics, formant is also used to mean an acoustic resonance of the human vocal tract...
s of the spoken sound into the musical sound.
Source
- Erickson, Robert (1975). Sound Structure in Music. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-02376-5.