A guitar whip is the action of swinging your guitar around your back while attached to your strap. It’s a somewhat dangerous move, but it really gets a crowd pumped to see such impressive tricks on stage.
As much as these tricks are amazing to witness, there’s a large chance you can damage your instrument if you don’t execute them effectively. Check out these 6 important tips to improve your ability to do guitar whips safely.
1. Install a strap lock on your guitar.
When guitarists started doing these crazy tricks on stage, their guitars were constantly popping the strap pegs out of their wood bodies from the pressures that were exerted. Now, you can purchase easy-to-install strap lock systems for your guitar so you have a reinforced connection between your strap and your guitar.
2. Start by practicing outside.
If it’s your first time attempting a guitar whip, there’s a chance that you’ll be hitting more than air on your first try. Be safe and take your moves outside so even if something goes wrong, you’ll have soft grass to catch your precious instrument.
3. Stand up straight with good posture.
Guitarists who slouch when they’re performing a guitar trick like this might find their guitar necks drilling right into the floor on the way around. Stand up nice and tall to ensure that your guitar makes a full rotation without planting into the dirt.
4. Use sense when deciding which direction to swing.
Lighter guitars have the option of swinging in either direction due to their weight, but heavier guitars should only go down and across the front. Use the weight of a heavier guitar to lead the guitar whip and there will be a better chance that it makes it all the way around.
5. Watch your head.
If you’re swinging your guitar behind your back first, you have nothing to worry about, but the opposite direction gets tricky. When you swing across your front first, there’s a chance it might come around and nail you in the skull, so keep your head down!
6. Be mindful of your surroundings.
There’s nothing worse than pulling off a guitar whip only to find that you’re too close to something or someone until it’s too late. Always check that you’re swinging path is clear before you go into action.
Guitar whips are a pretty dangerous trick to pull off on stage, but they still can be executed logically and safely. Remember these tips the next time you try this trick and start getting the attention of your stubborn fans.
Kyle Hoffman is an experienced guitarist that loves to play just as a hobby, and to perform live on stage. To learn Kyle’s valuable tips for beginning the guitar the RIGHT way, visit How To Guitar Play as part of his popular guitar blog, How To Guitar Tune
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