User Guide

Player’s Guide
page 5
Controlling Harmonics
In the harmonic mode, the EBow adds harmonics to every
note you play up to the higher registers, where it increases
the EBow sustain range.
In the standard mode, harmonics can be achieved by sus-
taining notes ngered near the nut, the rst 5 frets or so, on
the E, A, D and G strings. As the EBow is moved away from
the pickup and toward the bridge, the string tends to vibrate
with more of its upper harmonics. Bends and vibrato help
get the harmonics started and add color to the sound.
To avoid harmonics, don’t nger notes near the nut of the
guitar. Or, mufe the string slightly with your right palm,
behind the EBow, near the bridge.
Moving from String to String
The EBow slides from string to string and aligns itself over
each string as you cross. No need to force it or visually line
it up. Just get the EBow
close and let the Guide-
Grooves slip into place.
Steady your wrist and use
arm movement to help
keep the EBow in line with
the strings. You don’t need
to lift the EBow, just relax
the pressure and lightly
push it to the next string.
Stay near the pickup for a
strong signal with minimal
noise from the EBow rub-
bing across the strings.
Tilt the EBow and release pressure on the low strings.
Press the EBow and tap the fretboard harder on the high
strings. This should give you an even response as you play
across the strings.
Try gripping the base of the EBow with just your thumb and
forenger. This makes it feel more like a pick and makes
skipping over strings easier.
Balancing Volume When Mixing Techniques
For an even volume response when mixing EBow tech-
niques, back away from the HotSpot for sustain, get closer
for spiccato, and always hold the EBow directly over the
HotSpot for cross-string bowing effects (see next section).
This will keep the volume of these techniques about the
same and close to your picking volume.
Cross-String Bowing
These effects are much quieter than sustaining over the
HotSpot. If you’ve lowered your volume, you’ll need to bring
it back up to your normal picking volume. Also, return your
tone setting to normal if you’ve cut the highs.
When bowing across the strings directly over the HotSpot,
each string is amplied instantly as the EBow passes over
it. Steady your wrist and use arm movement to move the
EBow across the strings in a straight line, staying over the
HotSpot. Cross quickly. Don’t wait for one string to sustain
before moving to the next. Keep a constant slight pressure
on the EBow against the strings as you cross. Each string
sounds as loud as if you’d picked it. Be sure to keep the
GuideGrooves properly aligned with each string and let the
foot of the EBow lightly graze or rub across the plane of
the strings. The lighter you apply the EBow, the softer the
sound. Press harder for more volume. To stop cross-string
bowing, simply lift the EBow from the strings.
For an even volume response, play away from the pickup
when sustaining, and play over the pickup when cross-
string bowing.
Pedal-Tone
Bow back and forth between
two strings, leaving the lower
string open, while playing a
melody on the higher string.
Or, leave the high string
open and play a melody on
the lower string.
Arpeggios
For an arpeggio (a chord played as successive notes), hold
a chord with the left hand as you bow the EBow across the
strings in a straight line over the HotSpot. Keep your wrist
steady and use arm movement. Don’t wait for each string to
swell into sustain.
Tremolando
For this effect, use a strum-
ming-like wrist action (which is
much faster than arm move-
ment) to bow back and forth
between two strings rapidly.
This also works great over one
string, while muting the adja-
cent strings.
Note: Though the highest notes on the high E string (above
the 17th fret or so) may not sustain, you can play spiccato,