Whamola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Whamola is a unique bass instrument used in Funk-Jazz styles of music.
A direct descendant of the washtub bass, an American folk instruments popular with skiffle and jug bands, and its European alternative the tea chest bass, the Whamola consists of a double-bass style neck with a pully-and-lever system and a single string, all mounted onto a square metal tube on a stand. It is played by hitting the string with a drum stick and either fretting the string with the other hand or altering the string's tension using the pully-and-lever system to change the pitch.
The Whamola has gained mass exposure and growing popularity in recent years due to its being played by contemporary bassists such as Les Claypool and John Myung. The Whamola is also featured in the opening song of the tenth season of South Park. However, since the Whamola is not considered a mainstream instrument they are extremely rare, and many Whamolas in existence have been hand made by their end users, as opposed to professional luthiers.
"Whamola" is also the title of a song featuring the instrument on Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade's 2002 album Purple Onion. There is also a "Drum and Whamola Jam" included as a chapter on the 2004 Primus live DVD Hallucino-Genetics.
[edit] External Link
- The Whamola Project by Kevin Barnett
- Brin Levinson's page on Yessy a craftsman who is building Whamolas
