# Wacka-wacka **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455 "2001-08-28T02:10:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/1 "2001-08-28T02:10:53Z")
How did they produce that “wacka-wacka” sound of the 1970’s esp. present in many disco-type songs? - Jinx “Travolta” ---
**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/2 "2001-08-28T02:16:31Z")
I think Fozzie Bear provided that sound. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/3 "2001-08-28T02:21:20Z")
> [@](#): > > How is computer equipment different in England? They use a Double Decker Bus! Wocka wocka wocka! Wait a minute-I don’t think I get that one. by **Fozzie Bear** [Jim Henson](http://www.muppets.com/fozzie/fozzie.htm) YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/4 "2001-08-28T02:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gtzaskar00 \* > \*\*I think Fozzie Bear provided that sound. \*\* Or maybe it was a [Wah Wah Pedal](http://www.voxamps.co.uk/products/pedals/wahwah.htm). The world may never know. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/5 "2001-08-28T02:25:32Z")
“Morons! I got morons on m’team!” - Scrooge McDuck But, seriously folks… surely someone knows the “wacka wacka” sound of the 1970’s. You might recall the theme from SWAT as an example, in the background. To think - some studio musician got paid big bucks to play with their “wacka”! Bring back “Disco Duck”! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/6 "2001-08-28T02:42:32Z")
ON a serious note, is [this](http://www.classic-tv.com/themesongs/midis/) your song? YOu have to remember, I am old and this doesn’t mean sh\*t to me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shiva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shiva)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/7 "2001-08-28T02:47:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Jinx \* > [Bsurely someone knows the “wacka wacka” sound of the 1970’s._\* I already answered your question. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/8 "2001-08-28T02:51:28Z")
You mean like the theme from Shaft? Then Shiva bestowed enlightenment: it was the Wah-wah pedal. whenever a heroic character was about to do something decisive in a 1970’s Blackspoitation flick, you’d hear this sound. (If it was a 1980’s Teen Sex comedy, this same moment in the plot would be signaled with the “DO-do-do-do DO!” of the drum synthesyzer.) ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/9 "2001-08-28T03:01:58Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*ON a serious note, is [this](http://www.classic-tv.com/themesongs/midis/) your song? YOu have to remember, I am old and this doesn’t mean sh_t to me. 😉 \*\* What the heck is with some of those songs? They’re not the originals. The Leave it to Beaver theme sounds like the background music for an old Atari game.😛 ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/10 "2001-08-28T03:10:44Z")
I think that with all the Napster, et al, going on, we will not be able to access original music any more. Hey, whadda you want. My other choice was **Arnold** whistling the theme! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/11 "2001-08-28T21:41:38Z")
'Scuse me while I start up my wheezing old brain. Ahem. The wackawacka effect in ancient disco tracks, right? Start with a Fender Stratocaster set on the bridge-and-middle pickup position.Don’t touch the trem bar, but the springs are essential to this sound. Run it through a wah pedal. A Dunlop Cry Baby will do nicely, but a Copy Cat was popular for that effect. Fret a chord near the body of the guitar. (Which chord? I dunno.) Wiggle the pedal near the bottom of its stroke while strumming quick chords, muting each stroke with the heel of your pick hand. You’ll learn to do the yelps and gulps that were the meat of wacka wacka. ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/12 "2001-08-28T21:55:56Z")
and now you can play the guitar. ain’t that nifty? if you want to hear some modernized “wacka wacka” dope shit, check out the latest Incubus CD (Make Yourself), cause they’ve got some sweet turntable action on top of a nice modern jazz beat with drums and guitar. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/13 "2001-08-28T23:37:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gtzaskar00 \* > \*\*I think Fozzie Bear provided that sound. \*\* Or Pac-Man. I think it might have been Pac-Man [hijack]Now that’s interesting. **gtzaskar00** and I have the same quote as our signature-just a different translation. I don’t know why I’m pointing this out. It’s a good quote, though-it’s my motto. ---
**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/14 "2001-08-29T01:51:13Z")
Obviously my original post was a joke. The wahwah pedal can produce that sound perfectly. I didn’t realize what sound was being refered to until someone mentioned the theme from Shaft. I reproduced that sound with a wahwah pedal, but did not need a Strat or any other guitar. In fact, we used a Zoom drum machine, and turned the beat frequency as fast as possible, fed the drum machine into the pedal, and then into the board. Holding the drum pad down, and pushing the pedal as quick as we wanted, we produced that very sound. We hadn’t set out to do so, but we did it. As far as the quote, Mobo, really cool. Great words to live by. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/15 "2001-08-29T02:05:13Z")
My post was a joke too. The sound Pac-Man makes is usually described in print as “wakka-wakka.” “Wacka-Wacka” sounds similar to both “Wakka-wakka” and “wocka wocka.” ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/16 "2001-08-29T02:34:47Z")
I think SOMEBODY wants to make some retro porn! ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wacka-wacka/78455/17 "2001-08-29T16:59:28Z")
Combination of using a wah pedal on the guitar and also muting the strings so that they don’t ring but make the atonal percussive sound.