The difference between Rick and me: Rick listens to Eruption for the first time and says 'that's a B flat Major chord but that interval is too wide to be fingered, what's happening?" Me hearing eruption for the first time: 'Whoa, that's fast!'
Well, you might be right but might not, playing his music is a hell of a challenge.. even the next generation will need to confront this. They will appreciate
And all that "Running with the devil" seems "liberating" when you are young , but when you approach death REALITY HITS YOU IN THE FACE, and it isn't that much fun anymore....Besides classical and flamenco guitarists had been doing smaller versions of the so called " Van Halen effect" decades before rock guitarists did And to call these rock guitarists virtuousi is really stretching it . No wonder Pete Townsend smashed his electric guitar more than once, and Hendrix burned his....have they just heard Sabicas playing ...?
Eddie designed guitars, effects, and amplifiers. He was a brilliant guitar player and fantastic song writer. Arguably the most important guitar player in history. IMO.
Yes he was. He also was an innovator who came up with a guitar sound no one had ever heard before along with the flashy playing and great song writing. He didn't ever use a stomp box it was just how he overdrove a Marshall with a variac which no one else had done before. He said he even made a mistake in Eruption and I've always wondered where? What mistake?
I was just thinking that. So many highly technical guitarists are very boring songwriters. I like Govan, but a lot of his stuff is musically uninteresting, just technically dazzling.
@@IGotSoupProductions Well, the thing is Van Halen wasn't that technical, nor was he especially 'skilled' (kinda sloppy, really). Most beginners quickly develop the technical skills to play most Van Halen stuff. But, you can play all the right notes, in the right place and it will be unrecognizable. What he had was expression; the timing and accents. When he did become more technically proficient, is when Van Halen started getting boring and predictable.
@@springbloom5940 It sounds like you have a somewhat narrow view of skill and technique. You talk about expression, timing, and accents, then say he's sloppy. However, that type of rock music is supposed to be played dirtier and more percussive. It's not a matter of being unable to play it clean, it's a stylistic choice and a more purposeful nuance. That's sort of the difference between those classic rock era guitar icons and today's guitarists. Yeah, you could argue that today's guitarists can play faster and cleaner, but they have low quality musicianship, aren't very creative, and lack any distinguishing qualities that anyone besides other technique junkies would want to hear.
The problem with being a virtuosic guitarist is that, at the end of the day, it has to be backed up by good song composition for it to appeal to anyone beyond hardcore musicians. That goes for any instrument. People really do forget that Van Halen, at their core, were actually writing really catchy pop songs. Ed’s virtuosity and high gain tone was just icing on the cake. I’m not even a Van Halen fan aside from a handful and of songs, but there’s a very strong lesson to be learned from that.
Parsons Turbine true, except for some "niche guitar shred fanbase" no one buys a record for guitar shredding only... Writing a good song is so much more important.
Correct- I agree. Take Eric Johnson for example. Apart from Cliffs of Dover, almost his entire music catalog is instantly forgettable poor compositions. No matter how musically complex a song or arrangement is, it still needs to move people to be interested in it. Yes he has fantastic tone, yes he is a phenomenal guitar player but he has virtually no aural vehicles in which to drive this talent. A criminal waste of talent in my opinion and I think he has severely under played his hand on the world's stage by remaining solo for most of his career. He should have joined forces with a great songwriter/tunesmith. Sadly, one of many.
You have a great point. One of my favorite guitar virtuosos is Takayoshi Ohmura. One of the most technically proficient guitarists in the world without question. Yet his songs are fundamentally very simple, catchy and memorable. Take away the solos and you still remember the songs. His album “Emotions in Motion”, if it had come out in the 80s instead of 2007, would have been a hit for sure.
This absolutely. To quote Billy Corgan "The downfall of the Yngwie Malmsteen school of guitar playing, which focuses almost solely on technical proficiency, has occurred because ultimately, no one really gives two shits about guitar playing in and of itself, except maybe other guitar players." Van Halen was awesome because it was guitar playing nobody had ever heard before COMBINED with great songwriting. Without the great song to go with the technical playing, it will never be mainstream.
Eddie's genius lied on his rhythm playing, not solo. I'm a big VH fan, and it's so not because of the solos. Just listen to Top Jimmy's rhythm section, it's fucking stellar, and he has that genius smeared all over his work
My thoughts: There's more that goes into being a rock and roll star/legend than simply being a skilled guitarist or even a virtuoso. There is a charisma that is absolutely part of the package. A confidence, a way that an individual carries themselves and displays their talent/art. That may also come from the rest of the band. Eddie alone was not the sole source of success for his band and his songs. It was the combined charisma of the whole act. The insanity of David Lee Roth swinging, literally from the rafters, over a crowd of thousands of screaming fans with no harness as he says, "I've been to the edge! I stood and looked down..." It's beyond captivating. But what keeps them in their place of legendary status is that they have the music to both sustain and justify their existence in the all time hall of fame. Eddie literally altered the face of the world of music. So, I would say that even though we have an endless pipeline of insanely talented musicians showcasing their music around the world via the internet, we do not have the charisma of the stars that once captivated the gaze and the imagination of the earth. Or at least, if we do, it is hiding in secret, in somebody's run down basement. And they're practicing 12 hours a day with bleeding fingers and a hungry heart, just waiting for the planets to align so that they may emerge to become that juke box hero and save the global music scene from its mundane and uninspired self.
that's an awfully long paragraph just to say what everyone knows... obviously charisma has always been more important than talent. if skill level determined fame, then every famous guitarist would be as competent as Van Halen or Steve Vai... but clearly, for every one famous guitarist virtuoso, there's at least several others whose skill level doesn't rise above power chords. marketing and branding virtually always trumps talent.
I got to see Van Halen a lot in the early days. In late '77, I saw them open for Black Sabbath at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and it was as if aliens had landed. I never heard guitar playing, songwriting, background vocals, and a tongue and cheek humor that redefined an era in rock music. It was exhilarating to see. The second record came out pretty quick after the first, and they were back again, and now his playing had the tapped harmonics. They had a 2 hr show to stretch out with, the guitar solo was now a half-hour of Eddie stretching out and playing the intros to songs that had not been released yet. I saw all 6 of the Roth tours and 2 of the Sammy tours, including the "Live Without A Net", shows in New Haven CT. I highly recommend that DVD, Eddie really goes wild for over 2 hrs. It was an exhilarating show. Rather than mourn too much, I choose to celebrate his life and his music. He had a long career filled with wonderful music. His songwriting was just incredible. RIP EVH, Long Live EVH.
It's true. They were able to goof off and still put out really. good. songs. Such a weird juxtaposition. And as for underrated bassists, Michael Anthony's "less is more" bass playing was so crucial to setting off the busy solo's, so much discipline for a greater sound, and yet, listen to, like, Loss of Control...I mean, Christ.
I got to see Van Halen at the Forum in Los Angeles in 1981 for the Fair Warning Tour and then again at the US Festival ll in 1983. That night at the Forum was magical!
I am from Sunnyside Queens NYC back in 1978 I was only 9 years old, I remember my oldest brother was 18 and going to Music and Art High School in NYC( Same high School as Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons from KISS) he knew promoters in NYC and heard of this LA guitarist that was incredible. It was Van halen playing the Palladium3/25/1978, sold out about 3500 people. He came home tripping out on this kid Eddie Van Halen. Said hes better than Page, Hendrix, nobody believed him. Until August 27/28 1978, Van halen opened for Black Sabbath at MSG and the Coliseum in Jones Beach. It seemed like the whole world was walking around in shock. The world changed. I really didn't start getting into Van halen until Fair Warning, because now I was 12 years old and looking for a favorite band. Van Halen was it. All I played and listened to was Van halen. I'm not a musician, I tried but just loved Hockey and Martial arts too much. But I partied like a rock star and listened to Van halen. I have seen every Show from from Fair Warning Hide your Sheep! tour until their last in jones beach 2018. What a ride! Van Halen RIP> (saw Wolfgang too, he isnt the same kind of feeling. He is the opposite vof his father, Vanhalen were 4 masculine adonis , and WVH is a cubby dude up there by himself. He wont play any VH, even though he was their bassist in the final years. He needs to continue to get out from under his fathers wing. I think he will get there , but even though his 1st album is all him, and very good. He needs to start a band, and do it that way, get the pressure off him, through others helping him. just my opinion...)
@Nixixix I see your point...but It's kind of a chicken vs egg thing. If Eruption had never been heard, or that whole album...had never been released; who knows how shredding may have evolved?
@Nixixix Eddie raised the bar in the rock arena from the pentatonic mush that everyone had been mired in for a decade. Then came Randy Rhodes which took the bar perhaps as high but in a different direction. Then the whole neoclasical style got ushered in by Yngwie. He was followed by numerous imitators and some became better than he was. Ironically today the virtuosos have gone in a completely new direction which is the acoustic revolution. Some of the things these people are doing on acoustic and harp guitars are beyond amazing. But if we will ever get back to the ideas of good song writing, I just don't know.
Our fifth grade social studies teacher played records during tests. Catholic grade school. Nuns, lurking in the halls. Weekly confessionals. The whole bit. Anyway, I was the new kid and showed up with Van Halen 1. I'll never forget the look on his face. Kid sitting next to me asked "What is this sh!t?" Incidentally, the other album I got that Christmas was Earth Wind & Fire's "All in All".
Things happen in cycles. We're definitely not seeing the end of guitar virtuoso work as it pertains to mainstream music. I don't know when it will happen, but I believe it will and it will take on a new form.
That's very optimistic. Sadly, I think guitar music in general is going the way of Jazz, a niche market. For sure me or you won't know what comes next, but I just don't see a bunch of kids all suddenly discovering Van Halen anymore likely than those 80s kids were to all become a bunch of Benny Goodman fans out of nowhere.
Being born in 1969, I spent the 80's in high school. Van Halen was the music of my youth!! NOBODY will ever duplicate Eddie. He was a generational talent!!
You're right... It will be something new. Think Tantra-Hills of Katmandu mixed with metal (not demon metal which I think is dying a well deserved death). We could call it Trance Metal so to speak. I don't think will see a form based on the old blues music (muddy waters etc). I see more of a Fusion based metal with long song times.
I recall hearing Van Halen 1 the first time. thoroughly impressed with the tapping; but I honestly recall being just as moved by Van Halen's rhythm playing. He is one of the best Rock rhythm players ever.
Agree 100%! I actually prefer his incredibly groovy rhythm much more than the solos. Not that I don't appreciate the solos, they are also great but things are relative :) Hail Eddie!
There's this part of Poundcake toward the end between Sammy's refrain of "OH OH, OH OH OH" where one senses that Eddie is FEELING for the exact right notes, a sound that will give the listener goosebumps. And he finds them. This kind of genius ear that speaks directly to the emotions is, to me, what sets Eddie apart.
I saw an interview with EVH where he said he got his idea to "shred" using his right hand that way from watching Jimmy Page in concert, playing a riff using only his left hand and NO right hand. He thought: "Well, if you can do that with one hand (left hand), imagine what you could do if you tried it with BOTH hands". And rock guitar was forever changed.
@Vanessa JazP He actually learned tapping from his former Mammoth band mate Dennis Travis, who I think had been inspired by Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, etc.
@@skierpage There's tapping like Hackett did, and there's tapping like EVH did. They're both "tapping", but they're not the same. Nobody did it like EVH before EVH.
Instantaneously everyone went from low slung les pauls playing with 3 fingers on the fretboard to high slung strats with 4 fingers and the thumb half way down the back of the neck like a classical player, a wammy and humbucker on the bridge. Saturday at the guitar store had been about stairway to heaven, now it was about eruption
Criss Oliva is my fave guitarist , knowing that the guy came onto the scene at exact same time as Eddie is astonishing because of well both guitarists shred, both guitarists have out of this world ability, guitarists have different inspirations and different genres but still they both shred
I was 20 years old in "83" when i was walking through the park and some kid was playing "far beyong the sun' and I said, he makes Eddie..(whom i adore), sound like Mic Mars.
"Shredding" is a little bit like slapping on bass. It is very easy to hit sensory overload where more, faster and better has lost any incremental value and musicality is totally lost. Oversaturation of receptors, sort of.
It's all about songwriting. A lot of these RUclips guitarists are great players, but like Rick said, most of them are not attached to a big name band. In my opinion, it seems like somewhere along the line, songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing somehow became separated. If songwriting and virtuoso playing can get back together, then there could be another shred movement that the general public can attach itself to, or at least identify with. It may not be as big as what happened in the late 70s-early 80s, but at least the public will know about it. Joe Satriani is a virtuoso player, but he also writes great instrumental songs with memorable melodies and hooks, it's not just mindless shredding. Mark Tremonti is another amazing shredder, but he is the first to say that he's a songwriter first, shredder second.
That’s true but how much airtime is Satriani getting these days? Satriani, Vai, PG of Mr Big... were selling loads of albums and had hit songs that got airtime. The average person today has no idea who they are now. So something else has changed in the landscape.
Mark Knopfler is a well respected guitarist but if you follow him you know he is more of a songwriter than a guitarist. Well both really. He continues to produce music as good as he ever did, imo... yet not nearly as popular as he was in the 70s and 80s.
This exactly. Rick said at the very start it wasn't just EVH's chops that made them into superstars, it was their tons of hit songs that played constantly on the radio. Radio, spotify, all these platforms pretty much care about two things. Songs and name recognition. If you don't already have the name to release what you want and have it go viral, then you NEED the songs. And if you can throw a great guitar solo in there you can make all the old rockers happy too.
Steven, there's some truth in what you are saying but in the end it doesn't matter if there isn't an audience. The promotion is what has been lacking, I believe.
Hello Rick, little story about Van Halen's debut album, I once again went to my favorite record shop in Wiesbaden, Germany, around spring 1978, when I walked in, "You really got me" was playing, the guys in the shop were really excited, what a guitar riff, amazing, then the other songs, no question the record was mine! I played the record to all my friends and they all loved it. This guitar playing was just amazing. As luck would have it, I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands with a friend for the weekend of May 6th, 1978, did so occasionally around this time, a beautiful city, the canals, the atmosphere, the coffee shops, the clubs and right there Saturday Van Halen played at Paradiso, the best club in Amsterdam for live music. What a concert, what an experience, Van Halen live, breathtaking! Still one of my best live concerts I've seen. R.I.P. Eddie! He has definitely influenced the style of many bands and guitarists. Greetings from Germany Charles
It should be noted that Van Halen walking out on stage and performing a stand-alone guitar solo i.e eruption was as important as the techniques he introduced. It is the rock guitar blue print which today is unmatched. Nobody walks out on a stage and performs solo guitar the way Eddie does nor have they ever. Maybe Jimi Hendrix national anthem but even that is very different. Eddie performing solo guitar is also the parallel to Andres Segovia for classical and Joe Pass Virtuoso in jazz. Eddie set the standard hard Rock blue print of "how to perform solo guitar." The same way they did in those categories.
Hmmm...me thinks thou hast not experienced much of the music world. Eddie was definitely the most mainstream popular player do this...but by no means does that make him the best or only. There are several extremely talented players with epic showmanship who stake their entire careers on being the only one on stage, or at the very least are the front and center of the entire act. Also, if it is unmatched and not even done by other mainstream acts, then by definition it is NOT a blueprint. Eddie's solos and VH pop song structure was the blueprint that gave us the train wreck that we used to call Hair Bands or Hair Metal...thank you for the epic playing Eddie, but FU for creating the movement that brought us grown men in Neon Spandex and cases of Aquanet sprayed in their hair.
@@verigone2677 In a way I'm glad that VH functioned as a lightning conductor and detoured the masses from the awesome bands, which in turned never grew too big to let the music industry poison their souls.
@@Pincer88 yeah, I can dig what you are saying there. Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Talking Heads, Metallica...the list goes on. All eventually huge acts that were allowed to do their own thing relatively unpolluted since all of the Cookie Cutter Hair Bands were taking most of the attention.
The best thing about EVH was he wrote terrific songs to start with and the pyrotechnics were frosting on a tasty cake. Guitar virtuosos where the only point is showing off are pretty boring. Songs first please.
Michael Gazda exactly right. Guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and that guy from Dragonforce might be able to play a million notes per second, but that doesn't necessarily make good music.
I remember the first time I heard Eruption: It was 2003, and I was in my car listening to the radio on my way back to my apartment from a college class. I know I was way late to the game, but my mind was still blown, and appreciation is appreciation.
Because of the corona restrictions, we've had to stay more at home these days, and what have we been listening to in these home sitting days? Spotify reports that many people are seeking back music from the 80s, 90s and 2000s, and it is a global trend. So it's my hope that the guitar music from the 80s will inspire younger generations. (yeah... I know I know... it's a lot of disco, pop and one hit wonders from that time too...)
Rick , it's not that guitar virtuosity is dying or any kind of instrument mastery for that matter. There are always going to be gifted individuals that exhibit super musical talents in any instrument. It is the audiences that have changed, both in quantity and quality, and the social environment into which music is applied. Music popularity is a reflection of society. The arts in general are always a reflection of the socio-economical reality. We live in a world where the middle class - the prime consumer and creator of music- across the globe, is being ,at best, shrunk. The average person struggles to afford the basics nowadays. There's no room for "luxuries" like concerts and music buying in any format. There's also limited free time so that the music, if any purchased, will be adequately explored and appreciated. We also live in a world where stupidity, narcissism and apathy are promoted. We are being manipulated back into a tech-controlled tribal state. There is no place in that world for a high complexity and high emotion musical output product like ,for example, Yes, Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa, Elton John etc... It has no audience to express and the corporations that run the game either don't understand it and/or don't want it. Music is a pattern. A high complexity sound wave pattern. Patterns can contain and transmit messages. Humans learn by imitation. We imitate what we see , what we taste and what we hear. The higher the complexity of the sound pattern the denser and stronger the message. Our brains have evolved by replicating patterns and/or pattern complexity. Complex music (and that most definitely includes virtuosity and virtuoso guitarists) does not have a majority "vector" to surpass the stupidity and sterilization of our times. Complex music can also have therapeutic effects, it can help you get through difficult times or even create a common social pulse that can spark a revolution...Music nowadays is designed and approved by scientists for the purpose of keeping us all in a neutral state. Just go to a gym for example. The first VH record (and not only) screams "free society, prosperous middle class, rebellion, conviction, strong self-determination, love, recklessness, having a good time, independence, youth, hope, power" to name a few. That is my humble opinion. Love your channel , you are doing the work of an angel. Take care.
Dead Wrongo, (sorry, couldn't help myself). Kids R kids, 'n kids gotta NOT do whatever Ma 'n Pa do, or listen 2. Surely U remember "turn that crap down!" & "don't U kids know any nice songs?"! It ain't 'bout pollyticks or socioeconomic blah blah blah blah. Sheesh.
Edward Van Halen is not from this Planet, he is from another Universe. I was a senior in High School when Van Halen 1 came out, it blew everyone's mind.
True. But, that had happened before with Jimi Hendrix. Everybody who heard Hendrix wanted to play like him, even other fantastic guitarists who were his contemporaries (Clapton, Page, Townshend, etc.) And that had happened even earlier when Chuck Berry burst onto the scene. Eddie Van Halen became the virtuoso he was by standing on the shoulders of all the greats who came before him. Eddie, in fact, often told the story of him in high school spending endless hours learning to play every Clapton song note-for-note. Every rock guitarist in history has been influenced by those who came before.
Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt would say, guitar solos will never die under his watch. Extreme's new album Six is Nuno's tribute to Eddie Van Halen. Great stuff!
Joe Satriani "surfing with the alien" Steve Vai "passion and warfare" Yngwie "rising force" imo influence guitarist in the early 80's, we were moved by this virtuoso back then.
Steve Kaynan Exactly, only Rising Force out of those three was released during the early 80s except it’s 84 not 83. Passion and Warfare was not even released during the 80s.
People talk about Eddie’s shred skill and his song writing. And those two things are key. But a third element for me, which takes him over the top, is his sense of humor. Not lyrically, but rather in the way he injects his sense of humor in his playing. The “smile factor”, if you will. I nearly always find myself smiling or laughing during one of his solos, partly because of the technical aspect, and also because he plays some of the most unexpected and crazy stuff just at the right time. I think the humor part is what is usually missing when other players tried to cop his style. Vai and Satch had some of that... but most did not. I’m looking at you Kip Winger.
@@baseboardmatt Your original comment was about EVH,and other players copying his style,which would imply guitarists. You then brought up 2 more guitar players as examples.Kip Winger was kind of an odd choice,then.
His playing is fun, which is something everyone should aspire to. Not to mention very melodic. He played stuff that was always interesting. That's brilliance that goes beyond shred skill for sure.
I was thinking about this the other day as I watched a video of one of today's guitar gods where he turned a 2:30 classic from 1970 into a 7+ minute display of technique and virtuoso playing. Ear fatigue set in about the 5 minute mark. Something that always set Eddie and Randy apart to me was their lyrical and melodic sensibility. Eruption notwithstanding, their leads support the song. Not the other way around. If you're going to play something that only a small percentage of people can listen to and appreciate that's fine but the audience is limited. Throw a kick ass solo into a good song and it makes magic.
I remember a great friend of mine back in the day, showed me his new record.... VH1. Was blown away at the sounds. He also got me hooked on Pink Floyd and Def Leppard. So I then grew up loving rock music. Will never forget hearing those albums for the first time, priceless. Nothing today even comes close, sad.
You mention the Eddie Van Halen effect. It was in that it raised the bar instantly in the rock arena. However, virtuosos had been around for awhile. Certainly Jan Akkerman of Focus was a virtuoso in every sense of the word. We had the great fusion players, Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco Delucia, Steve Morse not to mention countless other great jazz guitarists. What is missing today is great song writing. Van Halen may have been a virtuoso but they had great songs. Songs that were fun, had hooks. I remember going to see Yngwie Malmsteen after his Rising Force album. He was opening for AC/DC. I could have cared less about AC/DC. But after about 25 minutes of Yngwie I became bored. He took songs which already had enough virtuosity and hammed them up to a point of being irritating. So on the stage comes AC/DC. I must say they blew Yngwie off the stage. Why? Because they had a show. They had great songs and great stage presence. Angus while good is no Yngwie. But they brought one hell of a show. That is what is missing.
Don Smith Oddly enough Jan was Dutch. Eddies is Dutch Indo. I saw Focus I think at The Santa Monica Civic. Van Halen played at Avio a Dutch Club in Anaheim. My Wife’s parents were good friends with his parents. Back to Jan he may have been Dutch Indo also. Golden Earring were all I think Dutch Indo also. Just a little trivia here for you.
@@williamchristian8705 I enjoyed your comment. Actually one of favorite other bands is also Dutch. Kayak the progressive rock band. Jan Akkerman to was to me a complete guitar virtuoso. He plays blues,rock,jazz and classical with equal ease. He is sort of the Steve Morse of the Netherlands. I have watched him for hours here on RUclips the days of playing classical lute pieces. And he is still playing well into his 70s. Eddie Van Halen is a great guitarist but I feel he should have been much greater considering the way he came on the scene. But, he never ventured much past the music of Van Halen the rock band, which is a shame. I know he was inspired by the genius guitarist Allen Holdsworth RIP. You hear a little bit of Allen's style in Drop Dead Legs.
@Don Smith I also went with some of my friends to see AC/DC with Yngwie Malmsteen who opened the show in September 1985. Two of my friends were also guitar players like myself and none of us were blown away with Yngwie Malmsteen. The simple reason being his playing was overkill... Yes, he's technically brilliant and very articulate, not to mention extremely fast, but after several minutes of hearing arpeggios and scales at lightening speed with no other dynamics we started getting bored and our attention wandered. IMHO if Yngwie would've played catchy hooks and riffs along with melodic rhythm's and also some dynamics in his playing like Jimmy Page used to do with light and dark loud and soft adding contrast he wouldn't have come off so boring. But as you already stated AC/DC just put on one hell of a show that night and even Angus upped his playing a couple of notches by playing very tasteful two handed tapping during his solo spot all while rolling around on the floor to wow the audience! 👍🎸 😎
I don't think guitar driven instrumental music will ever really be 'mainstream' again, but it's good to manage expectations and know who your audience is and the niche you exist in. And there definitely still is an audience for this type of music. The crazy thing for me is that new technologies and business models are emerging that make it possible not only to get your music out to people, but also to create and record music in your own home. I've managed to quit a full-time job and become a full time musician from recording and releasing music independently. And while I mentioned knowing your niche earlier, I think it's safe to say that guitar music is not just on RUclips or Instagram. Sure, you may find out about amazing guitar players on those platforms but instrumental acts have already been out touring and building careers for themselves. Acts like Animals as Leaders like you mentioned in the video, Plini, CHON and many others are out on the road touring, selling records to a dedicated audience and making music their career. I'm lucky to have been able to do the same, having been around the world touring and working full time as a musician for over 2 years. Would it be nice to see this instrumental guitar music in the mainstream? Maybe. But I'd rather focus on the amazing opportunities that have presented themselves to people like me that weren't there 10 or 15 years ago instead of thinking about 'what ifs'.
I can only speak from experience of my own music career and my experience of the industry. Although your ability to discern whether people play guitar simply from RUclips comments is quite uncanny if completely inaccurate.
what made guitarists like edward van halen or jimmy page such icons wasnt just their virtuosity it was their abilty to craft songs as a platform for their particular genius, i've noticed that the guitarists i love the most are also songwriters like brian may (queen) jimmy Hendrix and ace frehely (KISS)
Rick, I still remember the moment I heard Van Halen for the first time. I was driving to the town just south of where I lived and I actually pulled the car over and listened in stunned amazement. I grew up idolizing Clapton, Beck and Page and my immediate thought at hearing the attack and drive of the guitar was that whoever it was playing had somehow slammed all of their most aggressive styles into one place and then shifted three gears higher. It was sublime.
With all the young kids I see wearing Zep/Kiss/Journey, etc t-shirts and listening to their music, another Jimmy Page/Brian May/EVH will someday come along. I sure hope so...music needs it.
I'm a school teacher. They may be wearing the band logos, but it's because they bought the clothes at Hot Topic at the mall. It has nothing to do with the music.
lol well.... depends on where you're from... I mean from where I'm from our school has atleast 2 whole classes that listens to Rock and Metal... I'm just a 14 yr old Japanese lead guitarist I have a band named "Krystal" We play thrash and Prog
The New Generations seems to like Music from the past where guitar solos happened and like it as well. So is a matter of time that the guitar solos are incorporated in a new way to the music of today.
Rick, ... The Van Halen Effect ... I recall this picture in my memory ... A gas station, evenings, north of Houston, early 80's ... An unreal, metallic blue z28, and out of the car's unreal speakers comes a just-as-unreal "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol. The combination of that environment, the sounds, the machines, the smell ... The Van Halen Effect, and the rock music connected to this feeling of a world on steroids was an expression of a world that felt as if there were no end to rocket-powered progress. A wonderful feeling of super-charged engines and a music carried on powerful electronics onto speaker cabs that could blow ones pants off. EVH, a centerpiece of THE ICONS, ejaculating his insane sounds with super-human ease onto us, like gasoline on a raging fire. Huge stages, huge amps, huge sounds, huge engines, ... muscular shapes painted metallic blue. The times have changed. The most powerful rock bands nowadays have to get their gear into the hand-luggage and basically are hooking up maxed-out, refined bed-room metal rigs to club PAs. We hear intricate models of amp sounds and recording rigs on full range, DSP controlled, active speaker systems. It is the power of the original experience condensed into bytes, recorded to silicon wafers. It's the expression of what we have today: We are no longer super-charged by ridiculously cheap oil and we have to be smart about our investments, our footprint, our consumption, our data, and our channels to publish on. The kids know that even better than whoever still has the memory of those blue Camaros. The Camaros are a memory, once valid for their time. But they are a memory not worth holding on to. Yes, the kids would like to have the promise of a future as well! Just as we did. So, you are asking, will there be guitar super heroes again? Someday, some kid will suddenly show up, seemingly from nowhere, have the right moves, the right attitude, the right appearance, the right message, the right channels, ... and a guitar strapped over the shoulder and (s)he will blitz everyone who gets it (or refuses to get it) with an indescribable combination of impulses that will take years to understand and fire up the channels with fascination and awe. There will be no secret except what unfolds while this figure is on fire. And for a generation from there on, the followers will find things to analyze and assimilate, creating the halo that this figure will have left us with. Rick, ... an electric guitar is a sexy, perfect piece of ergonomics. It's a powerful canvas that's easy to learn and has a user interface that anyone can relate to. It demands authenticity and devotion but, in the right hands, it projects uncompromisingly to the senses. Anyone can see and hear what is happening. It has the power of an orchestra. It's immediate. The electric guitar has survived and adapted to a lot of changes in technology. And, of course, there will be someone coming again! This time, not blasting out of Camaros on gas stations ... but the kids will know where to find it. And if you stick out long enough, you may be one of the first to go and analyze what was going on on that user interface and in the process of getting hold of that fascination (we used to call this "production"). When it's there, you will know it. Be mindful of what your kids and their friends will be bringing home. Peace
You said it yourself, Rick. VH wouldn't have gotten anywhere without great songs. Watching a guy play over a track on youtube interests me for about a minute, if that. That said, even if someone has great songs today in the "classic rock" tradition, are they likely to become culturally relevant? With youtube, etc., it's easier than ever to get your music "out there." But without a radio format to play that type of music, is it likely to ever break through into the mainstream?
Why would anyone give a single band answer like GVF to a complicated question? Kinda like saying you can be successful in business by pointing out a lottery winner.
Rick, you’re a genius. What a great analyze of the guitar virtuoso movement since the seventies. Will the awesome guitar solo come back in popular music? No, and for two reasons. Overall the amount of media and entertainment offers makes it less likely for youngsters to stick to his or hers practicing - if things becomes hard they most likely swipe - and similar important the incentive for becoming truly superior has disappeared. Big contracts, big venues and radio AirPlay are no longer offered. The world as we know it has truly changed 😞
The key with the 80s players is that they had great singles as opposed to an onslaught of nothing but deedley deedley deedley. Take out the guitar solos and Van Halen would still be great, the solos are the icing on the cake. YMMV.
Precisely! Many people tend to ignore how amazing of a rhythm player Eddie Van Halen is. The manner in which he used pinch harmonics and the whammy bar in his rhythm work was groundbreaking for its time - not only did it look cool, but it added a new dimension of creativity to rock and metal guitar playing as well. Weedlee-deedlee-deedlee can only take you so far - it is either your songwriting or your innovative work on the instrument that will make you an iconic or at the very least a memorable guitar player (which is something many Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix detractors do not understand).
Also I think it's forgotten that bands like The Yardbirds were pop, and were trying to make pop hits...what is called hard rock or heavy metal today in the 60s was still just pop for kids. My mom likes to point out that Hendrix opened for the Monkees.
I started playing classical guitar at age 8, and by 12 had picked up a lot of rock guitar including Zepplin, etc... to the point where I was playing with other musicians who were much older. The year that Van Halen album came out, they bought tickets to their show at the Long Beach Arena, and I saw them without ever hearing the album. It absolutely blew my mind! And I spent the next five years trying to be Eddie Van Halen. Some of the other stuff you failed to mention was his use of the whammy, and picking harmonics with your right hand, among other very creative tricks on the guitar. His stuff still blows my mind!
Calling him a pioneer is stretching it. He is s great player maybe underrated but he just pales in comparison to his peers in prog rock like Howe or Hackett
@@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266 I agree with you there, Howe is on another level (or two) from Lifeson. I do love Alex Lifeson's playing, he is/was a big influence on my playing and I do have him to thank for leading me to Steve Howe.
I don't think it's dead, but the most impactful solos are played within great songs. I think that's what's changed. I grew up in the 70's with so many great songs with great guitar work like you mentioned. Great video with amazing memory of all those people you walked us through. Thanks!
There are so much virtuoso on the web that Boring me.....a lot. The question is, where is music ? Where are composers? We need something new a new 80' era Usually great composers are not virtuoso so we need good music writers and than virtuosismo on it. Virtuosity is nothing without good music!!!!
Alt Country and Amercana Rock are still packing guitar solos. Not really in the style of Van Halen but they combine top notch songwriting with guitar driven music. Drive by Truckers and Jason Isbell are some good examples
Nothing truly inspires me to play, record, or just listen to music more than your videos @RickBeato. Sincerely, I thank you for giving us the gift of education we would otherwise have little to no access to otherwise. Have a great sir!
yep that's across the board, and well said. As a musician, I purchased a 5 acre property. So much to do, I quit playing a few years and my happiness level really dropped. Started back up and got back to happy!
You said everything. Today, mainstream produces, with no shame, cheap simplified music for a mass that doesn't really like music. They simply pay for a product that's wrapped up and labelled as cool or as the new trend, and then criticise those who disagree.
It's encouraging that online music platforms such as Drumeo and Guitareo have so many subscribers. They're getting a lot of people hooked on playing rock and other genres.
my two daughters had a steady stream of pink floyd as babies... I even bought 2 albums from "for babies" website... my 1st daughter would alternate each week between Pink floyd the wall, to Mozart ("hits" if you will). she just got her report card (1st yr) and shes excelling in music class.
That's so cool! My son listened to Pink Floyd from within his mom's womb. She said she could feel him move in there as if he was swaying to it. He is 28 and still is a fan of Pink Floyd, and he likes all kinds of other types of good music as well. :)
I don't know why so many dismiss Eruption as this one song as EVH just trying to show off in *Hey, I can tap!* as well as being a bunch of non musical guitar noises. EVH changed the world, and is in my opinion just as prominent as the greats like Eric Clapton, Hendrix, etc. Heck without him, I wouldn't be playing guitar right now, and probably neither would an insane amount of other guitarists after him!
It sucks that EVH got famous for introducing tapping when it was already a thing. He won the race though and the band was damn complimentary to his sound. Wish that one guitarist (Steve Lynch I believe) had gotten credit for tapping. He was much better at it but he failed to launch his sound. Eddie didn't.
Teddy Egan not much of a late 70s rock fan but wasn’t there a bunch of bands like journey, foreigner, reo speedwagon, boston, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, etc That got much more air time than punk?
I love punk music but it was not dominant in terms of mainstream music. It was always a side thing (at least until Nirvana came along). The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, the Clash, The Jam... they were influential on other musicians, but none of them were huge commercially- certainly not in America. The Clash probably came the closest to massive mainstream success, but right as they were getting big (with "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go") they broke up.
@@MrX-wk5eu What???!!! No LOVE for Frank Zappa?????? Zappa on a stage... with a VOX wah pedal in the middle position---- and an SG in hand... was PRETTY FUCKING AMAZING. And a hell of a lot more interesting/original then ALL the EVH CLONES that came along in the mid 80's 😀 And about as FEARLESS a musician/guitarist/composer as they get! ✌️out
VH1 and 1984 were perfect albums .. not only were they full of great songs but Eddies genius was in not over doing the flash tricks .. his playing was always serving the song, never just gratuitous flash solos just for the sake of it. RIP Eddie.
Maiden still tours w three lead guitars .... huge arena venues and lots of young kids there taken by parents. Yngwie also tours smaller venues and I was shocked by the diversity of the crowd. Definitely these guys are not going away.... question is what new guys can compete at the same level
Maiden likes to write “horsey ride” songs, which make you want to pump your fist like Braveheart. I love them for that. Also they work harder than most to stay relevant, play to their niche, and have such a good time playing live that they inspire some of the most fiercely loyal fans in the metal world!
My opinion of shredding after Van Halen I is it sounds too polished and mathematical. I do like Vai and a few others but there was something great about Eddie's shredding as it sat inside the song and always complimented the song. It didn't feel like showing off. I believe Eddie will go down as a great composer as well. Much more than just shredding!
Van Halen when you strips him down of the flashy techniques and eighties effects is rock'n roll down to the core. It's not rooted in neo-classical/shred whatever, played super clean and sterile like a speed contest, it's rooted in dirty good ole rock'n roll and rythmic feel. (coupled with David Lee Roth antics, it's Aerosmith on steroids). All the followers didn't have that rock'n roll roots down despite the pandering and cocky attitude, they thought they could pile on super fast solos on cookie cutter hair glam songs that don't groove like typical rock'n roll and don't have that freestyle feel in the guitar playing, it's all too calculated.(Van Halen is notorious for playing fills that don't repeat from verse to verse or injecting whatever variations spurring in his mind like Hendrix so you get different interpretations most of the time that isn't note for note. that's the spirit of rock'n roll). Rock'n roll is about spontaneity but 99% of those hair metal bands didn't sound spontaneous at all in their playing, it was all canned, rehearsed to death to fit a trend.
howzaou812 I was 14 when VH came out. We couldnt wait with each new record just to hear not only the solos but just the wicked fills and dive bombs. Got to see them live on Fair Warning tour. Freakin general admission. Craziest show Ive ever been to.
For me Van Halen sounds like someone who is just becoming aware of fast tapping and legato and randomly use it on a regular hard rock sound. Even if it may sound killer, composition wise, I find it really boring.
Sometimes, Eddie's solos have a build to a "here comes the awesome part" kind of announcement that may occur at the beginning or even halfway through the solo. Then all hell breaks loose. Van Halen's best skill is how he chooses to get back to the song.
What's interesting is that if you flip around on your radio, you'll still find a dominant classic rock station in every market. The guitar solo is as pervasive as ever in the playlists that feature 60's/70's/80's rock. Many of the classic guitar-centric bands from these eras are still out there filling up venus - but the people bringing us fresh guitar-oriented rock are totally ignored. If Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Guthrie Govan, Greg Koch, and many other contemporary guitar virtuosos had been on the scene in 1975, classic rock stations would be playing them non-stop today. I think the big problem is that radio became totally corporate, and pursuit of profits - not promotion of excellence became the driving force. We get spoonfed music that is designed to be hit-material, but we're never provided with alternatives. We don't get a choice to listen to song A versus B versus C - and then make a choice about what's really great (which often would include a lot of brilliant guitar-oriented rock with nice solos). It's like the critics who always trashed Van Halen, or Journey, or Def Leppard, Kansas, or ACDC, etc. just eventually outlasted the industry and somehow took over. People can blame grunge, hip-hop, slick loop-based pop etc., but I don't think there's any lack of people who still like rocking music with virtuosic skill - just a lack of people in positions of control who are willing to give it to them. Incidentally, you still hear some pretty impressive guitar solos in country music - but I just can't stand to listen to that genre very much. Plus, aside from Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and a handful of others, there really aren't many established guitar heros. You know that about 90% of what you're hearing is just some studio whiz that probably looks like your grand-dad.
Tony....... Well said. It seems like more country guitar players including Urban and Paisley receive had a lot more airtime than any modern (2000-2018) guitar player in the rock 'n roll realm nowadays
I think you're onto something. The real question is, how or why did the "canon" of "classic rock" come to be closed? (In other words, it is either considered an oxymoron - or at least practically impossible - to record and present new "classic" rock music.) That would be a great topic for Rick's next video.
You nailed it. Why don't we have new classic rock? Pain and simple. For instance, why don't we hear Rush's Clockwork Angels tracks alongside Moving Pictures tracks? The Nu-Rock channels are out there, but they seem to be minor players. Why don't the classic rock stations unite with the new rock and help build a fanbase for future guitar-oriented bands. It's like the Nu-Rockers are hung out to dry on the fringe.
Here in Germany there aren't any rock radio stations at all anymore. It seems like hand made music is on the verge of disappearing. Business has taken over I guess.
Well, Joe Bonamassa has no songs that are worth listening to, and Derek Trucks is in the R&B/soul/blues field, which is a moderately sized market. Guthrie Govan writes music that is hard to listen to, and Greg Koch tends to be masturbratory to say the least. We need pop songs with guitar solos, basically, and pop's current format is starting to lean towards that being more and more possible.
I saw Van Halen on their first tour opening for Black Sabbath at the Oakland coliseum here in the Bay area. After Eddie did his eruption solo there was about a 5 second pause where everybody was thinking, what the hell was that. It then exploded in applause. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Half the people left when Black Sabbath came on. Ozzy said later it was the dumbest thing they ever did having Van Halen open
The Beatles were turned down at Decca because guitar bands were on their way out! LOL! The guitar ain’t going nowhere! What comes around goes around... viva la guitar! 🎸
mikesteelheart he really did. About the time of your comment I remember a small guitar war started with people accusing others of speeding up their videos or prerecording. One guy put a video up and proved that he wasn’t faking and said that guitar isn’t a sport.
@@theboofin He wasn't that great of a guitarist, but an outstanding musician. I know, I know, I always get hate for saying this, but its true. Beginners that can play every note, from his first 4 albums, are a dime a dozen, but *no one* can make it sound like Van Halen. He was innovative and expressive and that made it seem like he was a much better technician than he actually was. That's the way it should be. * I say 'was', because he lost that edge, when he became more technically proficient and didn't need to rely as much on magic tricks.
Yep. That's true. Unlike some of the other legendary guitar genius players like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, etc. When VH blew up, it was all about speed. The '80s became nothing but how fast you can play on the solo. Speed was king. It really became horribly boring after an entire decade of that. EVH was the king, and everyone else, even if they were faster, just seemed like they were chasing his legacy. So that combined with the rest of the cookie cutter pattern to rock music back then needed to die out, and that's when Grunge took over.
I certainly hope it does come back. The likes of Clapton, Page, Blackmore and Hendrix are worth a million Sheerans and Gouldings. Music isn't dead but creatively it is stifled. There is relatively little uniqueness now. I would rather listen to ten minutes of Led Zeppelin than a day of Drake, Kanye and the other mindless clones that are shoved down our throats now
Great topic of discussion to be had amongst all guitarists. I’ve noticed the same thing. While I’m older (41) and don’t really pay attention closely to the changing trends, I have noticed the explosion of social media virtuosos who’ve made a name for themselves and have had guitar and pedal companies back them with signature guitars, pedals, amps, you name it. I, myself, don’t know what to make of it. I won’t say it’s a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just the world we live in now and I’m ok with it. As long as people keep creating and finding ways to be awesome on guitar, keep it coming brother
If rock ever makes a comeback, it could only ever be in the form of a 70's reviveal in the sense of great songs, great musicianship but not over the top, great improv jamming, and contingent on musicians with interesting and entertaining personalities, like it used to be.
@@powbobs and that's the biggest problem with modern pop imo. It's too focussed on the person behind it and not on the music itself. The fact that you pretty much NEED to be a sellout to even make a living in music thesw days doesn't help either.
I picked up my first electric guitar at age 8 or 9. I am now in my mid 20s, and I am still not half the musician I want to be, but for some reason I can’t stop playing.
Rick, I love all of your videos that you're putting on RUclips, you are so much inspiration, I stop playing guitar about 15 years ago or more, because I'm married and I had two kids, but watching your videos actually I'm starting to practice again, thank you.
Too often when Eddie is being discussed everything he’s done gets reduced to his tapping technique. I really hate that. He wrote some of the best riffs ever and he’s an amazing rhythm guitarist as well. This video did a pretty good job of not falling into that trap
Bmore Bob EVH has a great sense of rhythm, and his ‘bouncy’ bluesy style is incredible. Before listening to his lead playing, I would encourage anyone to listen to his rhythm playing FIRST.
Guitar virtuosity is making a comeback in mainstream music - Russ Parish (oops, I meant to say Satchel) is a guitar god with amazing ability (technically, song writing and stage presence), and is in a very popular, successful, awesome, amazing band. He is inspiring a whole new generation of guitarists.
I was 16 when that record came out. I wore out a vinyl copy of it, I still have it. That record changed my life. I sold my drum kit and bought a guitar.
Oh, I knew it was a guitar. What I didn't know was how he was able to DO that. Truth to tell: I was hooked from the first few moments of guitar sound on Runnin' With the Devil. His tone....his freaking monster tone. It was almost like the rest of that album affirmed that yes, his guitar tone was great. Different from everyone else, with SO much gain and lovely harmonic overtones. It was like Eruption didn't even surprise me. Also, that wasn't really my favorite track, even for a player. I dug You Really Got me, On Fire, and my favorite track, probably of all of their songs - I'm the one. THAT song made my jaw drop. The perfect blending of great riffs, with great solos, and little tasty bits thrown in, as well.
As a guitar player heavily influenced by Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhonda, I’d love nothing more than seeing guitar based rock come back on the scene. I just don’t know if I can see it happening. But, I will say this. Eddie ushered in the guitar hero in 1978 with Eruption. It may be possible that his death will inspire others who never heard Van Halen or even heard of Van Halen But will be exposed through the massive media coverage and attention his passing will receive. That may be EVH’s parting gift to us. We’ll see.
It used to really amaze me that Eddie didn't study music theory. However, he did study classical piano as a kid in the Netherlands and America. Classical music does lay down many of the fundamentals of theory, even if you don't formally learn chord/scale/ mode relationships, you Do play it, like "on the job training". I believe putting together solos that most 70s, blues-based players wouldn't know how to do was a result of the classical background, mixed with thousands of hours of workshopping and experimenting with Jazz, fusion, etc., but also still loving basic bluesy rock. It all came out "Van Halen style".
We lost Eddie 2 days ago, the end of an era. I grew up with page and Clapton and beck and Eddie. There are plenty of very talented guitarist out there but none of them are writing great songs. I hope that comes back around in my life but I’m not optimistic. Eddie, you will be missed and remembered always.
ya grunge had solos...but only stp and Alice in chains had good ones.Pearl jam was just 1 position pentaonics with awe full vibrato and phrasing,sound gardens were just unmusical nonsense,and Kurt's were just a joke.
A great guitar solo in a crap song is almost worthless. Also worthless (to me) is a solo without hooks. I can practically sing my favorite Page, Gilmour, May and a hundred other guys, solos from beginning to end. Many are like songs within the song. I like deedldy, deedldy, dee, as much as the next guy, but at the end of the day it's not how hard it is to play, but how memorable it is.
Agreed. I use George Harrison's solo in Something as an example of this. Its melody could have been used as an alternate vocal line. Clapton's solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps is another example.
I agree about no hooks and (near) worthless. Gilmour's the classic guy here, always playing melodically and tastefully, little interest in speed or chops. Beck can be tricky or flashy, but is also very capable of emotion and melody, being super articulate and with beautiful phrasing and such subtlety w/ his touch. Trower, when he was big in the 70's, used to say if he could've sung he would've never learned guitar. It was all about the emotion of human voice for him. I totally agree w/ George Harrison comments, people that are good writers know how to play what matters. That's why Page is legendary, obviously not from technique. Sorry if preaching to the choir, probably inspired by Rick's 70's guitar and solo's comments. I remember hearing Eruption for the first time & being stunned. And I remember the hair on my arms literally standing up the first time I heard Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire. But simpler things speak more directly to me long term. Thanks Rick. Thanks everybody.
Hope to see a huge comeback of guitar solos, when people will start to use the brain the right way! Nowadays mainstream pop and rock is quite boring...but i think that soon a virtuoso soloist guitar player will come to earth and save us from today's rock and roll disaster!
Good songs is what matters, that’s what lasts. EVH blew my head off when I was 13 too, and he still blows me away. No one can touch him even today. But, VH had great songs, especially on the first record. That’s really why we still talk about him. Satriani, Vai, Buckethead are amazing, but mostly guitar geeks (which I am proud to be) will care because they don’t have the same level of great songs as VH. Shredding isn’t as important to me anymore, as much as good songs, good music. Django wasn’t what I’d call a shredder, but that guy could really play some fantastic melodies and people still talk about him today. I love guitar music and as long as someone plays great music on guitar, there will be lots of fans. Practice your scales, but spend more time being creative and writing good songs.
I agree but it is not as simple as one thing vs the other there are players of their day like VH , Hendrix which would of made it with their hits but they would of been forgotten , but the fact that they shined i think is what makes them timeless . I mean i remember being bombarded with bands like REM and that kinda stuff back then they were huge made lot of money , but pretty much forgotten they just wrote good tunes or catchy songs which there is nothing wrong with but not epic !!
If and only if rock bands can become more entrepreneurial about their music, and stop believing the myth that a record label will back them. For the most part youtube is where the van halen effect exists now. Record labels only invest in what will make them money. It is an industry of cool and what is trending. Rock bands also have to write better music than what's on the radio. People have to think "wow what is that!?". Maybe even funky or dancy. Something that is outside of the box but is still accessible. Even Dorje who is accessible to most musicians is not accessible to the general public for the most part. But the other problem is that the record industry has created a culture of music to be consumed and not enjoyed beyond that. Something that people can get drunk and dance to. It is the responsibility of rock musicians to show them a different way and to create platforms that show that music is beyond something to get drunk and dance to. Rock bands also need to realize that their competition/adversary is cell phones. Have people text you their info so they can get a song for free, that way you can grow an e-mail list and use that fact that people are so drawn to their phones to the artists' advantage. A band would have to exist to at least check all of those boxes to get somewhere and make money at the same time.
The main problem with guitar work is that it requires an attention span and the mind numbing pap pumped out by all platforms now appeals only to a generation of zombies who can't look away from their dumb phones for more than two seconds.
Rick, You're videos are so informative, educational and inspiring. They have helped me to achieve great progress for my keyboard and sound production practicals at college. Thank you for the amazing content. James Chandler from Durban, South Africa
Guthrie is a bit of an oddity 'cos he's a brilliant player but I also find it stuff pretty good to listen to and quite melodic. I think the main problem with solos now is that they're just not very good to listen to. I think many of them have amazing techniques in them, but they just don't sound melodic, you don't listen to them and think they're beautiful. When you listen to lead work by say, Brian May, Kirk Hammett, Slash or even Kurt Cobain and Kim Thyall, they compliment the song, there is a melodic reason for them to exist over and above demonstration of technique. I think guitar solos don't form important parts of popular songs anymore 'cos they're, on the whole, just not very good music.
JDODify Great comment, highly skilled players are often so focused on technique they forget the music, they play stuff only other musicians can understand and appreciate, but it turns off the the regular audience who hasn't studied music and are the vast mayority of people who listen to music. something similar has happened to a lot of Jazz, once upon a time Jazz was suposed to be danced to, nowadays Jazz has become some kind of circlejerk where every musician is just showing off how much music theory understanding they have or how much technical skill they have, it's all too experimental, impossible to dance to, and again the average folks will never understand it, or enjoy it.
I agree. ANY solo must serve the song, no matter what the instrument is. A little showing off now and then, especially live, is ok, of course. It's very subjective, and it depends on the moment, circumstances etc. but if you make SONGS or instrumentals, you are creating a more or less complex piece of music, not an audio guide to your skills for the sake of your pride. There is a blurred fine line between an amazingly technical solo (or even rearrangement) and crossing over into boasting-off-land. That goes for singers as well - you have a job to do, not points to score ;) You mentioned Brian May. Now, granted I this is not his only work but - I don't know why - Who Wants To Live Forever came to mind -which he wrote. Now, that solo is nothing super special, and not even his best 'chops', yet, IMHO, it perfectlyl serves the song and its EMOTION, just like all the other elements do. I was shocked too when I first heard VH back then but - again - it was not just an exceptional guitarist, but a solid band with great songs.
Have a listen to some of Guthrie's work with Steven Wilson e.g. "Drive Home": Guthrie's solo in that was from a rehearsal, so it's not his most perfect playing, but it is some of his most soulful. The solo serves the song through being a bit rougher than his usual work.
Rick, we are the same age. I can remember exactly where I was, and who I was with when I first heard that album. Our reaction was identical to yours. All of my friends played instruments, wanted to be rock stars, and had an enormously wide range of musical taste. Hard core music enthusiasts like us, who listen, really listen don’t exist amongst the younger generation. That in no way implies that the younger kids don’t enjoy music like we do. The presentation of music, the way it’s delivered, packaged and distributed has become a solo act for the consumer on RUclips or some other internet platform. Long are the days when you and your buddies went to the record store / headshop, met other kids there, talked to them, had a relationship with the store owner, and found out some new album was released. We sat and listened to the albums, read the album covers. We knew the names of the musicians, what instruments they played, learned the lyrics and went to see them live, because you could get a fifteen dollar concert ticket if you cut a few lawns or had a paper route. Those days are over. But there will always be those who will amaze us if we are willing to seek them out. RIP Eddie.
Me thinks there is a bit of the Allan Holdsworth effect too, Holdsworth did some of that with out tapping. Also did amazing vibrato without using the bar vibrato.
Agreed 9.15 Bradford Executive is a genius piece of work - and it's not about aimless shredding, it has melody, form and structure for those prepared to listen
Regrettably, AH never became a household name. Although with the road games album, he did have a chance to get in to a "Pop" music format but he felt that he would be selling his soul if he did so. For that, He never became a household name. However, he has been a hero to many guitar players and musicians, alike. However, I do not know if we'll ever see a windfall of musicianship, whether in the genre of rock 'n roll or something else that develops over the next decade or two, that occurred back in the 80s, at least in my lifetime. In the meantime, you have to agree that the electric guitar is probably one of the coolest instruments ever invented
I hope that these soloist powerhouses make a mainstream comeback some day. People deserve it. Instead we’re stuck with lowest common denominator 4/4 beat quantized factory “music” that is programmed by a corporation instead of expressed by an artist.
And to think that Eddie did all of that with a guitar that cost him LESS THAN $250 for all the parts! There's an interview that nearly everyone has seen where he tells the story of how the 'Frankenstrat' came to be. So, on a guitar that was made of rejected parts (factory 'seconds'), he changed the world of rock music forever. Take that gear snobs who say you need at least a $1,000 guitar to have some quality!
The parts were cheaper back then overall, that same guitar today built with the same sourced parts would run north of $1000 maybe even $2000 all things considered. And that is not just demand thats inflation you could probably spec out a $250 guitar to do the same thing today, and source the parts elsewhere, you could even make it playable but the quality won't be as good. Thats even assuming you can get the same sourced parts. Last I heard the shop Eddie bought all that stuff from burnt down in a california wildfire. And I haven't heard any updates on what happened with that.
The difference between Rick and me:
Rick listens to Eruption for the first time and says 'that's a B flat Major chord but that interval is too wide to be fingered, what's happening?"
Me hearing eruption for the first time: 'Whoa, that's fast!'
You said the interval is too wide to be fingered😁
Loooool
I was like. That's classical guitar that's been metalized or something.
All the while Rick was like 10 yrs old 😂
Rest in Peace Mr. Van Halen. You will forever remembered.
I was going to like your comment but it's at 51. So i don't want to change it. Good day to you fellow Van Halen soldier.
Probably not forever... but at least until we Gen-Xers are all dead. 🤘
Well, you might be right but might not, playing his music is a hell of a challenge.. even the next generation will need to confront this. They will appreciate
*be
Yes he will
First time listening to "Running With The Devil," in church, classic...
And now we know why thou never goes to curch again
@Steve It's at 662 likes now!
And all that "Running with the devil" seems "liberating" when you are young , but when you approach death REALITY HITS YOU IN THE FACE, and it isn't that much fun anymore....Besides classical and flamenco guitarists had been doing smaller versions of the so called " Van Halen effect" decades before rock guitarists did And to call these rock guitarists virtuousi is really stretching it . No wonder Pete Townsend smashed his electric guitar more than once, and Hendrix burned his....have they just heard Sabicas playing ...?
Korean Jesus approves
Eddie designed guitars, effects, and amplifiers. He was a brilliant guitar player and fantastic song writer. Arguably the most important guitar player in history. IMO.
heres the thing...Yes, there are unbelievable guitarists out there, BUT...can they write songs?
Eddie turned out to be a perfect storm of both skills.
Yes he was. He also was an innovator who came up with a guitar sound no one had ever heard before along with the flashy playing and great song writing. He didn't ever use a stomp box it was just how he overdrove a Marshall with a variac which no one else had done before. He said he even made a mistake in Eruption and I've always wondered where? What mistake?
And also, can they play rhythm like Eddie? No they can't
I was just thinking that. So many highly technical guitarists are very boring songwriters. I like Govan, but a lot of his stuff is musically uninteresting, just technically dazzling.
@@IGotSoupProductions
Well, the thing is Van Halen wasn't that technical, nor was he especially 'skilled' (kinda sloppy, really). Most beginners quickly develop the technical skills to play most Van Halen stuff. But, you can play all the right notes, in the right place and it will be unrecognizable. What he had was expression; the timing and accents. When he did become more technically proficient, is when Van Halen started getting boring and predictable.
@@springbloom5940 It sounds like you have a somewhat narrow view of skill and technique. You talk about expression, timing, and accents, then say he's sloppy. However, that type of rock music is supposed to be played dirtier and more percussive. It's not a matter of being unable to play it clean, it's a stylistic choice and a more purposeful nuance. That's sort of the difference between those classic rock era guitar icons and today's guitarists. Yeah, you could argue that today's guitarists can play faster and cleaner, but they have low quality musicianship, aren't very creative, and lack any distinguishing qualities that anyone besides other technique junkies would want to hear.
The problem with being a virtuosic guitarist is that, at the end of the day, it has to be backed up by good song composition for it to appeal to anyone beyond hardcore musicians. That goes for any instrument.
People really do forget that Van Halen, at their core, were actually writing really catchy pop songs. Ed’s virtuosity and high gain tone was just icing on the cake. I’m not even a Van Halen fan aside from a handful and of songs, but there’s a very strong lesson to be learned from that.
Parsons Turbine true, except for some "niche guitar shred fanbase" no one buys a record for guitar shredding only... Writing a good song is so much more important.
Correct- I agree. Take Eric Johnson for example. Apart from Cliffs of Dover, almost his entire music catalog is instantly forgettable poor compositions. No matter how musically complex a song or arrangement is, it still needs to move people to be interested in it. Yes he has fantastic tone, yes he is a phenomenal guitar player but he has virtually no aural vehicles in which to drive this talent. A criminal waste of talent in my opinion and I think he has severely under played his hand on the world's stage by remaining solo for most of his career. He should have joined forces with a great songwriter/tunesmith. Sadly, one of many.
You have a great point. One of my favorite guitar virtuosos is Takayoshi Ohmura. One of the most technically proficient guitarists in the world without question. Yet his songs are fundamentally very simple, catchy and memorable. Take away the solos and you still remember the songs. His album “Emotions in Motion”, if it had come out in the 80s instead of 2007, would have been a hit for sure.
This absolutely. To quote Billy Corgan "The downfall of the Yngwie Malmsteen school of guitar playing, which focuses almost solely on technical proficiency, has occurred because ultimately, no one really gives two shits about guitar playing in and of itself, except maybe other guitar players." Van Halen was awesome because it was guitar playing nobody had ever heard before COMBINED with great songwriting. Without the great song to go with the technical playing, it will never be mainstream.
Eddie's genius lied on his rhythm playing, not solo. I'm a big VH fan, and it's so not because of the solos. Just listen to Top Jimmy's rhythm section, it's fucking stellar, and he has that genius smeared all over his work
My thoughts: There's more that goes into being a rock and roll star/legend than simply being a skilled guitarist or even a virtuoso. There is a charisma that is absolutely part of the package. A confidence, a way that an individual carries themselves and displays their talent/art. That may also come from the rest of the band. Eddie alone was not the sole source of success for his band and his songs. It was the combined charisma of the whole act. The insanity of David Lee Roth swinging, literally from the rafters, over a crowd of thousands of screaming fans with no harness as he says, "I've been to the edge! I stood and looked down..." It's beyond captivating. But what keeps them in their place of legendary status is that they have the music to both sustain and justify their existence in the all time hall of fame. Eddie literally altered the face of the world of music. So, I would say that even though we have an endless pipeline of insanely talented musicians showcasing their music around the world via the internet, we do not have the charisma of the stars that once captivated the gaze and the imagination of the earth. Or at least, if we do, it is hiding in secret, in somebody's run down basement. And they're practicing 12 hours a day with bleeding fingers and a hungry heart, just waiting for the planets to align so that they may emerge to become that juke box hero and save the global music scene from its mundane and uninspired self.
that's an awfully long paragraph just to say what everyone knows... obviously charisma has always been more important than talent. if skill level determined fame, then every famous guitarist would be as competent as Van Halen or Steve Vai... but clearly, for every one famous guitarist virtuoso, there's at least several others whose skill level doesn't rise above power chords. marketing and branding virtually always trumps talent.
@@lazylion420 wow. That's a huge paragraph to just repeat what I just said.
Charisma is undoubtly a big part of the package...i can only agree completely with your thoughts!
I got to see Van Halen a lot in the early days. In late '77, I saw them open for Black Sabbath at Madison Square Garden in NYC, and it was as if aliens had landed. I never heard guitar playing, songwriting, background vocals, and a tongue and cheek humor that redefined an era in rock music. It was exhilarating to see.
The second record came out pretty quick after the first, and they were back again, and now his playing had the tapped harmonics. They had a 2 hr show to stretch out with, the guitar solo was now a half-hour of Eddie stretching out and playing the intros to songs that had not been released yet.
I saw all 6 of the Roth tours and 2 of the Sammy tours, including the "Live Without A Net", shows in New Haven CT. I highly recommend that DVD, Eddie really goes wild for over 2 hrs. It was an exhilarating show.
Rather than mourn too much, I choose to celebrate his life and his music. He had a long career filled with wonderful music. His songwriting was just incredible. RIP EVH, Long Live EVH.
It must have been amazing to be at the live without a net concert. Eddie was on fire and having a blast. Live keyboards was a big plus too
It's true. They were able to goof off and still put out really. good. songs. Such a weird juxtaposition. And as for underrated bassists, Michael Anthony's "less is more" bass playing was so crucial to setting off the busy solo's, so much discipline for a greater sound, and yet, listen to, like, Loss of Control...I mean, Christ.
I got to see Van Halen at the Forum in Los Angeles in 1981 for the Fair Warning Tour and then again at the US Festival ll in 1983. That night at the Forum was magical!
I am from Sunnyside Queens NYC back in 1978 I was only 9 years old, I remember my oldest brother was 18 and going to Music and Art High School in NYC( Same high School as Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons from KISS) he knew promoters in NYC and heard of this LA guitarist that was incredible. It was Van halen playing the Palladium3/25/1978, sold out about 3500 people. He came home tripping out on this kid Eddie Van Halen. Said hes better than Page, Hendrix, nobody believed him.
Until August 27/28 1978, Van halen opened for Black Sabbath at MSG and the Coliseum in Jones Beach. It seemed like the whole world was walking around in shock. The world changed. I really didn't start getting into Van halen until Fair Warning, because now I was 12 years old and looking for a favorite band. Van Halen was it. All I played and listened to was Van halen. I'm not a musician, I tried but just loved Hockey and Martial arts too much. But I partied like a rock star and listened to Van halen. I have seen every Show from from Fair Warning Hide your Sheep! tour until their last in jones beach 2018. What a ride! Van Halen RIP> (saw Wolfgang too, he isnt the same kind of feeling. He is the opposite vof his father, Vanhalen were 4 masculine adonis , and WVH is a cubby dude up there by himself. He wont play any VH, even though he was their bassist in the final years. He needs to continue to get out from under his fathers wing. I think he will get there , but even though his 1st album is all him, and very good. He needs to start a band, and do it that way, get the pressure off him, through others helping him. just my opinion...)
Eruption and Spanish Fly are not just incredible displays of technical ability; they are also musical works of art! Simply unmatched to this day!
Two words...little guitars! 😲
@@BFoltyn7 Two more,,, Mean Street
Balance had some great guitar work in it also.
@Nixixix I see your point...but It's kind of a chicken vs egg thing. If Eruption had never been heard, or that whole album...had never been released; who knows how shredding may have evolved?
@Nixixix Eddie raised the bar in the rock arena from the pentatonic mush that everyone had been mired in for a decade.
Then came Randy Rhodes which took the bar perhaps as high but in a different direction. Then the whole neoclasical style got ushered in by Yngwie. He was followed by numerous imitators and some became better than he was. Ironically today the virtuosos have gone in a completely new direction which is the acoustic revolution. Some of the things these people are doing on acoustic and harp guitars are beyond amazing.
But if we will ever get back to the ideas of good song writing, I just don't know.
Spanish Fly blew me away, cause it was on a classical acoustic!!!!! Unreal !!!! Great tone, with a little bit of pop aggression (attack) in it.
Playing “Running with the Devil” in a church. Nice.
Greatest. Observation. Ever.
Our fifth grade social studies teacher played records during tests. Catholic grade school. Nuns, lurking in the halls. Weekly confessionals. The whole bit. Anyway, I was the new kid and showed up with Van Halen 1. I'll never forget the look on his face. Kid sitting next to me asked "What is this sh!t?" Incidentally, the other album I got that Christmas was Earth Wind & Fire's "All in All".
First time I heard Motley Crue’s Shout at the Devil was at a church retreat.
If you think playing Running with the Devil in church is some kind of big rebel statement you don't know much about church or the devil.
Justin Abernethy That was my first thought as soon as Rick said that! I’m surprised the walls didn’t come tumbling down. 😄
Things happen in cycles. We're definitely not seeing the end of guitar virtuoso work as it pertains to mainstream music. I don't know when it will happen, but I believe it will and it will take on a new form.
The problem is guitar “virtuoso” playing is that it gets overdone VERY quickly, devolving into mastubatory wankfests that get old really fast!!
I agree, and I think the industry just burned out from all of that in the 80's and early-mid 90's. Rock became a parody of itself.
That's very optimistic. Sadly, I think guitar music in general is going the way of Jazz, a niche market. For sure me or you won't know what comes next, but I just don't see a bunch of kids all suddenly discovering Van Halen anymore likely than those 80s kids were to all become a bunch of Benny Goodman fans out of nowhere.
A band like Greta Van Fleet exploding right now gives me a little bit of hope about past forms of music reemerging.
yup. it'll come back around i'm sure.
Being born in 1969, I spent the 80's in high school. Van Halen was the music of my youth!! NOBODY will ever duplicate Eddie. He was a generational talent!!
Guitarists are hibernating in woodsheds. Like cicadas, they'll swarm when the time is right.
I hope your right and hope it's soon!
The time is right
@Hocus Smokus To someone, the "good old days" are happening right now.
You're right... It will be something new. Think Tantra-Hills of Katmandu mixed with metal (not demon metal which I think is dying a well deserved death). We could call it Trance Metal so to speak. I don't think will see a form based on the old blues music (muddy waters etc). I see more of a Fusion based metal with long song times.
@Hocus Smokus Exactly right. Some believe punk and disco will be popular again - still ain't happened after 40 years!
I recall hearing Van Halen 1 the first time. thoroughly impressed with the tapping; but I honestly recall being just as moved by Van Halen's rhythm playing. He is one of the best Rock rhythm players ever.
Couldn't agree more.
Agree 100%! I actually prefer his incredibly groovy rhythm much more than the solos. Not that I don't appreciate the solos, they are also great but things are relative :) Hail Eddie!
You are right!!
the greatest rhytem player to walk this earth. Amazing keyboardist, pure magic
There's this part of Poundcake toward the end between Sammy's refrain of "OH OH, OH OH OH" where one senses that Eddie is FEELING for the exact right notes, a sound that will give the listener goosebumps. And he finds them. This kind of genius ear that speaks directly to the emotions is, to me, what sets Eddie apart.
I saw an interview with EVH where he said he got his idea to "shred" using his right hand that way from watching Jimmy Page in concert, playing a riff using only his left hand and NO right hand. He thought: "Well, if you can do that with one hand (left hand), imagine what you could do if you tried it with BOTH hands".
And rock guitar was forever changed.
I just recently saw a video of Frank Zappa in the early 70s and he was tapping. Nothing as refined as EVH, but definitely tapping.
I saw footage of Rory Gallagher tapping before Eddie. But Eddie took it to a whole new level.
I saw Rory Gallagher open for Rush around '83. Some Irish dude with us was so excited, I never had heard of him then or since lol.
@Vanessa JazP He actually learned tapping from his former Mammoth band mate Dennis Travis, who I think had been inspired by Rory Gallagher, Jimmy Page, etc.
@@skierpage There's tapping like Hackett did, and there's tapping like EVH did. They're both "tapping", but they're not the same. Nobody did it like EVH before EVH.
Here again, after hearing that Eddie Van Halen has died, 10/6/2020. RIP to an absolute legend and innovator of the instrument, and genre.
Nothing since has come anywhere near that 1st Van Halen record. Perhaps the most groundbreaking guitar album of all time. It still blows me away.
Rising force, beano and are you expirienced were near to me...not that anyone asked.
Instantaneously everyone went from low slung les pauls playing with 3 fingers on the fretboard to high slung strats with 4 fingers and the thumb half way down the back of the neck like a classical player, a wammy and humbucker on the bridge. Saturday at the guitar store had been about stairway to heaven, now it was about eruption
Criss Oliva is my fave guitarist , knowing that the guy came onto the scene at exact same time as Eddie is astonishing because of well both guitarists shred, both guitarists have out of this world ability, guitarists have different inspirations and different genres but still they both shred
I was 20 years old in "83" when i was walking through the park and some kid was playing "far beyong the sun' and I said,
he makes Eddie..(whom i adore), sound like Mic Mars.
Gary more... John Sykes.... Randy Rhoads
"Shredding" is a little bit like slapping on bass. It is very easy to hit sensory overload where more, faster and better has lost any incremental value and musicality is totally lost. Oversaturation of receptors, sort of.
It's all about songwriting. A lot of these RUclips guitarists are great players, but like Rick said, most of them are not attached to a big name band. In my opinion, it seems like somewhere along the line, songwriting and virtuoso guitar playing somehow became separated. If songwriting and virtuoso playing can get back together, then there could be another shred movement that the general public can attach itself to, or at least identify with. It may not be as big as what happened in the late 70s-early 80s, but at least the public will know about it.
Joe Satriani is a virtuoso player, but he also writes great instrumental songs with memorable melodies and hooks, it's not just mindless shredding. Mark Tremonti is another amazing shredder, but he is the first to say that he's a songwriter first, shredder second.
That’s true but how much airtime is Satriani getting these days? Satriani, Vai, PG of Mr Big... were selling loads of albums and had hit songs that got airtime. The average person today has no idea who they are now. So something else has changed in the landscape.
Mark Knopfler is a well respected guitarist but if you follow him you know he is more of a songwriter than a guitarist. Well both really. He continues to produce music as good as he ever did, imo... yet not nearly as popular as he was in the 70s and 80s.
This exactly. Rick said at the very start it wasn't just EVH's chops that made them into superstars, it was their tons of hit songs that played constantly on the radio. Radio, spotify, all these platforms pretty much care about two things. Songs and name recognition. If you don't already have the name to release what you want and have it go viral, then you NEED the songs. And if you can throw a great guitar solo in there you can make all the old rockers happy too.
Well said, totally agree !
Steven, there's some truth in what you are saying but in the end it doesn't matter if there isn't an audience. The promotion is what has been lacking, I believe.
Hello Rick, little story about Van Halen's debut album, I once again went to my favorite record shop in Wiesbaden, Germany, around spring 1978, when I walked in, "You really got me" was playing, the guys in the shop were really excited, what a guitar riff, amazing, then the other songs, no question the record was mine! I played the record to all my friends and they all loved it. This guitar playing was just amazing. As luck would have it, I went to Amsterdam, Netherlands with a friend for the weekend of May 6th, 1978, did so occasionally around this time, a beautiful city, the canals, the atmosphere, the coffee shops, the clubs and right there Saturday Van Halen played at Paradiso, the best club in Amsterdam for live music. What a concert, what an experience, Van Halen live, breathtaking! Still one of my best live concerts I've seen. R.I.P. Eddie! He has definitely influenced the style of many bands and guitarists. Greetings from Germany Charles
It should be noted that Van Halen walking out on stage and performing a stand-alone guitar solo i.e eruption was as important as the techniques he introduced. It is the rock guitar blue print which today is unmatched. Nobody walks out on a stage and performs solo guitar the way Eddie does nor have they ever. Maybe Jimi Hendrix national anthem but even that is very different. Eddie performing solo guitar is also the parallel to Andres Segovia for classical and Joe Pass Virtuoso in jazz. Eddie set the standard hard Rock blue print of "how to perform solo guitar." The same way they did in those categories.
Mathew Reichardt Mahine Gun QED
Hmmm...me thinks thou hast not experienced much of the music world. Eddie was definitely the most mainstream popular player do this...but by no means does that make him the best or only. There are several extremely talented players with epic showmanship who stake their entire careers on being the only one on stage, or at the very least are the front and center of the entire act. Also, if it is unmatched and not even done by other mainstream acts, then by definition it is NOT a blueprint. Eddie's solos and VH pop song structure was the blueprint that gave us the train wreck that we used to call Hair Bands or Hair Metal...thank you for the epic playing Eddie, but FU for creating the movement that brought us grown men in Neon Spandex and cases of Aquanet sprayed in their hair.
@@verigone2677
EVH is my favy of all time, but if someone wanted critique the structure of his solos I wouldn't get butt hurt.
@@verigone2677 In a way I'm glad that VH functioned as a lightning conductor and detoured the masses from the awesome bands, which in turned never grew too big to let the music industry poison their souls.
@@Pincer88 yeah, I can dig what you are saying there. Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Talking Heads, Metallica...the list goes on. All eventually huge acts that were allowed to do their own thing relatively unpolluted since all of the Cookie Cutter Hair Bands were taking most of the attention.
The best thing about EVH was he wrote terrific songs to start with and the pyrotechnics were frosting on a tasty cake. Guitar virtuosos where the only point is showing off are pretty boring. Songs first please.
Michael Gazda agreed
you are correct! nailed it
Michael Gazda exactly right. Guitarists like Yngwie Malmsteen and that guy from Dragonforce might be able to play a million notes per second, but that doesn't necessarily make good music.
This is the most spot on comment of this whole conversation...
Michael Gazda Exactly! Pyrotechnics is the sex of music, but composition is the love.
I remember the first time I heard Eruption:
It was 2003, and I was in my car listening to the radio on my way back to my apartment from a college class.
I know I was way late to the game, but my mind was still blown, and appreciation is appreciation.
same thing for me with Deep Purple, just (almost) 20 years earlier 😉😎
Because of the corona restrictions, we've had to stay more at home these days, and what have we been listening to in these home sitting days?
Spotify reports that many people are seeking back music from the 80s, 90s and 2000s, and it is a global trend. So it's my hope that the guitar music from the 80s will inspire younger generations. (yeah... I know I know... it's a lot of disco, pop and one hit wonders from that time too...)
Rick , it's not that guitar virtuosity is dying or any kind of instrument mastery for that matter. There are always going to be gifted individuals that exhibit super musical talents in any instrument. It is the audiences that have changed, both in quantity and quality, and the social environment into which music is applied. Music popularity is a reflection of society. The arts in general are always a reflection of the socio-economical reality. We live in a world where the middle class - the prime consumer and creator of music- across the globe, is being ,at best, shrunk. The average person struggles to afford the basics nowadays. There's no room for "luxuries" like concerts and music buying in any format. There's also limited free time so that the music, if any purchased, will be adequately explored and appreciated. We also live in a world where stupidity, narcissism and apathy are promoted. We are being manipulated back into a tech-controlled tribal state. There is no place in that world for a high complexity and high emotion musical output product like ,for example, Yes, Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa, Elton John etc... It has no audience to express and the corporations that run the game either don't understand it and/or don't want it. Music is a pattern. A high complexity sound wave pattern. Patterns can contain and transmit messages. Humans learn by imitation. We imitate what we see , what we taste and what we hear. The higher the complexity of the sound pattern the denser and stronger the message. Our brains have evolved by replicating patterns and/or pattern complexity. Complex music (and that most definitely includes virtuosity and virtuoso guitarists) does not have a majority "vector" to surpass the stupidity and sterilization of our times. Complex music can also have therapeutic effects, it can help you get through difficult times or even create a common social pulse that can spark a revolution...Music nowadays is designed and approved by scientists for the purpose of keeping us all in a neutral state. Just go to a gym for example. The first VH record (and not only) screams "free society, prosperous middle class, rebellion, conviction, strong self-determination, love, recklessness, having a good time, independence, youth, hope, power" to name a few. That is my humble opinion. Love your channel , you are doing the work of an angel. Take care.
Excellent post!
Aris Alamanos Very well said!
Totally agree!!!
Well stated, Aris. But in the future, please use multiple paragraphs - that massive run-on was tough to read.
Dead Wrongo, (sorry, couldn't help myself).
Kids R kids, 'n kids gotta NOT do whatever Ma 'n Pa do, or listen 2.
Surely U remember "turn that crap down!" & "don't U kids know any nice songs?"!
It ain't 'bout pollyticks or socioeconomic blah blah blah blah. Sheesh.
Edward Van Halen is not from this Planet, he is from another Universe. I was a senior in High School when Van Halen 1 came out, it blew everyone's mind.
Before Van Halen I, no one sounded like Van Halen. After the release, everyone wanted to sound like Van Halen. That was the impact.
True. But, that had happened before with Jimi Hendrix. Everybody who heard Hendrix wanted to play like him, even other fantastic guitarists who were his contemporaries (Clapton, Page, Townshend, etc.) And that had happened even earlier when Chuck Berry burst onto the scene. Eddie Van Halen became the virtuoso he was by standing on the shoulders of all the greats who came before him. Eddie, in fact, often told the story of him in high school spending endless hours learning to play every Clapton song note-for-note. Every rock guitarist in history has been influenced by those who came before.
Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt would say, guitar solos will never die under his watch. Extreme's new album Six is Nuno's tribute to Eddie Van Halen. Great stuff!
Joe Satriani "surfing with the alien"
Steve Vai "passion and warfare"
Yngwie "rising force"
imo influence guitarist in the early 80's, we were moved by this virtuoso back then.
Bey Zam Out of the three albums which you have mentioned, only one was released during the early 80s..
Chuck, Jimi, Eddie and Yngwie were the biggest game changers.
@@beerdrinker8514 Yngwie's Rising Force was released in 83 and Surfing with the Alien came out in 87.
Steve Kaynan Exactly, only Rising Force out of those three was released during the early 80s except it’s 84 not 83. Passion and Warfare was not even released during the 80s.
@@beerdrinker8514 right on I see what you're saying. Actually I think Passion & Warfare was 1990!
People talk about Eddie’s shred skill and his song writing. And those two things are key. But a third element for me, which takes him over the top, is his sense of humor. Not lyrically, but rather in the way he injects his sense of humor in his playing. The “smile factor”, if you will. I nearly always find myself smiling or laughing during one of his solos, partly because of the technical aspect, and also because he plays some of the most unexpected and crazy stuff just at the right time. I think the humor part is what is usually missing when other players tried to cop his style. Vai and Satch had some of that... but most did not. I’m looking at you Kip Winger.
Kip Winger plays bass.
tbomberus so... bass lines can’t be fun and unexpected? I don’t get your point. Not all musicians are guitar players.
You're right. That little grin of his, that told he he was enjoying himself, and maybe saying " bet you can't do this" was what made him special!!
@@baseboardmatt Your original comment was about EVH,and other players copying his style,which would imply guitarists. You then brought up 2 more guitar players as examples.Kip Winger was kind of an odd choice,then.
His playing is fun, which is something everyone should aspire to. Not to mention very melodic. He played stuff that was always interesting. That's brilliance that goes beyond shred skill for sure.
I was thinking about this the other day as I watched a video of one of today's guitar gods where he turned a 2:30 classic from 1970 into a 7+ minute display of technique and virtuoso playing. Ear fatigue set in about the 5 minute mark.
Something that always set Eddie and Randy apart to me was their lyrical and melodic sensibility.
Eruption notwithstanding, their leads support the song. Not the other way around.
If you're going to play something that only a small percentage of people can listen to and appreciate that's fine but the audience is limited.
Throw a kick ass solo into a good song and it makes magic.
I remember a great friend of mine back in the day, showed me his new record.... VH1. Was blown away at the sounds. He also got me hooked on Pink Floyd and Def Leppard. So I then grew up loving rock music. Will never forget hearing those albums for the first time, priceless. Nothing today even comes close, sad.
You mention the Eddie Van Halen effect. It was in that it raised the bar instantly in the rock arena. However, virtuosos had been around for awhile. Certainly Jan Akkerman of Focus was a virtuoso in every sense of the word. We had the great fusion players, Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin, Paco Delucia, Steve Morse not to mention countless other great jazz guitarists.
What is missing today is great song writing. Van Halen may have been a virtuoso but they had great songs. Songs that were fun, had hooks.
I remember going to see Yngwie Malmsteen after his Rising Force album. He was opening for AC/DC. I could have cared less about AC/DC. But after about 25 minutes of Yngwie I became bored. He took songs which already had enough virtuosity and hammed them up to a point of being irritating. So on the stage comes AC/DC. I must say they blew Yngwie off the stage. Why? Because they had a show. They had great songs and great stage presence. Angus while good is no Yngwie. But they brought one hell of a show.
That is what is missing.
Don Smith Oddly enough Jan was Dutch. Eddies is Dutch Indo. I saw Focus I think at The Santa Monica Civic.
Van Halen played at Avio a Dutch Club in Anaheim. My Wife’s parents were good friends with his parents. Back to Jan he may have been Dutch Indo also. Golden Earring were all I think Dutch Indo also. Just a little trivia here for you.
@@williamchristian8705 I enjoyed your comment. Actually one of favorite other bands is also Dutch. Kayak the progressive rock band.
Jan Akkerman to was to me a complete guitar virtuoso. He plays blues,rock,jazz and classical with equal ease. He is sort of the Steve Morse of the Netherlands.
I have watched him for hours here on RUclips the days of playing classical lute pieces. And he is still playing well into his 70s.
Eddie Van Halen is a great guitarist but I feel he should have been much greater considering the way he came on the scene. But, he never ventured much past the music of Van Halen the rock band, which is a shame. I know he was inspired by the genius guitarist Allen Holdsworth RIP. You hear a little bit of Allen's style in Drop Dead Legs.
I went to that tour as well! I was a huge Malmsteen fan back then but AC/DC really did have a 10x better show!
Amen, Don Smith. Well said.
@Don Smith
I also went with some of my friends to see AC/DC with Yngwie Malmsteen who opened the show in September 1985. Two of my friends were also guitar players like myself and none of us were blown away with Yngwie Malmsteen. The simple reason being his playing was overkill... Yes, he's technically brilliant and very articulate, not to mention extremely fast, but after several minutes of hearing arpeggios and scales at lightening speed with no other dynamics we started getting bored and our attention wandered.
IMHO if Yngwie would've played catchy hooks and riffs along with melodic rhythm's and also some dynamics in his playing like Jimmy Page used to do with light and dark loud and soft adding contrast he wouldn't have come off so boring.
But as you already stated AC/DC just put on one hell of a show that night and even Angus upped his playing a couple of notches by playing very tasteful two handed tapping during his solo spot all while rolling around on the floor to wow the audience! 👍🎸 😎
I don't think guitar driven instrumental music will ever really be 'mainstream' again, but it's good to manage expectations and know who your audience is and the niche you exist in. And there definitely still is an audience for this type of music. The crazy thing for me is that new technologies and business models are emerging that make it possible not only to get your music out to people, but also to create and record music in your own home. I've managed to quit a full-time job and become a full time musician from recording and releasing music independently.
And while I mentioned knowing your niche earlier, I think it's safe to say that guitar music is not just on RUclips or Instagram. Sure, you may find out about amazing guitar players on those platforms but instrumental acts have already been out touring and building careers for themselves. Acts like Animals as Leaders like you mentioned in the video, Plini, CHON and many others are out on the road touring, selling records to a dedicated audience and making music their career. I'm lucky to have been able to do the same, having been around the world touring and working full time as a musician for over 2 years.
Would it be nice to see this instrumental guitar music in the mainstream? Maybe. But I'd rather focus on the amazing opportunities that have presented themselves to people like me that weren't there 10 or 15 years ago instead of thinking about 'what ifs'.
My man
When you releasing the next album
So it seems that Sithu Aye us not a guitar player perhaps judging by his last paragraph. I and me is all i see between the lines. Next...
Sithu is actually one of the few people pushing the modern shreddy guitar movement forward
I can only speak from experience of my own music career and my experience of the industry. Although your ability to discern whether people play guitar simply from RUclips comments is quite uncanny if completely inaccurate.
what made guitarists like edward van halen or jimmy page such icons wasnt just their virtuosity it was their abilty to craft songs as a platform for their particular genius, i've noticed that the guitarists i love the most are also songwriters like brian may (queen) jimmy Hendrix and ace frehely (KISS)
Rick, I still remember the moment I heard Van Halen for the first time. I was driving to the town just south of where I lived and I actually pulled the car over and listened in stunned amazement. I grew up idolizing Clapton, Beck and Page and my immediate thought at hearing the attack and drive of the guitar was that whoever it was playing had somehow slammed all of their most aggressive styles into one place and then shifted three gears higher. It was sublime.
This album changed my life! I had no idea what Eddie was doing!
After learning how to play some EVH standards I realized how much I overrated his lead playing and underrated his rhythm playing...
With all the young kids I see wearing Zep/Kiss/Journey, etc t-shirts and listening to their music, another Jimmy Page/Brian May/EVH will someday come along. I sure hope so...music needs it.
I'm a school teacher. They may be wearing the band logos, but it's because they bought the clothes at Hot Topic at the mall. It has nothing to do with the music.
lol well.... depends on where you're from... I mean from where I'm from our school has atleast 2 whole classes that listens to Rock and Metal...
I'm just a 14 yr old Japanese lead guitarist I have a band named "Krystal" We play thrash and Prog
Seung Kirishima This is what I am talking about. You young people will save the world. 😊👍
I'm a teenager and can tell you, that there are only a 2 people in my class, who like good old rock. Me and a friend
It will be me
I'm glad Nuno is getting some shoutouts.
Hands down my favorite guitarist of the era.
The New Generations seems to like Music from the past where guitar solos happened and like it as well. So is a matter of time that the guitar solos are incorporated in a new way to the music of today.
very inciteful ... hope it comes true
Rick, ... The Van Halen Effect ...
I recall this picture in my memory ...
A gas station, evenings, north of Houston, early 80's ...
An unreal, metallic blue z28, and out of the car's unreal speakers comes a just-as-unreal "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol. The combination of that environment, the sounds, the machines, the smell ...
The Van Halen Effect, and the rock music connected to this feeling of a world on steroids was an expression of a world that felt as if there were no end to rocket-powered progress.
A wonderful feeling of super-charged engines and a music carried on powerful electronics onto speaker cabs that could blow ones pants off.
EVH, a centerpiece of THE ICONS, ejaculating his insane sounds with super-human ease onto us, like gasoline on a raging fire.
Huge stages, huge amps, huge sounds, huge engines, ... muscular shapes painted metallic blue.
The times have changed.
The most powerful rock bands nowadays have to get their gear into the hand-luggage and basically are hooking up maxed-out, refined bed-room metal rigs to club PAs.
We hear intricate models of amp sounds and recording rigs on full range, DSP controlled, active speaker systems.
It is the power of the original experience condensed into bytes, recorded to silicon wafers.
It's the expression of what we have today:
We are no longer super-charged by ridiculously cheap oil and we have to be smart about our investments, our footprint, our consumption, our data, and our channels to publish on.
The kids know that even better than whoever still has the memory of those blue Camaros.
The Camaros are a memory, once valid for their time. But they are a memory not worth holding on to.
Yes, the kids would like to have the promise of a future as well!
Just as we did.
So, you are asking, will there be guitar super heroes again?
Someday, some kid will suddenly show up, seemingly from nowhere, have the right moves, the right attitude, the right appearance, the right message, the right channels, ... and a guitar strapped over the shoulder and (s)he will blitz everyone who gets it (or refuses to get it) with an indescribable combination of impulses that will take years to understand and fire up the channels with fascination and awe.
There will be no secret except what unfolds while this figure is on fire.
And for a generation from there on, the followers will find things to analyze and assimilate, creating the halo that this figure will have left us with.
Rick, ... an electric guitar is a sexy, perfect piece of ergonomics.
It's a powerful canvas that's easy to learn and has a user interface that anyone can relate to.
It demands authenticity and devotion but, in the right hands, it projects uncompromisingly to the senses. Anyone can see and hear what is happening.
It has the power of an orchestra.
It's immediate.
The electric guitar has survived and adapted to a lot of changes in technology.
And, of course, there will be someone coming again!
This time, not blasting out of Camaros on gas stations ... but the kids will know where to find it.
And if you stick out long enough, you may be one of the first to go and analyze what was going on on that user interface and in the process of getting hold of that fascination (we used to call this "production").
When it's there, you will know it.
Be mindful of what your kids and their friends will be bringing home.
Peace
You said it yourself, Rick. VH wouldn't have gotten anywhere without great songs. Watching a guy play over a track on youtube interests me for about a minute, if that.
That said, even if someone has great songs today in the "classic rock" tradition, are they likely to become culturally relevant? With youtube, etc., it's easier than ever to get your music "out there." But without a radio format to play that type of music, is it likely to ever break through into the mainstream?
Problem is that most of the general public today aren't interested in 'classic rock'. Most of them are still stuck in auto-tune-land.
Greta Van Fleet; look em up
Why would anyone give a single band answer like GVF to a complicated question? Kinda like saying you can be successful in business by pointing out a lottery winner.
NoiseFeedMusic OK, got it. I took it wrong originally, thinking more along the lines of making the switch from YT to mainstream.
I've heard them. Never been a big Zeppelin fan.
Rick, you’re a genius. What a great analyze of the guitar virtuoso movement since the seventies.
Will the awesome guitar solo come back in popular music? No, and for two reasons. Overall the amount of media and entertainment offers makes it less likely for youngsters to stick to his or hers practicing - if things becomes hard they most likely swipe - and similar important the incentive for becoming truly superior has disappeared. Big contracts, big venues and radio AirPlay are no longer offered. The world as we know it has truly changed 😞
The key with the 80s players is that they had great singles as opposed to an onslaught of nothing but deedley deedley deedley. Take out the guitar solos and Van Halen would still be great, the solos are the icing on the cake. YMMV.
I think you meant to say widlee, widlee, widlee. But I get your point.
Precisely! Many people tend to ignore how amazing of a rhythm player Eddie Van Halen is. The manner in which he used pinch harmonics and the whammy bar in his rhythm work was groundbreaking for its time - not only did it look cool, but it added a new dimension of creativity to rock and metal guitar playing as well. Weedlee-deedlee-deedlee can only take you so far - it is either your songwriting or your innovative work on the instrument that will make you an iconic or at the very least a memorable guitar player (which is something many Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix detractors do not understand).
Dance The Night Away is one of the most beautiful rhythm pieces ever made, and in my opinion one of the top VH hits. No solos in that tune.
Hair metal still overstayed its welcome though. LOL!
Also I think it's forgotten that bands like The Yardbirds were pop, and were trying to make pop hits...what is called hard rock or heavy metal today in the 60s was still just pop for kids. My mom likes to point out that Hendrix opened for the Monkees.
I started playing classical guitar at age 8, and by 12 had picked up a lot of rock guitar including Zepplin, etc... to the point where I was playing with other musicians who were much older. The year that Van Halen album came out, they bought tickets to their show at the Long Beach Arena, and I saw them without ever hearing the album. It absolutely blew my mind! And I spent the next five years trying to be Eddie Van Halen. Some of the other stuff you failed to mention was his use of the whammy, and picking harmonics with your right hand, among other very creative tricks on the guitar. His stuff still blows my mind!
Alex lifeson is often overlooked as a pioneer of instrumentals.
Calling him a pioneer is stretching it. He is s great player maybe underrated but he just pales in comparison to his peers in prog rock like Howe or Hackett
@@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266 I agree with you there, Howe is on another level (or two) from Lifeson. I do love Alex Lifeson's playing, he is/was a big influence on my playing and I do have him to thank for leading me to Steve Howe.
@@simonbrown7002 Rush had 3 members that contributed equally to their music. Hard to find for sure.
Lol. Yeah, Rush just never gets any credit.
along with Buckethead
I don't think it's dead, but the most impactful solos are played within great songs. I think that's what's changed. I grew up in the 70's with so many great songs with great guitar work like you mentioned.
Great video with amazing memory of all those people you walked us through. Thanks!
There are so much virtuoso on the web that Boring me.....a lot.
The question is, where is music ? Where are composers? We need something new a new 80' era
Usually great composers are not virtuoso so we need good music writers and than virtuosismo on it.
Virtuosity is nothing without good music!!!!
tormaks EXACTLY, music is not a meritocracy!
yes, this generation doesn't understand that very well. Just write a good song... it doesn't have to be technical.
No, most great composers were virtuosos on at least one instrument.
tormaks bingo!!
Yeah, I'm gonna be cocky and say I write songs but I'm no virtuoso. Can't wait to release my album :) I love 80s rock/metal music
Alt Country and Amercana Rock are still packing guitar solos. Not really in the style of Van Halen but they combine top notch songwriting with guitar driven music. Drive by Truckers and Jason Isbell are some good examples
I remember in the 70's even the legend Wolfman Jack talking about Eddie, nobody since Hendrix had influenced guitar players like Ed.
Nothing truly inspires me to play, record, or just listen to music more than your videos @RickBeato. Sincerely, I thank you for giving us the gift of education we would otherwise have little to no access to otherwise. Have a great sir!
A man with out music, is a man with out soul
yep that's across the board, and well said. As a musician, I purchased a 5 acre property. So much to do, I quit playing a few years and my happiness level really dropped. Started back up and got back to happy!
Rip to Eddie Van halen one of the greatest guitarist of all time you will be missed.
Why "rip" him when he's already dead? Rest in peace is properly abbreviated R.I.P.*. Put in some effort, if you mean it.
Guitar solos aren't dead. Mainstream music is. Online platforms is where the money is at.
Actually, it was the solos that got so long that turned people away from rock music. There can be too much of a good thing.
Try telling that to millenials and they will tell you your old listening to guitars
@@zdravkomomci7570 ok boomer
@@zdravkomomci7570 not true
You said everything. Today, mainstream produces, with no shame, cheap simplified music for a mass that doesn't really like music. They simply pay for a product that's wrapped up and labelled as cool or as the new trend, and then criticise those who disagree.
It's encouraging that online music platforms such as Drumeo and Guitareo have so many subscribers. They're getting a lot of people hooked on playing rock and other genres.
Guthrie Govan for babies! Love it !!!
my two daughters had a steady stream of pink floyd as babies... I even bought 2 albums from "for babies" website... my 1st daughter would alternate each week between Pink floyd the wall, to Mozart ("hits" if you will). she just got her report card (1st yr) and shes excelling in music class.
@ Icecream Inc That is awesome and truly great taste in music !
That's so cool! My son listened to Pink Floyd from within his mom's womb. She said she could feel him move in there as if he was swaying to it. He is 28 and still is a fan of Pink Floyd, and he likes all kinds of other types of good music as well. :)
Start’em early
His work with the Aristocrats, and the band in general seems to be doing fine. First time in years I am actually buying music to support a band!
I don't know why so many dismiss Eruption as this one song as EVH just trying to show off in *Hey, I can tap!* as well as being a bunch of non musical guitar noises. EVH changed the world, and is in my opinion just as prominent as the greats like Eric Clapton, Hendrix, etc. Heck without him, I wouldn't be playing guitar right now, and probably neither would an insane amount of other guitarists after him!
Ahh pretty true my msn
It sucks that EVH got famous for introducing tapping when it was already a thing. He won the race though and the band was damn complimentary to his sound. Wish that one guitarist (Steve Lynch I believe) had gotten credit for tapping. He was much better at it but he failed to launch his sound. Eddie didn't.
It's funny, because Eddie VH kind of made the guitar solo big again. Don't forget in 1978, the music industry was dominated by punk and disco.
Teddy Egan not much of a late 70s rock fan but wasn’t there a bunch of bands like journey, foreigner, reo speedwagon, boston, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, etc That got much more air time than punk?
Ted Nugent, KISS & AC/DC Vs the disco era LOL. I recall very much.
I love punk music but it was not dominant in terms of mainstream music. It was always a side thing (at least until Nirvana came along). The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, the Clash, The Jam... they were influential on other musicians, but none of them were huge commercially- certainly not in America. The Clash probably came the closest to massive mainstream success, but right as they were getting big (with "Rock the Casbah" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go") they broke up.
@@MrX-wk5eu What???!!! No LOVE for Frank Zappa?????? Zappa on a stage... with a VOX wah pedal in the middle position---- and an SG in hand... was PRETTY FUCKING AMAZING. And a hell of a lot more interesting/original then ALL the EVH CLONES that came along in the mid 80's 😀 And about as FEARLESS a musician/guitarist/composer as they get! ✌️out
@@sunlion8866 Well Mr Zappa (is it OK to call him that lol) is kind of in a league all his own...........Definitely a heavy hitter player
VH1 and 1984 were perfect albums .. not only were they full of great songs but Eddies genius was in not over doing the flash tricks .. his playing was always serving the song, never just gratuitous flash solos just for the sake of it. RIP Eddie.
Loved the video, especially hearing about when you first listened to the record, and seeing all of those guitar virtuoso clips!
Thanks Nahre! If any of you like to see piano shredding you should subscribe to Nahre‘s channel. You won’t be disappointed!
You should do a hard rock for classical video.
Maiden still tours w three lead guitars .... huge arena venues and lots of young kids there taken by parents. Yngwie also tours smaller venues and I was shocked by the diversity of the crowd. Definitely these guys are not going away.... question is what new guys can compete at the same level
Maiden likes to write “horsey ride” songs, which make you want to pump your fist like Braveheart. I love them for that. Also they work harder than most to stay relevant, play to their niche, and have such a good time playing live that they inspire some of the most fiercely loyal fans in the metal world!
dude VH aside from being very skilled on the instrument kinda happened to write some pretty big hit songs in his day
@@Universaguitar Wazzup big Eddie?
@@davegoldsmith173 hey David waz up !!
Everything comes back around my friends
You here again?
They changed my life in a Big way!!
Went to see as many shows as I could in ‘77’78’79 and 1980 later the MOR festivals in 1984.
My opinion of shredding after Van Halen I is it sounds too polished and mathematical. I do like Vai and a few others but there was something great about Eddie's shredding as it sat inside the song and always complimented the song. It didn't feel like showing off. I believe Eddie will go down as a great composer as well. Much more than just shredding!
Van Halen when you strips him down of the flashy techniques and eighties effects is rock'n roll down to the core. It's not rooted in neo-classical/shred whatever, played super clean and sterile like a speed contest, it's rooted in dirty good ole rock'n roll and rythmic feel. (coupled with David Lee Roth antics, it's Aerosmith on steroids).
All the followers didn't have that rock'n roll roots down despite the pandering and cocky attitude, they thought they could pile on super fast solos on cookie cutter hair glam songs that don't groove like typical rock'n roll and don't have that freestyle feel in the guitar playing, it's all too calculated.(Van Halen is notorious for playing fills that don't repeat from verse to verse or injecting whatever variations spurring in his mind like Hendrix so you get different interpretations most of the time that isn't note for note. that's the spirit of rock'n roll).
Rock'n roll is about spontaneity but 99% of those hair metal bands didn't sound spontaneous at all in their playing, it was all canned, rehearsed to death to fit a trend.
howzaou812 I was 14 when VH came out. We couldnt wait with each new record just to hear not only the solos but just the wicked fills and dive bombs. Got to see them live on Fair Warning tour. Freakin general admission. Craziest show Ive ever been to.
For me Van Halen sounds like someone who is just becoming aware of fast tapping and legato and randomly use it on a regular hard rock sound. Even if it may sound killer, composition wise, I find it really boring.
Eddie can make a guitar sound like it’s falling apart
Sometimes, Eddie's solos have a build to a "here comes the awesome part" kind of announcement that may occur at the beginning or even halfway through the solo. Then all hell breaks loose.
Van Halen's best skill is how he chooses to get back to the song.
What's interesting is that if you flip around on your radio, you'll still find a dominant classic rock station in every market. The guitar solo is as pervasive as ever in the playlists that feature 60's/70's/80's rock. Many of the classic guitar-centric bands from these eras are still out there filling up venus - but the people bringing us fresh guitar-oriented rock are totally ignored. If Derek Trucks, Joe Bonamassa, Guthrie Govan, Greg Koch, and many other contemporary guitar virtuosos had been on the scene in 1975, classic rock stations would be playing them non-stop today. I think the big problem is that radio became totally corporate, and pursuit of profits - not promotion of excellence became the driving force. We get spoonfed music that is designed to be hit-material, but we're never provided with alternatives. We don't get a choice to listen to song A versus B versus C - and then make a choice about what's really great (which often would include a lot of brilliant guitar-oriented rock with nice solos). It's like the critics who always trashed Van Halen, or Journey, or Def Leppard, Kansas, or ACDC, etc. just eventually outlasted the industry and somehow took over. People can blame grunge, hip-hop, slick loop-based pop etc., but I don't think there's any lack of people who still like rocking music with virtuosic skill - just a lack of people in positions of control who are willing to give it to them. Incidentally, you still hear some pretty impressive guitar solos in country music - but I just can't stand to listen to that genre very much. Plus, aside from Keith Urban, Brad Paisley and a handful of others, there really aren't many established guitar heros. You know that about 90% of what you're hearing is just some studio whiz that probably looks like your grand-dad.
Tony....... Well said. It seems like more country guitar players including Urban and Paisley receive had a lot more airtime than any modern (2000-2018) guitar player in the rock 'n roll realm nowadays
I think you're onto something. The real question is, how or why did the "canon" of "classic rock" come to be closed? (In other words, it is either considered an oxymoron - or at least practically impossible - to record and present new "classic" rock music.) That would be a great topic for Rick's next video.
You nailed it. Why don't we have new classic rock? Pain and simple. For instance, why don't we hear Rush's Clockwork Angels tracks alongside Moving Pictures tracks? The Nu-Rock channels are out there, but they seem to be minor players. Why don't the classic rock stations unite with the new rock and help build a fanbase for future guitar-oriented bands. It's like the Nu-Rockers are hung out to dry on the fringe.
Here in Germany there aren't any rock radio stations at all anymore. It seems like hand made music is on the verge of disappearing. Business has taken over I guess.
Well, Joe Bonamassa has no songs that are worth listening to, and Derek Trucks is in the R&B/soul/blues field, which is a moderately sized market. Guthrie Govan writes music that is hard to listen to, and Greg Koch tends to be masturbratory to say the least. We need pop songs with guitar solos, basically, and pop's current format is starting to lean towards that being more and more possible.
I saw Van Halen on their first tour opening for Black Sabbath at the Oakland coliseum here in the Bay area. After Eddie did his eruption solo there was about a 5 second pause where everybody was thinking, what the hell was that. It then exploded in applause. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Half the people left when Black Sabbath came on. Ozzy said later it was the dumbest thing they ever did having Van Halen open
Rick you are the best with bringing perspective to the table. Thank you!
The Beatles were turned down at Decca because guitar bands were on their way out! LOL! The guitar ain’t going nowhere! What comes around goes around... viva la guitar! 🎸
I like Nuno Bettencourt's other quote about EVH better. "Eddie turned playing guitar into The Olympics..."
No, it's everyone who tried to copy Ed without his musicality turned it that way. Ed's playing has never been about technique for technique's sake.
mikesteelheart he really did. About the time of your comment I remember a small guitar war started with people accusing others of speeding up their videos or prerecording. One guy put a video up and proved that he wasn’t faking and said that guitar isn’t a sport.
@@theboofin
He wasn't that great of a guitarist, but an outstanding musician. I know, I know, I always get hate for saying this, but its true. Beginners that can play every note, from his first 4 albums, are a dime a dozen, but *no one* can make it sound like Van Halen. He was innovative and expressive and that made it seem like he was a much better technician than he actually was. That's the way it should be.
* I say 'was', because he lost that edge, when he became more technically proficient and didn't need to rely as much on magic tricks.
@@MrMrilikepie1234
Guitar isnt a sport, but thrash is 🙄
Yep. That's true. Unlike some of the other legendary guitar genius players like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, etc. When VH blew up, it was all about speed. The '80s became nothing but how fast you can play on the solo. Speed was king. It really became horribly boring after an entire decade of that. EVH was the king, and everyone else, even if they were faster, just seemed like they were chasing his legacy. So that combined with the rest of the cookie cutter pattern to rock music back then needed to die out, and that's when Grunge took over.
I certainly hope it does come back. The likes of Clapton, Page, Blackmore and Hendrix are worth a million Sheerans and Gouldings. Music isn't dead but creatively it is stifled. There is relatively little uniqueness now. I would rather listen to ten minutes of Led Zeppelin than a day of Drake, Kanye and the other mindless clones that are shoved down our throats now
There's a ton of uniqueness in modern underground rock and metal. You just have to step away from mainstream music to find it, that's all.
@@sz5876 Opeth, Dream Theater, Tesseract, Haken, Leprous...
Mike Westbridge i bought a dream cd and i was bored. Did not finish it. Too perfect. No soul.
@@svenfigueroa312 Mind if I ask you which album it was?
Mike Westbridge i even deleted the name from my mind. Will check
Great topic of discussion to be had amongst all guitarists. I’ve noticed the same thing. While I’m older (41) and don’t really pay attention closely to the changing trends, I have noticed the explosion of social media virtuosos who’ve made a name for themselves and have had guitar and pedal companies back them with signature guitars, pedals, amps, you name it. I, myself, don’t know what to make of it. I won’t say it’s a bad thing or a good thing, it’s just the world we live in now and I’m ok with it. As long as people keep creating and finding ways to be awesome on guitar, keep it coming brother
If rock ever makes a comeback, it could only ever be in the form of a 70's reviveal in the sense of great songs, great musicianship but not over the top, great improv jamming, and contingent on musicians with interesting and entertaining personalities, like it used to be.
Stiff Richard
Great musicians are generally not nearly pretty enough to be popular these days.
@@powbobs and that's the biggest problem with modern pop imo. It's too focussed on the person behind it and not on the music itself. The fact that you pretty much NEED to be a sellout to even make a living in music thesw days doesn't help either.
The Beato effect!
I picked up my first electric guitar at age 8 or 9. I am now in my mid 20s, and I am still not half the musician I want to be, but for some reason I can’t stop playing.
Rick, I love all of your videos that you're putting on RUclips, you are so much inspiration, I stop playing guitar about 15 years ago or more, because I'm married and I had two kids, but watching your videos actually I'm starting to practice again, thank you.
Too often when Eddie is being discussed everything he’s done gets reduced to his tapping technique. I really hate that. He wrote some of the best riffs ever and he’s an amazing rhythm guitarist as well. This video did a pretty good job of not falling into that trap
Bmore Bob EVH has a great sense of rhythm, and his ‘bouncy’ bluesy style is incredible. Before listening to his lead playing, I would encourage anyone to listen to his rhythm playing FIRST.
Absolutely, everybody forgets how awesome his rhythm playing is
Aint Talkin Bout Love. What a rythem and sound.
I would say Derek Trucks is a virtuoso and he's making his living on the road.
Guitar virtuosity is making a comeback in mainstream music - Russ Parish (oops, I meant to say Satchel) is a guitar god with amazing ability (technically, song writing and stage presence), and is in a very popular, successful, awesome, amazing band. He is inspiring a whole new generation of guitarists.
I was 16 when that record came out. I wore out a vinyl copy of it, I still have it. That record changed my life. I sold my drum kit and bought a guitar.
I remember the first time I heard the end part of “Eruption” in ‘78! I honestly thought it was a keyboard!
Yeah...I thought it was a Jan Hammer style Moog-Synthesizer + overdriven tube amplifier
Oh, I knew it was a guitar. What I didn't know was how he was able to DO that.
Truth to tell: I was hooked from the first few moments of guitar sound on Runnin' With the Devil.
His tone....his freaking monster tone. It was almost like the rest of that album affirmed that yes, his guitar tone was great. Different from everyone else, with SO much gain and lovely harmonic overtones.
It was like Eruption didn't even surprise me.
Also, that wasn't really my favorite track, even for a player. I dug You Really Got me, On Fire, and my favorite track, probably of all of their songs - I'm the one. THAT song made my jaw drop. The perfect blending of great riffs, with great solos, and little tasty bits thrown in, as well.
I sure hope the guitar solos like the 80’s bands comes back, it will be sad to see them fade away.
As a guitar player heavily influenced by Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhonda, I’d love nothing more than seeing guitar based rock come back on the scene. I just don’t know if I can see it happening. But, I will say this. Eddie ushered in the guitar hero in 1978 with Eruption. It may be possible that his death will inspire others who never heard Van Halen or even heard of Van Halen But will be exposed through the massive media coverage and attention his passing will receive. That may be EVH’s parting gift to us. We’ll see.
That would be amazing
It used to really amaze me that Eddie didn't study music theory. However, he did study classical piano as a kid in the Netherlands and America. Classical music does lay down many of the fundamentals of theory, even if you don't formally learn chord/scale/ mode relationships, you Do play it, like "on the job training". I believe putting together solos that most 70s, blues-based players wouldn't know how to do was a result of the classical background, mixed with thousands of hours of workshopping and experimenting with Jazz, fusion, etc., but also still loving basic bluesy rock. It all came out "Van Halen style".
We lost Eddie 2 days ago, the end of an era. I grew up with page and Clapton and beck and Eddie. There are plenty of very talented guitarist out there but none of them are writing great songs. I hope that comes back around in my life but I’m not optimistic. Eddie, you will be missed and remembered always.
I'm happy you point out that grunge DOES have solo's
ya grunge had solos...but only stp and Alice in chains had good ones.Pearl jam was just 1 position pentaonics with awe full vibrato and phrasing,sound gardens were just unmusical nonsense,and Kurt's were just a joke.
Wrong, but nice try bro.
Calling Soundgarden unmusical, in this comment section, is...
...like suicide
Soundgarden unmusical, you really think that?!
Not good ones, mind you... but "solos" nevertheless!
A great guitar solo in a crap song is almost worthless. Also worthless (to me) is a solo without hooks. I can practically sing my favorite Page, Gilmour, May and a hundred other guys, solos from beginning to end. Many are like songs within the song. I like deedldy, deedldy, dee, as much as the next guy, but at the end of the day it's not how hard it is to play, but how memorable it is.
Agreed. I use George Harrison's solo in Something as an example of this. Its melody could have been used as an alternate vocal line. Clapton's solo on While My Guitar Gently Weeps is another example.
That's why Necrophagist is - and will always be - the best tech death bands. The songs and solos are actually incredibly memorable.
Agree. Eddie's playing is fast and flashy but I don't find his solos musically interesting. One great solo - George Harrison on "Octopus's Garden".
great take since that seems to be the pop trend
I agree about no hooks and (near) worthless. Gilmour's the classic guy here, always playing melodically and tastefully, little interest in speed or chops. Beck can be tricky or flashy, but is also very capable of emotion and melody, being super articulate and with beautiful phrasing and such subtlety w/ his touch. Trower, when he was big in the 70's, used to say if he could've sung he would've never learned guitar. It was all about the emotion of human voice for him. I totally agree w/ George Harrison comments, people that are good writers know how to play what matters. That's why Page is legendary, obviously not from technique. Sorry if preaching to the choir, probably inspired by Rick's 70's guitar and solo's comments. I remember hearing Eruption for the first time & being stunned. And I remember the hair on my arms literally standing up the first time I heard Mahavishnu Orchestra Birds of Fire. But simpler things speak more directly to me long term. Thanks Rick. Thanks everybody.
I sure hope that guitarist and their solos make a huge comeback like they deserve!
Hope to see a huge comeback of guitar solos, when people will start to use the brain the right way! Nowadays mainstream pop and rock is quite boring...but i think that soon a virtuoso soloist guitar player will come to earth and save us from today's rock and roll disaster!
By the way. Eruption, , just over 90 seconds and not a wasted note. Absolute perfection and still the standard forty years later
Good songs is what matters, that’s what lasts. EVH blew my head off when I was 13 too, and he still blows me away. No one can touch him even today. But, VH had great songs, especially on the first record. That’s really why we still talk about him. Satriani, Vai, Buckethead are amazing, but mostly guitar geeks (which I am proud to be) will care because they don’t have the same level of great songs as VH. Shredding isn’t as important to me anymore, as much as good songs, good music. Django wasn’t what I’d call a shredder, but that guy could really play some fantastic melodies and people still talk about him today. I love guitar music and as long as someone plays great music on guitar, there will be lots of fans. Practice your scales, but spend more time being creative and writing good songs.
I agree but it is not as simple as one thing vs the other there are players of their day like VH , Hendrix which would of made it with their hits but they would of been forgotten , but the fact that they shined i think is what makes them timeless . I mean i remember being bombarded with bands like REM and that kinda stuff back then they were huge made lot of money , but pretty much forgotten they just wrote good tunes or catchy songs which there is nothing wrong with but not epic !!
My heart cries out at a major loss of talent ! Thank you Rick !
If and only if rock bands can become more entrepreneurial about their music, and stop believing the myth that a record label will back them. For the most part youtube is where the van halen effect exists now. Record labels only invest in what will make them money. It is an industry of cool and what is trending. Rock bands also have to write better music than what's on the radio. People have to think "wow what is that!?". Maybe even funky or dancy. Something that is outside of the box but is still accessible. Even Dorje who is accessible to most musicians is not accessible to the general public for the most part. But the other problem is that the record industry has created a culture of music to be consumed and not enjoyed beyond that. Something that people can get drunk and dance to. It is the responsibility of rock musicians to show them a different way and to create platforms that show that music is beyond something to get drunk and dance to. Rock bands also need to realize that their competition/adversary is cell phones. Have people text you their info so they can get a song for free, that way you can grow an e-mail list and use that fact that people are so drawn to their phones to the artists' advantage. A band would have to exist to at least check all of those boxes to get somewhere and make money at the same time.
The main problem with guitar work is that it requires an attention span and the mind numbing pap pumped out by all platforms now appeals only to a generation of zombies who can't look away from their dumb phones for more than two seconds.
Rick,
You're videos are so informative, educational and inspiring. They have helped me to achieve great progress for my keyboard and sound production practicals at college.
Thank you for the amazing content.
James Chandler
from Durban, South Africa
Distortion typo 😉
Guthrie is a bit of an oddity 'cos he's a brilliant player but I also find it stuff pretty good to listen to and quite melodic. I think the main problem with solos now is that they're just not very good to listen to. I think many of them have amazing techniques in them, but they just don't sound melodic, you don't listen to them and think they're beautiful.
When you listen to lead work by say, Brian May, Kirk Hammett, Slash or even Kurt Cobain and Kim Thyall, they compliment the song, there is a melodic reason for them to exist over and above demonstration of technique.
I think guitar solos don't form important parts of popular songs anymore 'cos they're, on the whole, just not very good music.
Also, they hardly take any consideration other elements like the rythmic section (bass, drums etc.) which is key to having overall good quality music.
JDODify
Great comment, highly skilled players are often so focused on technique they forget the music, they play stuff only other musicians can understand and appreciate, but it turns off the the regular audience who hasn't studied music and are the vast mayority of people who listen to music.
something similar has happened to a lot of Jazz, once upon a time Jazz was suposed to be danced to, nowadays Jazz has become some kind of circlejerk where every musician is just showing off how much music theory understanding they have or how much technical skill they have, it's all too experimental, impossible to dance to, and again the average folks will never understand it, or enjoy it.
And neither are the songs themselves, for the most part.
I agree. ANY solo must serve the song, no matter what the instrument is. A little showing off now and then, especially live, is ok, of course. It's very subjective, and it depends on the moment, circumstances etc. but if you make SONGS or instrumentals, you are creating a more or less complex piece of music, not an audio guide to your skills for the sake of your pride. There is a blurred fine line between an amazingly technical solo (or even rearrangement) and crossing over into boasting-off-land. That goes for singers as well - you have a job to do, not points to score ;)
You mentioned Brian May. Now, granted I this is not his only work but - I don't know why - Who Wants To Live Forever came to mind -which he wrote. Now, that solo is nothing super special, and not even his best 'chops', yet, IMHO, it perfectlyl serves the song and its EMOTION, just like all the other elements do.
I was shocked too when I first heard VH back then but - again - it was not just an exceptional guitarist, but a solid band with great songs.
Have a listen to some of Guthrie's work with Steven Wilson e.g. "Drive Home": Guthrie's solo in that was from a rehearsal, so it's not his most perfect playing, but it is some of his most soulful. The solo serves the song through being a bit rougher than his usual work.
Rick, we are the same age. I can remember exactly where I was, and who I was with when I first heard that album. Our reaction was identical to yours. All of my friends played instruments, wanted to be rock stars, and had an enormously wide range of musical taste. Hard core music enthusiasts like us, who listen, really listen don’t exist amongst the younger generation. That in no way implies that the younger kids don’t enjoy music like we do. The presentation of music, the way it’s delivered, packaged and distributed has become a solo act for the consumer on RUclips or some other internet platform. Long are the days when you and your buddies went to the record store / headshop, met other kids there, talked to them, had a relationship with the store owner, and found out some new album was released. We sat and listened to the albums, read the album covers. We knew the names of the musicians, what instruments they played, learned the lyrics and went to see them live, because you could get a fifteen dollar concert ticket if you cut a few lawns or had a paper route. Those days are over. But there will always be those who will amaze us if we are willing to seek them out. RIP Eddie.
Me thinks there is a bit of the Allan Holdsworth effect too, Holdsworth did some of that with out tapping. Also did amazing vibrato without using the bar vibrato.
weneedcriticalthinking killer player. But no one knows who he is
The 9.15 Bradford Executive has one of the most amazing solos- passionate expressive intuitive.. Ive loved Allans playing since 1981.
Agreed 9.15 Bradford Executive is a genius piece of work - and it's not about aimless shredding, it has melody, form and structure for those prepared to listen
Regrettably, AH never became a household name. Although with the road games album, he did have a chance to get in to a "Pop" music format but he felt that he would be selling his soul if he did so. For that, He never became a household name. However, he has been a hero to many guitar players and musicians, alike. However, I do not know if we'll ever see a windfall of musicianship, whether in the genre of rock 'n roll or something else that develops over the next decade or two, that occurred back in the 80s, at least in my lifetime. In the meantime, you have to agree that the electric guitar is probably one of the coolest instruments ever invented
Many of the musicians did Zack and his time on the planet help shape a future of many other musicians, but yeah most don't even know it.
I hope that these soloist powerhouses make a mainstream comeback some day. People deserve it. Instead we’re stuck with lowest common denominator 4/4 beat quantized factory “music” that is programmed by a corporation instead of expressed by an artist.
And to think that Eddie did all of that with a guitar that cost him LESS THAN $250 for all the parts! There's an interview that nearly everyone has seen where he tells the story of how the 'Frankenstrat' came to be. So, on a guitar that was made of rejected parts (factory 'seconds'), he changed the world of rock music forever. Take that gear snobs who say you need at least a $1,000 guitar to have some quality!
The parts were cheaper back then overall, that same guitar today built with the same sourced parts would run north of $1000 maybe even $2000 all things considered. And that is not just demand thats inflation you could probably spec out a $250 guitar to do the same thing today, and source the parts elsewhere, you could even make it playable but the quality won't be as good.
Thats even assuming you can get the same sourced parts. Last I heard the shop Eddie bought all that stuff from burnt down in a california wildfire. And I haven't heard any updates on what happened with that.
$250 was a lot more money 40 years ago.
@@tw19771 according to multiple inflation caculators, they all spit out a number of ~$980 in today's money
It cost 50 bucks for body 80 for neck. You tune frankinstrate evh will tell you this 130 bucks
Krunchbar - I priced out the parts in my posts. Can you not read??
I am the same age as you Rick. Eruption still sends chill down my spine