Thanks for learning about power of Eddie’s VAN SCALEN! Learn more powerful patterns in the Patreon only bonus video here: www.patreon.com/posts/83451817?
Your so sick at breaking this stuff down! Hey man I was wondering there’s an artist named Gran Hechicero out of Miami that I just can’t understand what the hell he is even doing! Might you do a video on him? Just dumbfounded by this dude, much love man! You rock!!
For a minute I thought you were using that as an acrostic for tuning, like Eddie ate dynamite good bye Eddie (EADGBE). So I was thinking: "F D ... wait, WTF do I do now?!?"
I've read that he said that in several places and taken it deeply to heart. In live performance I can get away with horrid atrocities as long as the last note is RIGHT, and LOUDEST.
@@jjmah7He said that because too many people are gatekeepers, especially in the metal and rock communities. "That's not real music!" Etc, etc. So Eddie also said, "There's no such thing as bad music. There's just music you don't like." And we all needed to hear those things.
@@jimmyboy131 do you think after Eddie said that everyone ever just said “hm, you’re right! Ok!”? I love Eddie too man, but objectively - that’s the most obvious statement I’ve ever heard lol
@@jjmah7 I agree that it's obvious to you, me, and Eddie, and anyone else who truly understands that art is subjective. But I can't tell you how many people I've met who are music snobs and will readily call out a particular genre as "not real music" or "bad music". And the most guilty of all are metal heads. So that's probably who he was talking to, though I don't remember the context of his statements. Becaue to them it's not obvious.
Brother...you're as good as it gets man. I been playing professionally for 37 years and I'm always learning. You've been one of the people that have gotten me out of so many ruts, due to your approach. Can't buy that kind of inspiration. All I can do is say thanks Brother
@@BenEller Absolutely Brother. I can rip and hold my own, but you inspire me to work hard. A lot. It makes me feel like I wanna play and perform again. Best gift ever. Keep it up man. You're absolutely venomous on the instrument.
I remember interviews where Eddie talked about this concept of starting on a good note, flailing around a bit, and ending on a good note. he called it "falling down the stairs and landing on your feet."
And the scale that he uses in "Hot for teacher" in the second tapping figure, just before the first minor seventh chord; its just a "two-one-(tap)four" symmetrical, and is very efective too, played fast. Its a Frankenscale because those are like pieces of scales glued together, like his guitar
Yes this is what he does, like you said, glues scales together. There were two scales he talked about in a guitar magazine, that he regularly used together but I don’t remember. He mentioned others that do it like Slash and Zakk and Dime
One of the things I aways noticed about Eddie was that his solos played very free and easy with tempo, scale, and other normal things, yet his rhythm playing was SO LOCKED IN. It almost sounds like 2 different people (that trade parts back and forth at lightning speed).
Most overlooked aspect of Eddie's playing. I mean, three-piece band and they have hit after hit. That alone tells you someone was playing great rhythm guitar.
I was bummed out about it too, but i consoled myself with the knowledge that he was almost certainly never going to release any new music again anyway.
I just love the passion you have for Lord Eddie while sharing his greatness with us in such a humble manner, considering you’re about a million miles closer to him than most!
I thought I'd share a little Van Halen story. A buddy and I drove from Fort Walton Beach, FL to New Orleans to see Van Halen on the OU812 tour. When we got to the arena there were thousands already waiting at the entrance for this general admission show. We wandered around the arena for a bit and saw maybe 30-40 people gathered around back so we headed over thinking we might catch a glimpse of the band or something. After hanging out for a while with no one showing, someone opened a door and let the small group of us in before the thousands waiting at the other entrance. It was amazing...we walked into this giant empty arena and I plopped myself 2ft in front of where I knew Eddie would be, right up against the stage. I ended up getting one of his picks and then we were mugged down in the French Quarter after the show...unforgettable times.
The difference being, that really good jazz musicians have studied the "bullshit" notes in-between the tonal centers so they can play and spontaneously compose "bullshit" notes on the spot. They are not winging it, or using shapes and patterns on their instrument.
@@mancuniancandidatem I've worte and published a guitar book, studied Schönberg, functional harmony and modern orchestra arrangement at college for 3 years and I can assure you that no amount of good theory, practice and studying can replace a good pair of ears. Shapes and patterns are only useful for mastering the mechanics of the instrument indeed, but I can assure you that if one spend countless hours doing that just to gain dexterity and freedom of movement on the fingerboard, if one has taste and good (listening) ears, one can sound like a seasoned pro without much music theory. In essence, from 100 bpm up, as long as one plays 1/8 notes in group of 4 and does not resolve on the 4th unless the chord is the dominant one, one can get away with anything i.e. is "correct" from a music theory point of view. Yet, it can still sound s**t if the player has no taste. I could go on as you can imaging... 😄
@@alteroccatv I agree. Without a good ear and good musical taste, theory alone will not make a good musician. I think what I was just trying to say is, the great jazz musicians have all of those attributes.
@@mancuniancandidatem mmmhhh.... sort of yes 😜 as a lawyer (now, in my finally grown-up job lol!) I can't forget your words... "that really good jazz musicians have studied the "bullshit" notes" so not what you were trying to say after all.... you were just defending jazz musicians who study hard for decades, I get that and respect that too a lot; yet "studying" the bs notes is by no means a prerequisite. Anyway, nice bantering with you. Rock & Peace bro 🤟🤟
Good class. When I was young, Van Halen's first album was just released and I played "I'm the One" on record for my music theory teacher and he called it "Pure noise. Nothing but garbage." Your videos like this one have ignited an interest in music theory I haven't had in decades.
He might have been more impressed with (or less harshly critical of) something like "Women in Love" from the second album, with that beautiful, melodically complex tap-harmonic intro.
I must say Ben, this is one of the best, most informative video's I've seen in quite some time. I had always known that phrasing should end on "good" notes, but I had always considered the "good" notes as the scale root. Simply pointing out that resolving on any of the root chord tones works, illuminated a huge 500 watt bulb for me. Thank You!
Ive been around since the first "This is why you suck" episode dropped...so however many years that is lol. This lesson/breakdown is EXACTLY why I don't think Ive missed an upload since. Ive learned more from you than anything else. You have a perfect teaching style and your passion for what you cover definitely shows. I have almost no music theory understanding but the way you lay it out makes perfect sense and that has definitely improved my playing. Almost 500k too, you deserve every bit of recognition for your hard work and sticking out the tough times. Thanks Uncle B!
Your teaching ability is at the same level as your playing; off the charts. I knew virtually nothing about music theory before watching this video but you've opened that door. Thank you Ben for one of the best lessons, in any subject, that I've ever seen. And I'm nearly 60.
Excellent Ben, I've always wondered how that scale always seem to just work out...kind of like falling and landing on your feet! I did nearly spit out my coffee though at the 3:57 mark, that was well put:-) Cheers!
I got the 1984 songbook in 1985 (iirc) just to help me break down what he was doing (because things weren't adding up) and it totally f'd my brain up. I had played violin from 1978-1983 (age 4-10), switched to guitar and then got that transcription of Van Halen songs. After working through that book I just assumed, if Ed could do that, that guitarists in general were given some kind of pass when it came to playing ''in key''. Later it dawned on me that he was a self taught guitarist who had faked his way through piano lessons (his admission, his own words, not my assumption) and that he was just blowing smoke, knew very little about music theory, and could get by with faking it because he had a great feel for / sense of how to compose a song NOT because he actually knew what he was doing (because he didn't). If Eddie had not had a great ear, meaning an above average sense of what is musically cool, what SOUNDS good, he would never have become what he became. He would have been that loser dude that others around him called tone deaf and tacky. Luckily, he loved music in general and had a way above average ear for what not only could be done but what should be done which allowed him the wiggle room to do all kinds of things that were never meant to be done. One can only speculate on what he would have done had he ever been sober.
Edward said he never wrote anything sober. So like it or not his creativity was freed up by alcohol and drugs and without them he wouldn't have put out anything of note.
@@jamesragsdale8202Ed was a hell of a musician, but he also said questionable things. He attributed his cancer to holding metal picks in his mouth, never even acknowledging the fact that he smoked almost his entire life. (He had tongue and lung cancer) It would certainly be convenient for an alcoholic like him to also attribute his creativity to being on the sauce.
@@wootube yeah true about the metal pics and other nonsense he spoke but 70s music and its creativity was certainly birthed from copious amounts of drugs. He showed up at Quincy Jones' studio with a six-pack so I think he was telling the truth on creating under the influence.
This is a really interesting teardown. I propose a slightly different characterization of why it works. It is a single symmetrical scale which combines groups of both inside and outside tonalities. So, the 4th and 5th strings are all inside, while the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings are slightly outside. EVH was more masterful than just starting and ending on inside notes. He could linger on 4-5 for safe inside lines, then ascend to 1-3 to play a bit outside. He could linger some more or speed through to get the desired amount of dissonance. But, as you say, always land on an inside note! Trained musicians don't generally think about scales in this way, but EVH had an unusual homegrown approach and unreal musical instincts.
It helped that he didn't have formal guitar training, and that he learned piano by ear, not by studying sheet music. So all of what he produced was intuitive, by the seat of the pants. I don't think he was ever meant to do music in any traditional way; he was a Qui-Gon style Jedi who told "the Code" to jump off a cliff.
This is absolutely incredible. Wow! A buddy of mine used to talk about how Eddie sounded completely different from everyone else and wondered what the heck scale he used. I agreed that Eddie’s sound was very unique, but wasn’t able to pinpoint why he sounded so different. Anytime I’ve sat down and learned any of his solos I’ve basically thought two things.. 1.-“what the heck is he doing here?” (Scratches head) And 2.-“but this sounds so freaking sick!!” Lol. Thanks a lot Ben for sitting down and solving this great guitar mystery for us all. 🤘
You’ve basically described jazz enclosures, how we blast through changes if the changes are fast (via ignoring II and just thinking V-I) it is stressful when your guitar is perfectly clean . It’s fun !
when I first heard Eruption blasting out of a friend's window in the Summer of 78 , I thought it was an alien playing. To witness Eddie's rise and influence on several generations, even lasting into the current gen, speaks volumes how important he was and still is. I saw him the next Summer in 79 on their first headlining tour and it changed my life. Thanks for keeping the magic of Eddie alive.
Yep, Summer of '78.....I clearly remember Billy Christy in a powder blue VW Bug blasting that while cruising by....I immediately wanted to hear more. BeeGees and Donna Summer where all over the radio at that point
I like how you rationalize or exemplify this concept. It's something that I was aware of as a listener, even before I got into playing guitar. I could sing these notes in my head and identify the landing spots in Van Halen songs. I knew his particular sound or articulation was something unique, with a particular 'flavor' or signature. Thanks again for your great work in explaining this. Rock on, Uncle Ben!
I've been a guitarist for 40 years, and a huge Van Halen fan for 35 years. I had no idea about this scale, but it sounds so familiar when you are playing it here. The theory implications are very interesting. This will have me thinking and tinkering for a while. Thanks so much for putting this together!
15:45 This also describes the thrill we get listening to Jimmy Page. He always sounds like he's about to crash and burn, but he manages to somehow remain balanced on that high wire.
Eddie Van Halen on Jimmy Page: “He's very sloppy. He plays like he's got a broken hand and he's two years old. But if you put out a good album and play like a two-year-old live. What's the purpose?” Jimmy Page on EVH: “He was the real deal: he pioneered a dazzling technique on guitar with taste and panache that I felt always placed him above his imitators.”
Not always. Some of the later live gigs where he went a bit too far on the smack were atrocious. There’s only bootlegs of those shows though. The live stuff they put out officially was from the nights where they were on form.
@@Jonathan_Doe_ I'm pretty sure had Ed attempted to play anything like "Dazed and Confused live" for 28 minutes I would have left to check out the concession stands after ten minutes because I would have already heard Ed's bag of tricks by then, the rest would have been repetition
Many people show that scale but always leave out the key point that you included, The starting point & landing point which are the two most important elements of the scale, thanks, you cleared this up for me, this holds true for his other symmetrical patterns as well.
Great video! I think Eddie learned a bit about tension from Jimmy Page. The Heartbreaker solo is a good example of that - where your convinced he's about to crash and burn but he pulls out of it. Page was a studio musician, so could play smooth, but kept the edges rough for his solos. EVH was much more fleet, and fluid, but did create tension through his note choices.
As an amateur musician who thinks he knows music theory, I usually mutter, "He doesn't know what he's talking about" in analysis videos like this. But here, you gave quality insight. The interval analysis, including compressing all the notes into one octave, are the exact things to do to turn "a bunch of random notes" into understanding.
This was a fantastic lesson uncle! Thanks. Im just spewing im stuck up the top of a wind turbine in a different state from home with no guitar to give this a go right now! Nice m8, nice. And we know we like things that are nice, dont we!
This "scale" really changed my mindset when it comes to fast licks. Before trying to learn Van Halen, I was always locked into scales and general music theory concepts, and that's all great, but when we're talking about shredding, sometimes it doesn't even matter what notes you are playing as long as it's clean, sits in the pocket and starts and ends on notes that sound right, the in between notes are less important. If anything, the "chromatic" notes that appear in the "scale" give it more flavour and character. Just from the nature of its fingering, it's all about convenience, yet that convenience also makes it convincing in fast runs.
So glad to find this. Being self taught I've always played notes that sound good together and once I started learning scales found out that my riffs borrow from several scales. Eddie will forever be one of the greatest! Ps. I literally said, "only a sith deals in absolutes" right when you started saying it. Keep on shredding man
Loved this Ben! I was watching Mark Tremonti being interviewed by Sweetwater music and he referenced you as a great guy to chat guitar theory with. Something about a boat gig / vacation, where he was shooting the breeze with you about guitars and his wife looked at him like, ‘are you going to spend some time with me, or talk guitar all night?’ … ‘so we talked guitar all night…’ LOL! His high praise of you Brought me here👍 (Love to watch some Tremonti theory btw…)
Amazing tutorial dude! Been a VH for all of my life and was always influenced by his rhythm which was incomparable! This was an incredible in depth deep dive into the VH musical lore! Well done and thank you!!
that mix of notes is something Steve Morse does ALL the time when playing in Mixolydian or Dorian (adding the min 3, flat 5, nat 7 to Mix, or adding maj 3, flat 5, nat 7 to Dorian as passing tones) but NOT in the pattern that Eddie used which of course makes them sound completely different from one another but always that same concept start on a good note and end on a good note! great lesson Uncle Ben!
It's a combination of the major and minor pentatonic scales. With the D# and G# added for a little jazzy goodness. Or possibly just a run built around an inside 9th chord.
Hey Nephew Ben! Women And Children First was on the racks and my buddy told me a few years ago at that point that VH blew KISS off the stage. I was late to the party but I was going to catch up. Years spent reading the mag interviews taught me how much music was in their house. I don't remember how much of this I got from you, but the boys would sit in at dad's jazz nights while the band was on break. You know pop wouldn't let them out there if they didn't swing! Alex and Eddie brought that swingy dancy vibe to VH and I think you're the first to point out to me it was there all the time. Eddie swings like a mfer #bringbackswing
Ben, thank you. You sir, are an extremely talented player, but you're even a more tremendous teacher, esp when it comes to the complexity that is EVH theory. You have an incredible teaching ability that makes this SO F'N ENJOYABLE. Honored to see a fan of EVH, remembering his greatness, but also explaining what was going on in EVH's head so the rest of us players get some clarity about it. You have a gift my man. Keep on teaching. You and Doug Steele are my, "Go to Guys" when it comes to all things EVH. And btw, RIP to Tina Turner. Another legend in music that left an incredible legacy and mark in music.
"Embrace the Chaos" I love it👍 Ritchie Blackmore was great at using "Dicey Notes" in his solos. Example: the end of his solo in "Child in Time" off of the "Made in Japan" live album
This was insanely insightful, been wanting to emulate the EVH style but as a beginner at the guitar it always hard to become better, you’ve helped me understand and see with including fun referencing that keeps the audience engaged to communicate something that many MANY other RUclipsrs fail to execute, you know your stuff man, great video
One of the most appreciated parts is I never feel like skipping through anything or too slow, it's all good content and detail and little tid bits.... tidbits? Anyways, 1 thumbs up for the EVH learnings and 1 other thumbs up for the Mastodon lessons over the years as well
👍👍 pretty great info. Thank you for posting this. I have a messed up hand and oddly the 1-2-4 is what use a lot. I don't sound like that because I never actually knew how to use it. I shall try this ☺️
Major/Minor ambiguity and flat 5ths are typical of blues. Throwing the major 7 in there is just a little extra jazzy leading note. It’s really a brilliant run. I wonder if Charlie Christian ever discovered it. It kind of sounds like something he would do.
Awesome! perfect explanation. Thanks man! Nobody in history has, can or will ever play like EVH. So many galaxies ahead of everybody by the first minute of the first song on the first record. I bought it new when it come out in '78 and it still blows me away and confounds me to this day.
The amusing thing about this: Ben is absolutely spot on about his descriptions and lesson here about the FrankenScale; however, the complete opposite is true when it came to Eddie's fingertappings arrangements. His fingertappings were perfectly articulated arepeggios!
This FrankenScale was very useful to play the Eddie style but not necessarily have to copy something. I never thought to play a scale that has all those notes but not in order.
loved the Duke of Hazard reference! Now I can't stop thinking about Waylon Jennings doing a voice over in the middle of one of Eddies solos. "Looks like ol' Ed's more twisted up than a barrel of snakes, lets see if he makes it out when we return"
It's the whole tension resolution thing! Sometimes i like to play chords that make no sense till i hit the next chord and the resolution brings them both into contex. Same thing he's doing with thet Vanscaling!
Love the EVH lessons. Thank you 🙏 Although nobody can swing it like Eddie, there is a guy , youtube channel Jacob Deraps ? I think you might have seen his channel. He plays the EVH stuff better than anyone I've heard , even the swing. IMO
You're right about Deraps. Guy is ridiculous good.. there's a video he posted recently called something like 14 mins of Van Halen riffs.. he does Hang em High about half way through and he nails that insane high speed swing to the riff
@Mr Pete's Cycle Works looks like he's been playing the EVH stuff for a long time because he makes it look like a walk in the park . He's also singing entire DLR and Sammy's parts while playing. Insanity!
I remember the first time I saw eruption live on a RUclips video back in the day. He came out with a cigarette in his headstock and playing notes at the speed of light and it blew my mind. Glad to finally see the movements my eyes could never keep up with.
It’s because Eddie’s music knowledge was as deep as it gets. He didn’t just know theory, he wielded theory in real time and applied jazz concepts without coming off as a jazz player.
I remember learning VH songs from my TAB books and seeing these runs and getting very confused - based on the little bit of music theory that I knew at the time - as to how someone like Eddie would be playing "wrong" notes in a scale. Eddie's number one motto was "if it sounds good, then it is good." and I guess in the world of creating and playing music that really is the only rule you need to know.
I had a similar experience. I thought Van Halen licks were beyond me but played bass in a band for a while where the guitar player did Eruption every show. So I finally sat down to learn it--in my late 40s at the time--and as I looked at tabs for that and other tunes, I noticed the same thing...there are a lot of just repeating patterns that go in and out of the key! And the beauty of that approach is, as Ben said so well in the video, that it has the feel and shape of a scale, but since it's not a scale, it automatically sounds more musical. Very inspiring!
3:41 Dude, this had me rolling and is so true! Almost every jazz song we learned in high school had some wacky scale that was a nightmare to learn but gave the most flavor!
Dude love this video....30 years of playing/studying 9:20 to 9:40 sums it up lightbulb in my head. Love the race car analogy, and the jazz comment! Wow really got me thinking...going to check out some jazz guitar to thicken my knowledge and study that mixolidian scale until I have it down in many keys in my mind. Thanks!
His timing and rhythm are what help sell all the crazy chromaticism. Eddie was an Allan Holdsworth fan, so this stuff sorta makes sense when you have that in mind.
You are absolutely brilliantly right. I have been telling people that for years, those who weren't guitar players thought that I was full of crap, but that is to be expected. Thank you for putting it on video, now I have you to back me up. Lol. Keep Rockin'!
*LIKELY: Eddie really did not know what he was doing as he was playing like this from his teens.* Likely too, he was influenced by the music his dad played as his dad was a jazz pianist, clarinettist, and saxophonist. It sure sounds like Eddie had influence from Bebop. Adding passing tones let him play the chord tones on the downbeats with all of the extra, non-chord tone junk between. So more or less he sets up with a chord tone, gives you a push-pull of consonance and dissonance with chord tones and non-chord tones. Then he resolved on chord tones to let listeners gather themselves. Your teaching is excellent Ben. Instant subscription happened because of this video.
This sounds right - So more or less he sets up with a chord tone, gives you a push-pull of consonance and dissonance with chord tones and non-chord tones. Then he resolved on chord tones to let listeners gather themselves.
For Diatonic perfection see RR, the Eddie scale is not a scale. To play like Eddie, start on the root, close your eyes and pay anything, literally, anything. Once you have completed playing whatever, open eyes and hit the root again. There is your "Eddie Scale".
I’ve always called this the all note blues scale, all the notes except the flat 2nd and flat 6th, in a Major key. Many blues guitarists use this, and you can hear it a lot in old school players like Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and Michael Schenker.
I'd guess scales have evolved and changed over time and what once likely sounded "bad" or "wrong" now is accepted as correct and tuneful. What's incredible about Eddie is he singlehandedly bent the rest of us to his will so now his Frankenscale has been assimilated and normalized. An undeniably charismatic style mixed with unprecedented creativity. The king of kings.
This video reminds me of an old 80’s interview with Edward in Guitar player magazine, Guitar World, or…? I forget which one. You get the idea if you’re old like me. lol Edward described his playing style as “Falling down the steps and landing in his feet”. 🤣 A “no rules” kind of approach. If it sounds good, it is good. ~ RIP EVH ~ 😎🎸
I remember George Lynch said something along the lines of “there’s no such thing as a wrong note if you play it with conviction and confidence”. Loved this lesson! Thanks, Ben! And you’re right about nobody swingin’ it like Eddie. Probably the most underrated rhythm player in history.
It makes me think of basic slides where can quickly sound out many out of key notes but it sounds good and doesnt matter because you land on a good note.
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Thanks for learning about power of Eddie’s VAN SCALEN! Learn more powerful patterns in the Patreon only bonus video here: www.patreon.com/posts/83451817?
I disagree I think you are great with the Eddie swing feel ! Hard to hear the difference, In my opinion.
Absolutely another eye opening lesson !
Would love to see a breakdown of One foot out the door solo.
Your so sick at breaking this stuff down! Hey man I was wondering there’s an artist named Gran Hechicero out of Miami that I just can’t understand what the hell he is even doing! Might you do a video on him? Just dumbfounded by this dude, much love man! You rock!!
Oh forgot the name of the artist! Lol, it’s Gran Hechicero
Eddie called it "Falling down the stairs and landing on your feet". He was truly a genius.
Wasn't that a different lick where he would go down chromatically and land on a good note, like on the One foot out the door solo
For a minute I thought you were using that as an acrostic for tuning, like Eddie ate dynamite good bye Eddie (EADGBE). So I was thinking: "F D ... wait, WTF do I do now?!?"
I've read that he said that in several places and taken it deeply to heart. In live performance I can get away with horrid atrocities as long as the last note is RIGHT, and LOUDEST.
Yeah, his solos would seem to go out there and diverge from the song structure yet always return by the final note.
Thats it!! I remember that too!🤘🤘🤘
“if it sounds good, it is good” - EVH.
“Yeah, no shit.”
-everyone he said that to
@@jjmah7He said that because too many people are gatekeepers, especially in the metal and rock communities. "That's not real music!" Etc, etc. So Eddie also said, "There's no such thing as bad music. There's just music you don't like." And we all needed to hear those things.
@@jimmyboy131 do you think after Eddie said that everyone ever just said “hm, you’re right! Ok!”? I love Eddie too man, but objectively - that’s the most obvious statement I’ve ever heard lol
@@jjmah7 I agree that it's obvious to you, me, and Eddie, and anyone else who truly understands that art is subjective. But I can't tell you how many people I've met who are music snobs and will readily call out a particular genre as "not real music" or "bad music". And the most guilty of all are metal heads. So that's probably who he was talking to, though I don't remember the context of his statements. Becaue to them it's not obvious.
I saw a clip of Louie Armstrong telling an interviewer the same thing.
I still cannot believe that we’re talking about Eddie in the past tense. It’s so very sad that he’s gone. Long live The King!!!
I feel the same about Randy Rhoades!
There is no King. Only great players.
He really was the king. Is crazy how amazing he really was. His son is on the same path.
Brother...you're as good as it gets man. I been playing professionally for 37 years and I'm always learning. You've been one of the people that have gotten me out of so many ruts, due to your approach. Can't buy that kind of inspiration. All I can do is say thanks Brother
Thank you for watching, man!
@@BenEller Absolutely Brother. I can rip and hold my own, but you inspire me to work hard. A lot. It makes me feel like I wanna play and perform again. Best gift ever. Keep it up man. You're absolutely venomous on the instrument.
I remember interviews where Eddie talked about this concept of starting on a good note, flailing around a bit, and ending on a good note. he called it "falling down the stairs and landing on your feet."
Yeah most musicians know that...But how about starting on a.wrong note playing around in key and then end outside!
This is perfect. I'm great at playing wrong notes.
@@Robil63how’d you get that emoji?
Same😂
🤣🤣🤣
And the scale that he uses in "Hot for teacher" in the second tapping figure, just before the first minor seventh chord; its just a "two-one-(tap)four" symmetrical, and is very efective too, played fast. Its a Frankenscale because those are like pieces of scales glued together, like his guitar
Yes this is what he does, like you said, glues scales together. There were two scales he talked about in a guitar magazine, that he regularly used together but I don’t remember. He mentioned others that do it like Slash and Zakk and Dime
Nigel Tufnel my favorite guitar genius plays the same type of scale but his has 11 notes, but he intentionally doesn't land on his feet. Pure genius 😂
I think Nigel Tufnel has landed on his head many times, that's part of his sound.
The sustain… of his feet, can you hear it?
I thought Nigel’s scale has 13 notes. 🤔
😂😂😂omfg! Been a while since I've seen that movie!
LOL...and bowing with the actual violin proves this genius. Well pointed out, good sir.
One of the things I aways noticed about Eddie was that his solos played very free and easy with tempo, scale, and other normal things, yet his rhythm playing was SO LOCKED IN. It almost sounds like 2 different people (that trade parts back and forth at lightning speed).
That's an amazing way to describe Master Eddie Van's playing.
💯
Most overlooked aspect of Eddie's playing. I mean, three-piece band and they have hit after hit. That alone tells you someone was playing great rhythm guitar.
Such a great observation. His playing was SO dynamic.
So I've been a jazz player all these years?? Ha
Great stuff!
Love the van halen stuff. I miss him so much. I cried my eyes out when he died. Such a part of my childhood now gone. May he rest in peace.
Brother me too. The Rick Beato notification came through and I read it and I was like this has to be a bad joke. Horrible day.
Yeah, remember when he fed an entire arena of fans with some fishes and loaves?
Mine too brother.
I was bummed out about it too, but i consoled myself with the knowledge that he was almost certainly never going to release any new music again anyway.
@@guitarista67one time he brought my dead daughter back to life with a guitar solo
I just love the passion you have for Lord Eddie while sharing his greatness with us in such a humble manner, considering you’re about a million miles closer to him than most!
I thought I'd share a little Van Halen story. A buddy and I drove from Fort Walton Beach, FL to New Orleans to see Van Halen on the OU812 tour. When we got to the arena there were thousands already waiting at the entrance for this general admission show. We wandered around the arena for a bit and saw maybe 30-40 people gathered around back so we headed over thinking we might catch a glimpse of the band or something. After hanging out for a while with no one showing, someone opened a door and let the small group of us in before the thousands waiting at the other entrance. It was amazing...we walked into this giant empty arena and I plopped myself 2ft in front of where I knew Eddie would be, right up against the stage. I ended up getting one of his picks and then we were mugged down in the French Quarter after the show...unforgettable times.
Your description of jazz solos is so spot on.
Not a description: the definition of!!!
The difference being, that really good jazz musicians have studied the "bullshit" notes in-between the tonal centers so they can play and spontaneously compose "bullshit" notes on the spot. They are not winging it, or using shapes and patterns on their instrument.
@@mancuniancandidatem I've worte and published a guitar book, studied Schönberg, functional harmony and modern orchestra arrangement at college for 3 years and I can assure you that no amount of good theory, practice and studying can replace a good pair of ears. Shapes and patterns are only useful for mastering the mechanics of the instrument indeed, but I can assure you that if one spend countless hours doing that just to gain dexterity and freedom of movement on the fingerboard, if one has taste and good (listening) ears, one can sound like a seasoned pro without much music theory. In essence, from 100 bpm up, as long as one plays 1/8 notes in group of 4 and does not resolve on the 4th unless the chord is the dominant one, one can get away with anything i.e. is "correct" from a music theory point of view. Yet, it can still sound s**t if the player has no taste. I could go on as you can imaging... 😄
@@alteroccatv I agree. Without a good ear and good musical taste, theory alone will not make a good musician. I think what I was just trying to say is, the great jazz musicians have all of those attributes.
@@mancuniancandidatem mmmhhh.... sort of yes 😜 as a lawyer (now, in my finally grown-up job lol!) I can't forget your words... "that really good jazz musicians have studied the "bullshit" notes" so not what you were trying to say after all.... you were just defending jazz musicians who study hard for decades, I get that and respect that too a lot; yet "studying" the bs notes is by no means a prerequisite. Anyway, nice bantering with you. Rock & Peace bro 🤟🤟
You're on a Roll dont stop now. More VH Wizardry. It lives n breathes in us all.
Good class. When I was young, Van Halen's first album was just released and I played "I'm the One" on record for my music theory teacher and he called it "Pure noise. Nothing but garbage." Your videos like this one have ignited an interest in music theory I haven't had in decades.
He might have been more impressed with (or less harshly critical of) something like "Women in Love" from the second album, with that beautiful, melodically complex tap-harmonic intro.
That's why we need a purge, including literal bloodshed of academia.
Best guitar channel hands down! Whether you’re beginning or just needing a jump start it’s all here in one place! You’re the best Ben!
“Only the Sith deals in absolutes” Damnit, I love this channel. Bravo, Uncle Ben.
I must say Ben, this is one of the best, most informative video's I've seen in quite some time.
I had always known that phrasing should end on "good" notes, but I had always considered the "good" notes as the scale root. Simply pointing out that resolving on any of the root chord tones works, illuminated a huge 500 watt bulb for me.
Thank You!
Ive been around since the first "This is why you suck" episode dropped...so however many years that is lol. This lesson/breakdown is EXACTLY why I don't think Ive missed an upload since. Ive learned more from you than anything else. You have a perfect teaching style and your passion for what you cover definitely shows. I have almost no music theory understanding but the way you lay it out makes perfect sense and that has definitely improved my playing. Almost 500k too, you deserve every bit of recognition for your hard work and sticking out the tough times. Thanks Uncle B!
Many thanks, dude!
Eddie Van Scalen is a sick portmanteau. Love it brother!
Your teaching ability is at the same level as your playing; off the charts. I knew virtually nothing about music theory before watching this video but you've opened that door. Thank you Ben for one of the best lessons, in any subject, that I've ever seen. And I'm nearly 60.
Excellent Ben, I've always wondered how that scale always seem to just work out...kind of like falling and landing on your feet! I did nearly spit out my coffee though at the 3:57 mark, that was well put:-) Cheers!
I got the 1984 songbook in 1985 (iirc) just to help me break down what he was doing (because things weren't adding up) and it totally f'd my brain up. I had played violin from 1978-1983 (age 4-10), switched to guitar and then got that transcription of Van Halen songs. After working through that book I just assumed, if Ed could do that, that guitarists in general were given some kind of pass when it came to playing ''in key''. Later it dawned on me that he was a self taught guitarist who had faked his way through piano lessons (his admission, his own words, not my assumption) and that he was just blowing smoke, knew very little about music theory, and could get by with faking it because he had a great feel for / sense of how to compose a song NOT because he actually knew what he was doing (because he didn't). If Eddie had not had a great ear, meaning an above average sense of what is musically cool, what SOUNDS good, he would never have become what he became. He would have been that loser dude that others around him called tone deaf and tacky. Luckily, he loved music in general and had a way above average ear for what not only could be done but what should be done which allowed him the wiggle room to do all kinds of things that were never meant to be done. One can only speculate on what he would have done had he ever been sober.
Edward said he never wrote anything sober. So like it or not his creativity was freed up by alcohol and drugs and without them he wouldn't have put out anything of note.
@@jamesragsdale8202Ed was a hell of a musician, but he also said questionable things. He attributed his cancer to holding metal picks in his mouth, never even acknowledging the fact that he smoked almost his entire life. (He had tongue and lung cancer)
It would certainly be convenient for an alcoholic like him to also attribute his creativity to being on the sauce.
@@wootube yeah true about the metal pics and other nonsense he spoke but 70s music and its creativity was certainly birthed from copious amounts of drugs. He showed up at Quincy Jones' studio with a six-pack so I think he was telling the truth on creating under the influence.
This is a really interesting teardown. I propose a slightly different characterization of why it works. It is a single symmetrical scale which combines groups of both inside and outside tonalities. So, the 4th and 5th strings are all inside, while the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd strings are slightly outside. EVH was more masterful than just starting and ending on inside notes. He could linger on 4-5 for safe inside lines, then ascend to 1-3 to play a bit outside. He could linger some more or speed through to get the desired amount of dissonance. But, as you say, always land on an inside note! Trained musicians don't generally think about scales in this way, but EVH had an unusual homegrown approach and unreal musical instincts.
It helped that he didn't have formal guitar training, and that he learned piano by ear, not by studying sheet music. So all of what he produced was intuitive, by the seat of the pants. I don't think he was ever meant to do music in any traditional way; he was a Qui-Gon style Jedi who told "the Code" to jump off a cliff.
Brilliant
I see a mixolydian scale on 4-5 and a blues scale on 3-1 (mixing major and minor pentatonics) but with a major 7th to bring it home to A Major - ?
I love the Andretti-Dukes Of H comparison. Totally gives a kind of new perspective on how EVH's different and unique from other shredders.
Ben that intro was vicious. You play him so well.
Great video sir.
This is absolutely incredible. Wow! A buddy of mine used to talk about how Eddie sounded completely different from everyone else and wondered what the heck scale he used. I agreed that Eddie’s sound was very unique, but wasn’t able to pinpoint why he sounded so different. Anytime I’ve sat down and learned any of his solos I’ve basically thought two things.. 1.-“what the heck is he doing here?” (Scratches head) And 2.-“but this sounds so freaking sick!!” Lol. Thanks a lot Ben for sitting down and solving this great guitar mystery for us all. 🤘
You’ve basically described jazz enclosures, how we blast through changes if the changes are fast (via ignoring II and just thinking V-I) it is stressful when your guitar is perfectly clean . It’s fun !
when I first heard Eruption blasting out of a friend's window in the Summer of 78 , I thought it was an alien playing. To witness Eddie's rise and influence on several generations, even lasting into the current gen, speaks volumes how important he was and still is. I saw him the next Summer in 79 on their first headlining tour and it changed my life. Thanks for keeping the magic of Eddie alive.
Yep, Summer of '78.....I clearly remember Billy Christy in a powder blue VW Bug blasting that while cruising by....I immediately wanted to hear more. BeeGees and Donna Summer where all over the radio at that point
@@hamjohn8737 Ed saved us all from a very painful death of never ending Disco music!
I like how you rationalize or exemplify this concept. It's something that I was aware of as a listener, even before I got into playing guitar. I could sing these notes in my head and identify the landing spots in Van Halen songs. I knew his particular sound or articulation was something unique, with a particular 'flavor' or signature. Thanks again for your great work in explaining this. Rock on, Uncle Ben!
I've been a guitarist for 40 years, and a huge Van Halen fan for 35 years. I had no idea about this scale, but it sounds so familiar when you are playing it here. The theory implications are very interesting. This will have me thinking and tinkering for a while. Thanks so much for putting this together!
15:45 This also describes the thrill we get listening to Jimmy Page. He always sounds like he's about to crash and burn, but he manages to somehow remain balanced on that high wire.
I totally agree!! Jimmy Page was like that as well…tumbling down the stairs & landing on his feet
Eddie Van Halen on Jimmy Page: “He's very sloppy. He plays like he's got a broken hand and he's two years old. But if you put out a good album and play like a two-year-old live. What's the purpose?”
Jimmy Page on EVH: “He was the real deal: he pioneered a dazzling technique on guitar with taste and panache that I felt always placed him above his imitators.”
Not always. Some of the later live gigs where he went a bit too far on the smack were atrocious. There’s only bootlegs of those shows though. The live stuff they put out officially was from the nights where they were on form.
@@Jonathan_Doe_ He was barely living then, really sad to watch post 75' Zeppelin shows.
@@Jonathan_Doe_ I'm pretty sure had Ed attempted to play anything like "Dazed and Confused live" for 28 minutes I would have left to check out the concession stands after ten minutes because I would have already heard Ed's bag of tricks by then, the rest would have been repetition
Many people show that scale but always leave out the key point that you included, The starting point & landing point which are the two most important elements of the scale, thanks, you cleared this up for me, this holds true for his other symmetrical patterns as well.
Your insight on him leaving out the two dark intervals and your dukes of hazard analogy are pure gold. Thank you Ben!!!
Great video! I think Eddie learned a bit about tension from Jimmy Page. The Heartbreaker solo is a good example of that - where your convinced he's about to crash and burn but he pulls out of it. Page was a studio musician, so could play smooth, but kept the edges rough for his solos. EVH was much more fleet, and fluid, but did create tension through his note choices.
Dude… how did you get so awesome at explaining stuff.
Thanks ;)
Crazy that that random pattern is a fusion of blues and major scales! Nice
Ben Eller is awesome.
Sick axe brother Ben!
As an amateur musician who thinks he knows music theory, I usually mutter, "He doesn't know what he's talking about" in analysis videos like this. But here, you gave quality insight. The interval analysis, including compressing all the notes into one octave, are the exact things to do to turn "a bunch of random notes" into understanding.
You really are an amazing player man!!!!! Love watching your videos.
This was a fantastic lesson uncle! Thanks. Im just spewing im stuck up the top of a wind turbine in a different state from home with no guitar to give this a go right now! Nice m8, nice. And we know we like things that are nice, dont we!
This "scale" really changed my mindset when it comes to fast licks. Before trying to learn Van Halen, I was always locked into scales and general music theory concepts, and that's all great, but when we're talking about shredding, sometimes it doesn't even matter what notes you are playing as long as it's clean, sits in the pocket and starts and ends on notes that sound right, the in between notes are less important. If anything, the "chromatic" notes that appear in the "scale" give it more flavour and character. Just from the nature of its fingering, it's all about convenience, yet that convenience also makes it convincing in fast runs.
How you even work this all out amazes me but I am so glad you can and then share it. Thanks and respect.
Great video as always! It's cool to think that Dimebag used a similar pattern to this to great effect Ala Cowboys From Hell.
So glad to find this. Being self taught I've always played notes that sound good together and once I started learning scales found out that my riffs borrow from several scales.
Eddie will forever be one of the greatest!
Ps. I literally said, "only a sith deals in absolutes" right when you started saying it.
Keep on shredding man
Loved this Ben! I was watching Mark Tremonti being interviewed by Sweetwater music and he referenced you as a great guy to chat guitar theory with. Something about a boat gig / vacation, where he was shooting the breeze with you about guitars and his wife looked at him like, ‘are you going to spend some time with me, or talk guitar all night?’ … ‘so we talked guitar all night…’ LOL!
His high praise of you Brought me here👍
(Love to watch some Tremonti theory btw…)
Amazing tutorial dude! Been a VH for all of my life and was always influenced by his rhythm which was incomparable! This was an incredible in depth deep dive into the VH musical lore! Well done and thank you!!
that mix of notes is something Steve Morse does ALL the time when playing in Mixolydian or Dorian (adding the min 3, flat 5, nat 7 to Mix, or adding maj 3, flat 5, nat 7 to Dorian as passing tones) but NOT in the pattern that Eddie used which of course makes them sound completely different from one another but always that same concept start on a good note and end on a good note! great lesson Uncle Ben!
It's a combination of the major and minor pentatonic scales. With the D# and G# added for a little jazzy goodness. Or possibly just a run built around an inside 9th chord.
Man, that sounds killer! Well done, Unkie Ben.
That intro was golden. Flawless work.
Hey Nephew Ben! Women And Children First was on the racks and my buddy told me a few years ago at that point that VH blew KISS off the stage. I was late to the party but I was going to catch up. Years spent reading the mag interviews taught me how much music was in their house. I don't remember how much of this I got from you, but the boys would sit in at dad's jazz nights while the band was on break. You know pop wouldn't let them out there if they didn't swing! Alex and Eddie brought that swingy dancy vibe to VH and I think you're the first to point out to me it was there all the time. Eddie swings like a mfer #bringbackswing
Great video!!! That twinkle in your eyes when you said it’s exciting. All hail EVH and Uncle Ben.
Ben, thank you. You sir, are an extremely talented player, but you're even a more tremendous teacher, esp when it comes to the complexity that is EVH theory. You have an incredible teaching ability that makes this SO F'N ENJOYABLE. Honored to see a fan of EVH, remembering his greatness, but also explaining what was going on in EVH's head so the rest of us players get some clarity about it. You have a gift my man. Keep on teaching. You and Doug Steele are my, "Go to Guys" when it comes to all things EVH. And btw, RIP to Tina Turner. Another legend in music that left an incredible legacy and mark in music.
Thank you so much!
My old guitar teacher taught me to think intervallically when it came to scales & modes. It's helped a lot over the years.
3:48 Hands down the best summarized explanation of Jazz that I‘ve ever heard a teacher give
Bingo. Laughed at loud at this part myself !!!
The dukes of hazzard analogy was just gold!! Subbed.
"Embrace the Chaos" I love it👍
Ritchie Blackmore was great at using "Dicey Notes" in his solos.
Example: the end of his solo in "Child in Time" off of the "Made in Japan" live album
This was insanely insightful, been wanting to emulate the EVH style but as a beginner at the guitar it always hard to become better, you’ve helped me understand and see with including fun referencing that keeps the audience engaged to communicate something that many MANY other RUclipsrs fail to execute, you know your stuff man, great video
I was 14 when the first album was released. 45 years later, I'm still amazed. :-D
Love this...I've been stuck on dissecting EVH live since you're last EVH video....1982 in Baltimore is a good one!
Thanks again Uncle Ben!
Gooooooood morning my dudes! That guitar instantly pleased my eyes! Never heard of em!
Jumbo fretmarkers! drooool
One of the most appreciated parts is I never feel like skipping through anything or too slow, it's all good content and detail and little tid bits.... tidbits? Anyways, 1 thumbs up for the EVH learnings and 1 other thumbs up for the Mastodon lessons over the years as well
👍👍 pretty great info. Thank you for posting this.
I have a messed up hand and oddly the 1-2-4 is what use a lot. I don't sound like that because I never actually knew how to use it.
I shall try this ☺️
Major/Minor ambiguity and flat 5ths are typical of blues. Throwing the major 7 in there is just a little extra jazzy leading note. It’s really a brilliant run. I wonder if Charlie Christian ever discovered it. It kind of sounds like something he would do.
Lots of comments about the guitar and i agree, its a nice looking piece.
Would like to know more about the specs.
Awesome! perfect explanation. Thanks man! Nobody in history has, can or will ever play like EVH. So many galaxies ahead of everybody by the first minute of the first song on the first record. I bought it new when it come out in '78 and it still blows me away and confounds me to this day.
It always felt chaotic and random what he was playing, but also fit the song, he knew how to get the emotion out of what he was wanting us to feel...
The amusing thing about this: Ben is absolutely spot on about his descriptions and lesson here about the FrankenScale; however, the complete opposite is true when it came to Eddie's fingertappings arrangements. His fingertappings were perfectly articulated arepeggios!
This FrankenScale was very useful to play the Eddie style but not necessarily have to copy something.
I never thought to play a scale that has all those notes but not in order.
Ben, you're on "On Fire" with these recent EVH posts. Keep it up!
loved the Duke of Hazard reference! Now I can't stop thinking about Waylon Jennings doing a voice over in the middle of one of Eddies solos. "Looks like ol' Ed's more twisted up than a barrel of snakes, lets see if he makes it out when we return"
Hahaha
Next up: the power of Van Waylon
It's the whole tension resolution thing! Sometimes i like to play chords that make no sense till i hit the next chord and the resolution brings them both into contex. Same thing he's doing with thet Vanscaling!
Love the EVH lessons. Thank you 🙏
Although nobody can swing it like Eddie, there is a guy , youtube channel Jacob Deraps ? I think you might have seen his channel. He plays the EVH stuff better than anyone I've heard , even the swing. IMO
You're right about Deraps. Guy is ridiculous good.. there's a video he posted recently called something like 14 mins of Van Halen riffs.. he does Hang em High about half way through and he nails that insane high speed swing to the riff
@Mr Pete's Cycle Works looks like he's been playing the EVH stuff for a long time because he makes it look like a walk in the park . He's also singing entire DLR and Sammy's parts while playing. Insanity!
I remember the first time I saw eruption live on a RUclips video back in the day. He came out with a cigarette in his headstock and playing notes at the speed of light and it blew my mind. Glad to finally see the movements my eyes could never keep up with.
Eddie was the king at knowing how to break the 'rules' effectively
It’s because Eddie’s music knowledge was as deep as it gets.
He didn’t just know theory, he wielded theory in real time and applied jazz concepts without coming off as a jazz player.
Somehow, in 15 minutes, you’ve managed to distill the vibe, the theory, the technique, and the appeal of EVH. Great stuff!
I remember learning VH songs from my TAB books and seeing these runs and getting very confused - based on the little bit of music theory that I knew at the time - as to how someone like Eddie would be playing "wrong" notes in a scale. Eddie's number one motto was "if it sounds good, then it is good." and I guess in the world of creating and playing music that really is the only rule you need to know.
I had a similar experience. I thought Van Halen licks were beyond me but played bass in a band for a while where the guitar player did Eruption every show. So I finally sat down to learn it--in my late 40s at the time--and as I looked at tabs for that and other tunes, I noticed the same thing...there are a lot of just repeating patterns that go in and out of the key! And the beauty of that approach is, as Ben said so well in the video, that it has the feel and shape of a scale, but since it's not a scale, it automatically sounds more musical. Very inspiring!
My bass teacher used to say exactly that. If it sounds good, it is good.
3:41 Dude, this had me rolling and is so true! Almost every jazz song we learned in high school had some wacky scale that was a nightmare to learn but gave the most flavor!
This is an amazing breakdown!
I was just wondering if there is another legendary artist who uses "their own scale" ?
Dude love this video....30 years of playing/studying 9:20 to 9:40 sums it up lightbulb in my head. Love the race car analogy, and the jazz comment! Wow really got me thinking...going to check out some jazz guitar to thicken my knowledge and study that mixolidian scale until I have it down in many keys in my mind. Thanks!
His timing and rhythm are what help sell all the crazy chromaticism. Eddie was an Allan Holdsworth fan, so this stuff sorta makes sense when you have that in mind.
You are absolutely brilliantly right. I have been telling people that for years, those who weren't guitar players thought that I was full of crap, but that is to be expected. Thank you for putting it on video, now I have you to back me up. Lol. Keep Rockin'!
"It's music theory, not music fact" -EVH
Dude you're lessons are awesome you're blowing up and totally deserve it you're content is guitar player gold
Thank you!
@@BenEller absolutely dude keep up the good work alot of us appreciate it
as simple as that....Eddie Van is the Greatest ever❤🎵🎶
*LIKELY: Eddie really did not know what he was doing as he was playing like this from his teens.*
Likely too, he was influenced by the music his dad played as his dad was a jazz pianist, clarinettist, and saxophonist.
It sure sounds like Eddie had influence from Bebop. Adding passing tones let him play the chord tones on the downbeats with all of the extra, non-chord tone junk between.
So more or less he sets up with a chord tone, gives you a push-pull of consonance and dissonance with chord tones and non-chord tones. Then he resolved on chord tones to let listeners gather themselves.
Your teaching is excellent Ben. Instant subscription happened because of this video.
This sounds right - So more or less he sets up with a chord tone, gives you a push-pull of consonance and dissonance with chord tones and non-chord tones. Then he resolved on chord tones to let listeners gather themselves.
For Diatonic perfection see RR, the Eddie scale is not a scale. To play like Eddie, start on the root, close your eyes and pay anything, literally, anything. Once you have completed playing whatever, open eyes and hit the root again. There is your "Eddie Scale".
Randy snuck some weird notes in there, too, at times. But it wasn't jazzy like EVH. More "darkly modal".
I’ve always called this the all note blues scale, all the notes except the flat 2nd and flat 6th, in a Major key. Many blues guitarists use this, and you can hear it a lot in old school players like Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and Michael Schenker.
I'd guess scales have evolved and changed over time and what once likely sounded "bad" or "wrong" now is accepted as correct and tuneful. What's incredible about Eddie is he singlehandedly bent the rest of us to his will so now his Frankenscale has been assimilated and normalized. An undeniably charismatic style mixed with unprecedented creativity. The king of kings.
This video reminds me of an old 80’s interview with Edward in Guitar player magazine, Guitar World, or…? I forget which one. You get the idea if you’re old like me. lol Edward described his playing style as “Falling down the steps and landing in his feet”. 🤣 A “no rules” kind of approach. If it sounds good, it is good. ~ RIP EVH ~ 😎🎸
Eddie didn't know scales , he knew shapes , they didn't always fit musically but, they sure sounded cool .
he most definitely knew scales
❤
I remember George Lynch said something along the lines of “there’s no such thing as a wrong note if you play it with conviction and confidence”. Loved this lesson! Thanks, Ben! And you’re right about nobody swingin’ it like Eddie. Probably the most underrated rhythm player in history.
I always thought his solos were very unstructured but they sounded right.
It makes me think of basic slides where can quickly sound out many out of key notes but it sounds good and doesnt matter because you land on a good note.
This is YET ANOTHER REASON Edward Van Halen was / is the best rock guitarist EVER.
This was an interesting one. Your comfort with the transition of musical knowledge to mechanical action is impressive.