Learn From.............. Van Halen

This edition of "Learn From" is on Van Halen. Eddie Van Halen inparticular. Eddie and Van Halen were game changers. He is one of the few musicians in history were you can clearly see a before Eddie and after Eddie. Before Ed most guitar players sounded like beefed up blues (not that that is bad, its not). Think of Jimmy Page, Ted Nugent, Toni Iommi. Back before Ed every guitar player sounded similar to them, for the most part. He not only changed how people played, but how the guitar sounded. He added tapping, tremalo picking, speed, finesse, phrasing and many other elements. The song that changed it all was "Eruption." Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI7XiJgt0vY

While you might not want to start your Van Halen learning with it, Van Halen 1 is a great place to start. Songs like "You Really Got Me","Aint Talkin Bout Love" and "Ice Cream Man" might not be easy, but they are about the easiest of Eddie to start with. Once you get them down you can move on to all the other albums. Another great one is "Hot For Teacher"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0XLKcMoXRE

When you are learning these songs listen to how they sound. His tone is one of the most sought after tones in music. He is not only a great guitar player/ innovator but is just as good at writing songs. What is a great solo without a great song? Nothing. He is a master rythym player too. Nothing makes a solo or song better than a great riff. Eddie has also invented alot of the gear we take for granted. The power break, the D-Tuna, whammy bar improvements....the list goes on. He has his own amp, guitar, cable, pedals, hell even shoes ( and many many other things) that just kick everything eles's ass. You can check out his guitars and amps at Rock Bottom, we got some. He has influenced more world class musicians than you can count. Example- Dimebag Darrel, Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett, Steve Vai, every guitar player in the 80's......the list will continue to go on. So go buy some Van Halen cd's, download some songs and buy some tab books (your gonna need 'em) and get yourself "Learning From" Eddie Van Halen!!!!