ERUPTION! Eddie Van Halen's Insane Rock Guitar Skills - Guitar Tab Included 

Yeah, I do have to say. It’s really hard to find the notes by ear.

So true. While they're may be players that are arguably technically better than Eddie, those players don't connect emotionally with the audience in the scale that Eddie did. For example, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson are all amazing technical players with their own styles, but people have not connected to their playing in the same way that they connected to Ed's playing. Ed's playing has a feel that we emotionally connected with right away. As soon as you hear it there's a jaw dropping moment (Eruption, etc.) There's a magic to Eddie's playing. As soon as you hear it, you feel it and that never goes away. Proof is in the pudding in the way that people that have never heard Eddie before, once they hear him for the first time (which happens somewhere everyday), the reaction is the same. As new fans connect with Eddie today and hear him for the first time they are experiencing the same emotions as if they were in 1978 and heard "Eruption" for the first time. Who else does that? Name one other guitar player who had that impact and held it for so long? The legacy that EVH has left behind is huge, and when the current and future generations come into their youth and hear him for the first time, they will share the same emotional experience as the previous generations experienced. Who else does that? No one. Eddie was a one of a kind player, and will be remembered as such for many years to come.

I saw Van Halen a couple of time in the early 80's and they were relatively poor live compared to their peers of the time. Having said that the first time I heard Eruption in '78 was mind blowing, it was hard to believe it was coming from a guitar!!

@@cliveshalice8490 listen to the concert. They were tremendous live. Even before they were signed.

​​@@cliveshalice8490You are probably one of the few people to have this opinion of their live performances. Everyone can have an off night, certainly, but most people will say they were one of the greatest live bands they have ever seen.

@@janezimmerman7987 I saw them a few times at their height and they were sloppy live. Great band and arguably one of the greatest guitarists of all time but DLR let them down a little live.

@@coldwinter5710 I don't dispute that and I'm not knocking them. My opinion when I saw them in 1980 and 83 was they were sloppy live, particularly DLR. Great band and amazing guitarist but compared to the likes of Rush, AC/DC and even Kiss of the time they were...loose!!

My father saw them in 1979 at the Beacon Theater. He said the same thing.

New Halen lol!!

Those are precisely the three. The triumvirate.

100% agree and wrote the same. Guitar Techniques editors broke down everything. And I think back then Guthrie Govan was part of the Editors Team who voted.

T bone walker too chuck berry used a lot of his licks

I would include Eric Clapton

I agree. After those 3, I'd go with Page, Blackmore, and Gilmour.

I saw your transcription on-line years ago...You did an excellent job...In my opinion I think yours is the best out there...I was wondering if you had a clearer copy or a re-done clearer version...My eyes are really terrible (from diabetes)..The version online looks like it's in pencil...If you do have a clearer version...could I buy it from you or could I have a copy ? Thank you.

I saw your transcription on-line years ago...You did an excellent job...In my opinion I think yours is the best out there...I was wondering if you had a clearer copy or a re-done clearer version...My eyes are really terrible (from diabetes)..The version online looks like it's in pencil...If you do have a clearer version...could I buy it from you or could I have a copy ? Thank you.

@@mickeyjohn2442 Unfortunately I do not have a clearer copy. It was done in pencil back in 1997 and it is faded. I intend to overhaul my transcription and have an engraver get it into a proper score so that everyone can easily follow it…in fact I’ve reached out to Levi and his team via e-mail a few months ago to help work on it with me, but I haven’t heard back from them yet. It is a lengthy and expensive process for me to do this work, but if and when I get it done, I’ll probably post it here and other places online for free so everyone can learn it correctly if they want!

@@AllenGarberGuitarFun Thank you so much for responding...It's a great gift you've given everyone with your transcription of one of the greatest guitar solos ever...I'm looking forward to the new version :-)

@@mickeyjohn2442 Levi has done a great job as well…I hope he can find time to collaborate with me, but if not I’ll make it happen anyway!

What's so great about him?

316 off of FUK album. He named it after Wolfies birthday. Although it appears on a later album, he had written it years before as you can see here. This is “5150” era. Pre Fuk. Lol

All go on Patreon

The moment you wonder what's so special about this guy anyways.

There's already so many transcriptions of it everywhere, also Ralph was just miming nonsense on it haha. Anything Steve played should be able to learn from his hands though!

Yeah, i got most of the steve stuff down, it’s just the slide bit thats fucking me up. Couldn’t find any transcriptions of it though… link please?

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U5rgWHXMM5s.html

I'd hope so Edward, but it's not doing great yet... so if you want to help get the word out it would be appreciated! :D

@@LeviClaylet Johnny Beane know that you have transcribed this masterpiece. He could really spread the word.

Also, do you have a guitar pro file for your transcription? And if so how do I get myself a copy? Thanks again for doing this. I've been hoping forever for someone to do it.

@@edwardglyons they all go on my Patreon

@@LeviClay thank you.

he's dead mate

Right… but it was 20 years earlier. You understand that right? That’s like saying the Model T ford was ok… but a Ferrari is better.

John Petrucci was a lot better than him 20 years ago as well, so you don't really have a point here. What you COULD argue, however, is that you wrote ROCK guitarist, and JP & the others I mentioned are rather Prog Metal and Fusion guitarists (which are better than Rock guitarists anyway, since the music is much more complex), but then there's Nuno Bettencourt who was better than EVH 20 years ago too.

​​@@tkbone32221​​​​​You are obviously young...When Eddie Van Halen came on to the ROCK scene...There was nobody that played like him (nobody) Eddie came out 45 years ago and changed the landscape of how we look at the guitar...He was the first true Shredder...His peers at the time were guys like Jimmy Page...Eric Clapton...Keith Richards...Neil Schon and so on...and they were absolutely floored by him...All of his peers and millions of guys who were directly influenced by him is a long list...Steve Vai...Joe Satriani...Nuno Bettencourt...all of the prog metal fusion guys you named...and yes even your favorite John Petrucci...This list is extensive...Do yourself a favor...Go to RU-vid search bar and type in...Van Halen Live 1978 London England...and scroll to his live solo...His playing was ferocious at that time...his alternate picking was as good as Yngwie Malmsteen at that time...before the wear and tear of drugs and alcohol...You have to put things in perspective...Yes, there are people all over RU-vid playing Eruption/Van Halen songs...But keep in mind...If he hadn't raised the level of proficiency in rock guitar...The guitar wouldn't be at the level that it is at...if it weren't for him there wouldn't be humbuckers in strat style guitars...There would be no locking tremolo systems...the use of variac variable transformers... he was an absolute game changer...He may not of invented two handed tapping but he popularized it and brought to the masses...Even down to his signature paint jobs on his guitars...nobody was branding themselves like that back in the day

@@mickeyjohn2442 45 years ago (not 20), yes, THAT makes sense.

@@tkbone32221that is very subjective, better as in can play faster? has a more precise picking technique? I don't like Dream Theatre, hate their music, so Petrucci is irrelevant to me as a player I just consider him just another shredder. Eddie on the other hand had a playing style that is hard to imitate, he was an incredible rhythm guitar player and songwriter

Well done. You’ve had your brain rotted by mainstream guitar magazines 👍🏻

@@LeviClay ok you freakin troglodyte, the thing i was going off was publicly voted rankings plus, the fact that you went straight to insulting me proves that you have genuine brain rot. It just amazes me how i was just suggesting the fact you were wrong in my opinion and YOU got all offensive and idiotic. and besides your opinion what makes EVH better than Jimi? and dont pull some really stupid stuff

yes... I was clearly upset... thats why I posted a sentence... unlike your seething paragraph hahaha

@@LeviClay you were upset about a mere opinion of someone you dont even know? thats genuinely stupid

@@LoganVigil-xe6zp again dude... sentence vs paragraph

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

If you haven’t seen Max Ostro, I HIGHLY recommend. Imo, He’s my favorite lead guitarist of all time and I’m the biggest EVH fan ever. I discovered him when I was 8 years old in 84. Max has the EVH/Jeff Beck magic. Start with Kiesel solos, Rhumba, and JTC sessions but ALL of his stuff is excellent. “No feel, only pain” is one of my favorite solos of his. “Out for blood” is also absolutely insane. I love most all of them and watched them all hundreds of times already. 🤟🏻

yo ive seen u comenting on jimi wolf solos

Live in Fresno I bet.

The club recordings from their early days before he starting tapping are a revelation too. Before he had the bag of tricks we all know and love he had this whole other library of gonzo ideas.

@gregalon Cool, I love this one ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qFRAejYGSJY.html

​​@@gregalonI read this recently from a well known guitarist (sorry, can't remember their name off hand), who followed them very early on. Said even in the early backyard party days, Ed was simply tremendous!

The fact that 5 of their albums were already recorded before the first release blows me away. They rewrote sons for years before releasing them, that's perfection. Van Halen was the top Jimmie.

Bulging eyes could be a sign of a hormonal imbalance . Might want to get that looked at .

Amen...

lucky man to have seen him live bro !!!!!!!!!!!

Hows it going ?

That's from Live: Right Here, Right Now, isn't it?

@@Ebdim9th yes that concert was shortly after release of Fork album. Lol

Me too. 32 times from Van Halen’s first headlining tour in 1980 through their last tour in 2015, never missing a tour. I was in amazement every time I witnessed his playing. Nobody will ever surpass him as long as I live and most likely after as well.

I wish some of the haters in these comments would actually listen to his rhythm playing and understand he was not just all about tapping. How many rock bands from the same era would write a riff like the pre-chorus section from "Unchained"?!

@@JonBloomer The thing is that ALL the top guitarists have commented the same about his "in the pocket" all around. playing. Govan, Mancuso, Vai, Wylde, Lukather, Eric Johnston, for example...