A Tribute to Edward Van Halen
Dear Friends of the Guitar,
I hope this reaches you well as we are heading for colder weather. We can all agree that 2020 has been a difficult year, and often I wonder how young people are coping with this. It has caused me to look back at my teenage years, and playing the guitar then was a much-needed form of therapy. Practicing an instrument is not just a way to get better at your own playing and achieve musical goals; playing daily during difficult times is a highly effective form of discipline that refocuses and detoxes your mind. My teenage years were filled with uncertainty, loneliness, a sense of not belonging, and a strong feeling that I didn’t fit in with the mainstream crowd. At times, I was even a victim of bullying. I am sure many can relate to this. During junior high, it was the music of Edward Van Halen, who passed away this October 6th, that deeply touched and inspired me. His music is what really brought the guitar into my life. He coaxed such amazing soundwaves out of his instrument that it made me want to pick up the guitar too and stick with guitar lessons. Without a doubt, had it not been for him, I would not be sitting here writing this newsletter or teaching the guitar. I dedicate this to him.
Edward Lodewijk and his brother Alex Arthur Van Halen were born in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Their mother, Eugenia, was from the island of Java in the Dutch Indies, and their father, Jan, was a Dutch multi-instrumentalist jazz musician. In 1962, the Van Halen family immigrated to Pasadena, California via boat to NYC, and then a 4-day train ride to California, when Edward was 7 years old. (Read more)
“Big Bad Bill,” off of their album Diver Down, showcases their dad’s jazz chops. Edward wanted to have his dad play some clarinet on an album, and they picked this old American jazz standard that was written by Milton Ager back in 1924! Edward plays some very superb traditional acoustic rhythm jazz guitar and leaves all the soloing up to his father. Jan essentially had stopped playing the clarinet because of an accident involving a trailer ten years earlier that chopped off one of his fingers. I have always pondered if Eddie’s legato 2 handed tapping style is in any way connected to the warm arpeggiated sounds of great jazz clarinet players such as Johnny Dodds, Sidney Bechet or Jimmy Noone. I can see little Edward roaming through his modest home with big ears while his Dad is jamming along to his favorite jazz heroes! You can find out more about this story here.
In 2015 Eddie spoke at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and said the following: “We came here with approximately $50 and a piano, and we didn’t speak the language. Now look where we are, if that’s not the American dream, what is?” What an important reminder!
Edward Van Halen’s enormous musical energy radiated out of his once-in-a -lifetime guitar tone and was showcased in his live performances. The aggression exhibited in his playing helped ease my own frustrations and pent up anxieties of youth. Much of my youth probably would have been wasted on worse things had I not been trying to emulate him, spending countless hours trying to figure out how to play his lightning-fast, blistering solo-runs. Instead of wasting all my free time staring at the television or playing video games while waiting for my Dad to finally come home from too long hours at the office, I was in my room mesmerized by Eddie’s two-handed tapping technique.
To this day, like thousands other guitarists, I am still inspired by his innovative playing, and I’m still trying to capture that famous “brown sound” with just the right amount of delay and reverb. My wife can testify that there have been many days where I am hunkered down in front of my pedal board and tube amplifier, for the umpteenth time, trying to get a bit closer to nailing the guitar tone of the very first self-titled Van Halen album that would literally turn the guitar world upside down and, to this day, inspire millions of musicians.
“Eruption,” the second track from that album, released in February 1978, is a perfect example of this. It marked the beginning of a new era for guitarists, and the ball had been batted out of the park further than ever before. With this instrumental, at age 23, Eddie set a new standard for any electric guitarist interested in rock guitar stardom. My high school band director, David Bresnahan, whom I am also forever indebted to for igniting my passion for music, encouraged me to perform it for the school’s talent show. I must have pulled it off all right because I remember total strangers coming up to me for days later and encouraging me: “Dude, that was so rad! You are awesome!” Learning “Eruption” for that event and succeeding at it probably was a decisive factor in my pursuit of music studies and blessed me with a much needed boost of self-confidence.
It always surprises me that the music of early Van Halen albums was created despite, or perhaps precisely because of, the many disagreements and dislikes between the lead singer David Lee Roth and Edward Van Halen. In many ways, this unspoken, underlying tension and the sensation that things were often at the very edge of falling apart but didn’t, was what is so exciting and real about their musical endeavors. The best quote I ever read about the band went something like this: “They sound like 4 people are running down a staircase at full speed, stumble halfway down and then somehow manage to land together on both feet at the bottom with a huge grin.” I really respect how they were able to collaborate together and produce incredible works and keep performing despite ongoing differences. Applause to that!
I am not suggesting that everyone should listen to or even like Van Halen. I perfectly well understand if you actually are not interested in anything that remotely resembles 80’s hair metal music. My wife insists not many people are! Perhaps it’s the lyrics of immature 20 something year olds with massively inflated egos that you have an aversion to. Trust me, to this day, despite my grand efforts of years of persuasion, my wife heartily denies the glorious results of pairing David Lee Roth’s attempts at singing with Eddie’s guitar genius! However, even she admires all of Eddie’s guitar instrumentals like “Spanish Fly” (Van Halen II). This is one of the few recordings of Edward playing a simple acoustic nylon string guitar that illustrates his innovative genius didn’t need to be loud in order to be heard. Whether you are a fan or not, Eddie is worthy of all the admiration from guitar players and musicians around the world!
So, crank up some Van Halen, if, like me, you’ve just about had enough of this incredibly draining year. I encourage you to pick up your guitar daily and practice the music that inspires you. You will reap the benefits of a more focused and de-cluttered mindset. And I challenge all of us to have as much fun at it as Eddie showcased!
Happy pickin’ for the month of November!
Chris
My Top Van Halen Songs in Chronological Order
Listen on my Spotify Playlist
“Eruption” (Van Halen 1978)
“Spanish Fly” (Van Halen II)
“Women in Love” (Van Halen II): The intro to the song was one of my favorites to learn how to play. The bell-like sound is achieved by tapping the notes on the fretboard an octave higher with the right hand while playing chord shapes with the left hand.
“Could This Be Magic?” (Women And Children First): A clear reminder that Edward’s playing was also deeply rooted in African American Blues music. I always thought that he never got enough credit that he is also an incredible slide guitar player who can play some serious Delta blues!
“Mean Street” (Fair Warning): I remember hearing the intro to this song on a tape I borrowed from my sister, and I kept rewinding the Walkman (remember those!) over and over again trying to imagine how in the world you can get a guitar to sound like that! When his brother Alex and their bass player Michael Anthony (who always was a master of simply serving the song) come in with their killer groove, you can sense the intimacy of their brotherhood despite some occasional bad blood.
“Unchained” (Fair Warning): This song delivers the listener with the ultimate boost of raw energy. To this day I still wish I could figure out exactly how he get’s that incredible flanger sound just at the right moments during the opening riff.
“Cathedral” (Fair Warning): Never has anybody coaxed such ethereal sounds out of an electric guitar. The entire piece is played with the left hand while the right hand turns the volume knob of the guitar back and forth so that you never really hear any attack of the string. Perhaps this instrumental is rooted in an early childhood musical memory of hearing a church organ being played in a Catholic church in his hometown of Amsterdam.
“Secrets” (Diver Down): I don’t know exactly why, but this song has always made me feel good from the very first time I heard it as a kid. Now, as a father, I think of my daughter Cora whenever I listen to it. I suppose even David’s lyrics are decent on this one, and it probably is one of the few David Lee Roth/Van Halen era songs that I actually also listen to the lyrics (although in times like these something really resonates with the lyrics of “Where Have All The Good Times Gone! (Diver Down). It features Edward playing a very clean sounding electric rhythm guitar with no distortion, which is rather untypical for him. The guitar solo is one of my favorites because it has such feeling and fits the song perfectly. I really wish they had recorded more songs in this style.
“Dancing In The Street”: This is another feel good song. Van Halen was not afraid to cover songs from a variety of genres. In the beginning, they started out as a Pasadena party band and being well versed in various music genres is part of that ticket. This is originally a Motown song made famous by Martha Reeves.
“Little Guitars Intro” (Diver Down): Again, another example of how Ed didn’t need all the high volume electrical equipment he had custom engineered to create some beautiful and sensitive acoustic music. The groove of the actual song also illustrates the highly infectious rhythm possessed by the brother duo.
“Big Bad Bill” (Diver Down)
“Happy Trails” (Diver Down) What can I say? These clowns can even carry a tune while only singing a cappella! I love how nobody is taking themselves too seriously! Odd, how even my teenage hardcore punk friends got a kick out of this schmoozy number which clearly shows where goofy Diamond Dave’s showtune heart really lies.
“1984” (1984): Edward and his brother Alex had piano lessons as children from a Lithuanian born choirmaster named Stacy Kalvaitis when they moved to California, and Edward won annual piano recitals from age 9-12 performing classical European piano repertoire. Unbelievably, he claims that he never actually learned how to read music but was able to memorize entire pieces by watching his teacher play! Eddie turned out to be equally innovative playing the piano, keyboards and synthesizers on many future albums including this one. The synthesizer intro to this album creates an intriguing mood that foreshadows the new frontier the band is about to enter: This chart-topping album went on to sell over 10 million copies worldwide!
“I’ll Wait” (1984): Eddie’s synthesizer work here leaves a lot of space for his brother Alex’s massive drum sound, and I find Eddie’s guitar solo as if he’s telling a story.
“Best of Both Worlds” (5150): After a split with lead singer David Lee Roth, they joined forces with Sammy Hagar as their new frontman for another very successful album. Eddie and Sammy really seem to be on the same page. Listen to Ed’s outrageous horse whine, which he accomplishes using his whammy bar, as he starts his guitar solo at 2:17!
“Feels So Good” (0U812): This is another showcase of Eddie’s excellent abilities on the keyboard using a rare organ type sound. It is a very different composition, and I find it harmonically rather complex with many different parts and chord progressions. Here’s another highly expressive guitar solo towards the end of this mellow pop song.
“Beat It” (Michael Jackson): Lastly, Edward didn’t hesitate to do a favor for other musicians and collaborate within an entirely different genre. Mega producer Quincy Jones called Eddie and asked him if he would like to do a guitar solo on a Michael Jackson tune. He did, free of charge, and the song became one of the best selling hits of all time with over 7 million copies sold worldwide!
Here are some more links in case you’re interested in the life and music of the incredibly gifted musicianship of EVH:
Dweezil Zappa: “Edward Van Halen Himself Was Lightning in a Bottle” (Premiere Guitar)
The Astonishing Techniques That Made Eddie Van Halen A Guitar God (NPR)
Eddie Van Halen, Virtuoso of the Rock Guitar, Dies at 65 (The New York Times)
