tas7 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 EVH is a noodly shredder and is a highly technical guitarist but Alex is the 'greater' guitarist because he has more feel. I hear a zillion kids doing what EVH does but not many playing with the feel Alex does, and some of Alex's solos are a lot harder than you think. For example if you don't land that massive fret jump at the beginning of the solo in The Trees, you're headed for a car crash. People say Power Windows is a synth album but some of the guitar work is amazingly difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicky6 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 tell me about it.. try doing the solo in xanadu. hard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 EVH is a noodly shredder and is a highly technical guitarist but Alex is the 'greater' guitarist because he has more feel. I hear a zillion kids doing what EVH does Probably the dumbest thing I have ever read here 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JARG Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 EVH is a noodly shredder and is a highly technical guitarist but Alex is the 'greater' guitarist because he has more feel. I hear a zillion kids doing what EVH does Probably the dumbest thing I have ever read here It's up there, that's for sure. Eddie would have a much easier time playing Alex's stuff than Alex would playing Eddie's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas7 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 This is the dumbest thread, why don't you compare Alex with Satriani or Vai then, smart arses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 This is the dumbest thread, why don't you compare Alex with Satriani or Vai then, smart arses? ehhh, it's an old thread, which proves the point that TRF is better now than it used to be 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Eddie loves the guitar, Alex loves the guitar, I love the guitar, Tas loves the guitar it's all good 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas7 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Thank you and to some degree you are correct. 2112 is ridiculously easy to play but Permanent Waves is very difficult. In terms of EVH, Spanish Fly impresses me more than Eruption just an opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 The way I look at it is that these guys go into a studio and the tape is blank .. and when they're done, there is magic on it, and music that I will always love They created it, and not only do I enjoy it, I really appreciate the creativity aspect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas7 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 (edited) Weird thing is, a lot of the prog rock guitarists in the 70's were doing what EVH does but in short measures. EVH with Satriani and Vai took it up a notch and made those techniques come to the forefront especially with their instrumentals where the guitar is the lead interest. For example Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing finger tapping back in '72 but doubt whether the other members of Genesis would have appreciated him taking over. You can always compare Alex or Eddie with this guy! Steve Hackett Edited July 2, 2016 by tas7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 (edited) Weird thing is, a lot of the prog rock guitarists in the 70's were doing what EVH does but in short measures. EVH with Satriani and Vai took it up a notch and made those techniques come to the forefront especially with their instrumentals where the guitar is the lead interest. For example Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing finger tapping back in '72 but doubt whether the other members of Genesis would have appreciated him taking over. You can always compare Alex or Eddie with this guy! Steve Hackett The reason I love Eddie is not necessarily for the right hand on the fret board technique that he has come to be known for .. I love his swing, his rhythms, his fire Aside for a 2 second snip at 1:25, this isolated track is all conventional guitar - one take There was nothing like this in 1978 ... there is still nothing like it The 2:31 point is sick - that lead has no tapping Edited July 2, 2016 by Lucas 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tas7 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Yep, you're right. Here in Australia we thought they were a Dutch band, but the impact was as big as Led Zep 1 when it came out IMO, and in the midst of the punk era. I call it the Ibanez era because my first proper electric was at this time and was an Ibanez which apparently is a collectors item, would have to restore it. Ibanez guitars had a different sound to Fenders and Gibsons, and the necks were really fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReRushed Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 EVH is a noodly shredder and is a highly technical guitarist but Alex is the 'greater' guitarist because he has more feel. I hear a zillion kids doing what EVH does but not many playing with the feel Alex does, and some of Alex's solos are a lot harder than you think. For example if you don't land that massive fret jump at the beginning of the solo in The Trees, you're headed for a car crash. People say Power Windows is a synth album but some of the guitar work is amazingly difficult.Eddie Van Halen's playing is defined by his feel. I think he's a better rhythm player than lead player. I would make the argument Alex Lifeson is a more emotional player. But the fact remains that after Eddie Van Halen established himself Rock guitar playing changed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 The " feel " argument is tough to debate. As I stated before, Alex is much more clinical in his approach. Rush in general are known ( and criticized for in some musical circles ) for recreating everything to a tee live. Listen to Eddie live.. He plays off the cuff most of the time..falling down the stairs and landing on his feet is how he puts it. That to me is more " emotional " than trying to hit every note exactly the same as on the studio recording. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Weird thing is, a lot of the prog rock guitarists in the 70's were doing what EVH does but in short measures. EVH with Satriani and Vai took it up a notch and made those techniques come to the forefront especially with their instrumentals where the guitar is the lead interest. For example Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing finger tapping back in '72 but doubt whether the other members of Genesis would have appreciated him taking over. You can always compare Alex or Eddie with this guy! Steve Hackett The reason I love Eddie is not necessarily for the right hand on the fret board technique that he has come to be known for .. I love his swing, his rhythms, his fire Aside for a 2 second snip at 1:25, this isolated track is all conventional guitar - one take There was nothing like this in 1978 ... there is still nothing like it The 2:31 point is sick - that lead has no tapping This is exactly what I'm talking about.. Listen to his swing and phrasing.. Total emotion and raw energy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 But the fact remains that after Eddie Van Halen established himself Rock guitar playing changed. How? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Weird thing is, a lot of the prog rock guitarists in the 70's were doing what EVH does but in short measures. EVH with Satriani and Vai took it up a notch and made those techniques come to the forefront especially with their instrumentals where the guitar is the lead interest. For example Steve Hackett of Genesis was doing finger tapping back in '72 but doubt whether the other members of Genesis would have appreciated him taking over. You can always compare Alex or Eddie with this guy! Steve Hackett The reason I love Eddie is not necessarily for the right hand on the fret board technique that he has come to be known for .. I love his swing, his rhythms, his fire Aside for a 2 second snip at 1:25, this isolated track is all conventional guitar - one take There was nothing like this in 1978 ... there is still nothing like it The 2:31 point is sick - that lead has no tapping http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K0LAE-Fel8 Wow! Can he still move his fingers that fast? I think I prefer Alex's style, but I do think Eddie is better. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 (edited) But the fact remains that after Eddie Van Halen established himself Rock guitar playing changed. How? This is where the issue with Eddie gets tricky. A lot of folks will say that Eddie ruined rock guitar playing in a way, cause he influenced so many guys to pretty much just play Eruption/ Beat it style solos throughout the 80s and even into the early to mid nineties. His style filtered down through so much of the industry... You could go to a Garth brooks concert in the early 90s , and I guarantee you'd hear the guitarist toss in a few Eddie style solos into the songs.. Or how bout cover bands in the 80s and 90s? Yup.. Everyone had a Floyd rose and taps in every damn song ., or so it seemed. His style WAS the 80s. Good or bad. Oh and movies.. Back to the future.., better off dead.. Edited July 2, 2016 by Xanadoood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 (edited) But the fact remains that after Eddie Van Halen established himself Rock guitar playing changed. How? That is a good question, and the answer could fill 100 posts .. The only other guitarist or musician that can compare in terms of impact is Les Paul ( .. who invented the modern recording technique of using multiple tracks on tape, and Les also was one of the first to build and create an electric guitar ) Anyways, back to Eddie His impact goes beyond the notes he played ... For starters, he changed the approach to the actual guitar itself .... There are components on every electric guitar called "pickups" - these are the blocky or tube shaped things under the strings that actually "pickup" the vibration from the strings and send the signal to the amplifier .. For the sake of simplicity here, I only mention the two main types of pickups : single coil ( tube shaped ones ) and humbucker ( the blocky ones that look like two single coils stuck together ) Single coil pickups are synonymous with Fender guitar, esp the Stratocaster - traditionally, the sound is more clear and open, less distorted - these are favored by country and blues players .. The Fender Stratocaster guitar had a slightly different neck contour ( usually slimmer ) and more importantly to Eddie, it featured a vibrato arm ( sometimes called tremolo ) on the tailpiece which, when manually used by the player, could produce an array of diving and pitch altering sounds .. Humbuckers were associated with Gibson guitars, in particular, the Les Paul model and the Flying V ... the sound was rock - heavier, darker and more powerful .... In other words, Eddie liked the sound of the Gibson but the feel and vibrato arm of the Fender .. What Eddie did first - before anyone else - he installed a Gibson humbucker pickup on a Fender guitar ... and while that was a step closer to what he wanted, it wasn't perfect .. So Eddie made his own guitar - he bought an extremely cheap body, a neck, painted it with Schwinn bicycle paint and hand routed a hole in the body big enough for a Gibson humbucker pickup .. This became the guitar that he made that first legendary album with - a $125 piece of "junk" that created one of the greatest guitar albums of all time- with a sound that has never been duplicated ... The guitar was later named "Frankenstrat" for obvious reasons .. The Stratocaster shaped body with a single humbucker pickup became THE THING for rock and metal guitarists .. But Eddie wasn't done ... the vibrato arm, and the way he used it, was not up to his satisfaction - So a guy named Floyd Rose made a system that has become a must have for metal guitarists everywhere - it was a heavy duty vibrato arm with a locking nut at the opposite end of the guitar, keeping the guitar in tune .. Here are some pics, from the early days forward: Eddie in 1976 with a Fender Stratocaster that he modified with a humbucker pickup ( the humbucker is directly under Eddie's right hand ) A Fender Stratocaster with its traditional pickup configuration ( note that the pickups are all the same - single coil and tube shaped ) The first guitar Eddie built, and the one that he used on the Van Halen debut: http://www.vhnd.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/guitar-frankwhite3.jpg Edited July 2, 2016 by Lucas 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucas Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Eddie, 1977 On the far left of the photo is an actual WW2 bomb - Eddie used this to hold his Echoplex tape delay effect What is ironic is that it is obvious that Eddie was extremely DIY ... He was resourceful and used what was available and put it together himself .. And as time went by, other guitarists and companies would attempt to emulate and cash in on what Eddie did on a shoestring budget - guitarists in the 80s began to have these huge elaborate racks and racks of illuminated gear with tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and these fancy custom made guitars.. None of them ever came close to what Eddie did with a bunch of junk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 If you look in the VH thread in the music section, there's a recent lengthy interview with Eddie where he explained a lot of what you wrote. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorraine Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Here's the link where it is in the thread if you've never seen it and want to watch it: http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/98836-favorite-van-halen-singer/page__st__40#entry4001725 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Barchetta Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 I think Eddie and Mustaine are the two best rock guitarists ever. That being said, Alex's playing fit perfectly with the best band ever, which makes him my favorite. If that's not weird enough, I don't even particularly LIKE Van Halen. Megadeth, however is waaaaaaaaaaaaay underrated. Some of the arrangements in "Rust in Peace" and "Cryptic Writings" are absolutely mind-blowing. Oh, by the way...I vote Mr. Lifeson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicky6 Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Eddies no slocth.. hes a great guitar player... but he got lucky and came out at the right time. he saved the world that was in a funk of disco music and brought back rock n roll with a sound unheard of. that many copied but none came as close.. and it took off. thanks to big gene.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xanadoood Posted July 2, 2016 Share Posted July 2, 2016 Eddies no slocth.. hes a great guitar player... but he got lucky and came out at the right time. he saved the world that was in a funk of disco music and brought back rock n roll with a sound unheard of. that many copied but none came as close.. and it took off. thanks to big gene..w Haha.. He got lucky? Yeah.. Cause luck isn't involved in EVERY bands succes. Ridiculous. It's talent, perseverance and yeah.. A bit of right place, right time luck that creates succes. No other major rock guitar player up until that time was playing like Eddie. He single handily recreated Rock guitar playing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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