My Eruption cover

[TWSguitarist]

I have only been playing guitar for just over a year and apparently an pretty good at it. When it comes to Eruption I'm not 100% but am decent at it.


http://youtu.be/RGlpSk616NI

[Kristy]

Interesting.

[Kristy]

I'm lying of course.

[cadaverdog]

Don't quit your day job but I've heard worse. Hell, I've paid to hear worse. A little more practice and Dave might hire you for the next DLR album. I saw him with the Atomic Punks guitarist here in Cali on the Sam and Dave tour and he was alright but he didn't ad lib anything. He tried to play the VH songs like Ed did on the albums. It reminded me of the movie Rockstar with Marky Mark. No improvisation on stage whatsoever. Sammy's guy at least improvised. I actually thought he sounded pretty good. But the sound system was tuned for the headliner and it wasn't Dave that night. If I'd known he was opening for the other L A stop on the tour I'd have gone to that show instead of the one at Glen Helen.

[Heater]

The tapping part sounded the best, which shows just how thin the EVH mysticism curtain really is. Speaking of Dave, one thing he nailed right on the head a LONG time ago was when he said Ed plays the same solo every time.

[TWSguitarist]

Yeah I'm not the best at it but thanks. I'm not going to let some 11 year old bra me at my own game lol. Idk how long that kid has been playing but hes ok. Like I said I have only been playing for a year or so. I did mess up in a few parts in this video though.

What's some of the most noticeable parts I should improve on? Besides speed.

[Kristy]

What's some of the most noticeable parts I should improve on? Besides speed.

Work on getting your dipl...er. G.E.D. The world already has enough failed musicians.

[TWSguitarist]

I only play guitar because it is fun. I have plans with my life. If I become a great musician sweet. If not fine I don't care. I plan on going into the military as a "Diesel Mechanic" basically a tank mechanic as everyone calls it.

[atomicpnk47]

Well, you have the '04 Ed version down....

[Von Halen]

The world already has enough failed musicians.

At least if he is another failed musician, he'll only have failed at one thing in life. You have failed at everything in life.

[Kristy]

In that case I might as well start learning how to play 'Eruption' on guitar.

[VAiN]

IMO, the best way is to learn to play the parts in their entirety at 1/2 speed, cleanly and completely. The speed will come with time.. Focus on your technique first.

[VAiN]

The tapping part sounded the best, which shows just how thin the EVH mysticism curtain really is. Speaking of Dave, one thing he nailed right on the head a LONG time ago was when he said Ed plays the same solo every time.

Don't you ever get tired of being a complete jackass?

[Heater]

Don't you ever get tired of being a complete jackass?

Don't you ever get tired of being a self-important, pompous poser. Nevermind, your rabid Davelove now makes perfect sense.

[cadaverdog]

I know it's a cliche but I can feel the love in this thread.

[TWSguitarist]

That's what I've been doing. I actually think it sounds way better at 1/2 speed because Edd's unique note choices pop out.

[Terry]

I have only been playing guitar for just over a year and apparently an pretty good at it. When it comes to Eruption I'm not 100% but am decent at it.


http://youtu.be/RGlpSk616NI

I'd say considering you've only been playing for just over a year your playing is coming along well.

Playing it at a slower speed would probably be useful, agreed.

Also, perhaps taking the solo in sections and really nailing those parts down bit by bit before moving on to the piece as a whole would be helpful. Like, say, the trilling parts on the high E string about mid-way through the solo: really sitting down and practicing that part of it over (and over...and over...and over) until you can play it smoothly.

The great thing about the instrument is it's one of those things where you're only going to get better at it IF you put in the practice.

One note of advice. This was true back in the early 1980s when I first started playing and any guitar store you'd walk into you'd hear somebody playing Eruption, and it's true now - there are a million people who play Eddie's licks. It's a neat style. I've practiced his licks plenty, and I've been playing off and on since 1982. However, it's a style with limitations. Don't neglect other styles, and don't neglect finger picking (when you're playing with a pick, you can only pluck so many notes at once...when you pick with all five fingers, you can do so much more). I'm a long time hard rock fan, but some of the most astounding guitar players I've ever heard weren't all rock players. There's classical, jazz and country players out there that, just in terms of technical ability, make Eddie Van Halen (as great as he is) look very limited.

[LoungeMachine]

At least if he is another failed musician, he'll only have failed at one thing in life. You have failed at everything in life.

Untrue.

"she" has been a stoned, underemployed guitar stringer at a third-rate music store, and a music critic online, which everyone knows it the epitome of street cred and success!!!

:gulp:

[LoungeMachine]

In that case I might as well start learning how to play 'Eruption' on guitar.

Funny how you always seem to be the critic, but never seem to be able to show any work of your own.

:gulp:

Go load another bong hit and cut yourself thinking about daddy, Krust

[DLR Bridge]

I'm a long time hard rock fan, but some of the most astounding guitar players I've ever heard weren't all rock players. There's classical, jazz and country players out there that, just in terms of technical ability, make Eddie Van Halen (as great as he is) look very limited.

Agreed. I've had the pleasure of seeing John Pizzarelli a couple of times up close in a small jazz club. That guy absolutely burns up the neck of his big ass 7 string Moll guitar. Witnessing that confirmed for me that, after 31 years of playing, I'm pretty much just a rhythm player.

[cadaverdog]

Funny how you always seem to be the critic, but never seem to be able to show any work of your own.


Roger Ebert wasn't an actor but he won a Pulitzer prize for critisism. (who knew there was such a thing) He said he learned how to be a critic from Mad magazine. I don't agree with Krusty about this lad's musical abilities but you don't have to be a musician to be a music critic. She said he sucked, she didn't say she could do better.

[LoungeMachine]

I only play guitar because it is fun. I have plans with my life. If I become a great musician sweet. If not fine I don't care. I plan on going into the military as a "Diesel Mechanic" basically a tank mechanic as everyone calls it.

Great band name

"Diesel Mechanic"

:gulp:

[TWSguitarist]

Thanks do the advice. I'm actually going back and learning each part individually. Currently I'm working on the part between the chords and the tremolo picking.

[VAiN]

Don't you ever get tired of being a self-important, pompous poser. Nevermind, your rabid Davelove now makes perfect sense.

Oh, you got me on that one.

[DLR Bridge]

Seriously VAiN. Get some help with that self importance problem of yours, will ya? I mean, geez, you're just a total drag to hang with anymore man. It's always you you you. Come off your fuckin' high horse. :biggrin:

[cadaverdog]

Seriously VAiN. Get some help with that self importance problem of yours, will ya? I mean, geez, you're just a total drag to hang with anymore man. It's always you you you. Come off your fuckin' high horse. :biggrin:
I thought self important meant me me me?

[DLR Bridge]

I thought self important meant me me me?

You know what I mean mean mean.

[cadaverdog]

You know what I mean mean mean.
Sure I did . I was just being a dick dick dick.

[DLR Bridge]

M'hm M'hm M'hm.

[cadaverdog]

M'hm M'hm M'hm.
What's that, your Karl Childers imitation? It's just m'hm, one time.

[Kristy]

IMO, the best way is to learn to play the parts in their entirety at 1/2 speed, cleanly and completely. The speed will come with time.. Focus on your technique first.

Just like the way you masturbate when your homoerotic affixation with Roth takes over?

[DLR Bridge]

Hmmmm. Are you and Heater... Nahhh. Couldn't be.

[cadaverdog]

Just like the way you masturbate when your homoerotic affixation with Roth takes over?
Everybody knows you're one of Hagar's groupies. Since Page quit letting you give him rim chews you switched to rimming Sammy. Dave must have threatened your boyfriend with his famous "I'll fuck your girlfriend" line, took one look at you and said "nevermind, I wouldn't fuck that with Hagar's dick."

[Mushroom]

Well, you have the '04 Ed version down....

This is actually very funny :biggrin:

[Terry]

IMO, the best way is to learn to play the parts in their entirety at 1/2 speed, cleanly and completely. The speed will come with time.. Focus on your technique first.

The funny thing about Eruption is that virtually every guitarist I've seen play it in a music store (and now hundreds - maybe even thousands - of various youtube postings), I've yet to hear anyone (myself included) who actually gets every single part of it right. Or at least sounding EXACTLY the way Ed played it. For each player that tries it, there's always at least one part of the piece where they don't have whatever technique needed quite down pat. Like, most people get the tapping down and the high-E trilling down, but the other parts are not quite on the nuggets.

[Seshmeister]

I think I could do the tapping part after just a year of playing I had the background in keyboards too so that made it even more straightforward - as you imply it used to be the great secret of rock guitar playing that it's pretty easy.

I actually have a kind of dark secret about that.

I was at a friends Moms 40th birthday party back in the late 80s and his dad and his pals were all part time blues musicians. There was me and and another kid there that played guitar, he was a blues player think Crossroads Karate Kid and had been playing for many many years. I did the tapping thing for a bit and even though the other kid was miles better than me everyone completely ignored him and treated me like I was a guitar god because they had never seen anything like it, he was so angry. :)

I still feel bad about what was basically a hack piece of BS sub David Blaine crapola and I bet half the guitarists here have been guilty at some point of doing the same thing...

[Terry]

I think I could do the tapping part after just a year of playing I had the background in keyboards too so that made it even more straightforward - as you imply it used to be the great secret of rock guitar playing that it's pretty easy.

I actually have a kind of dark secret about that.

I was at a friends Moms 40th birthday party back in the late 80s and his dad and his pals were all part time blues musicians. There was me and and another kid there that played guitar, he was a blues player think Crossroads Karate Kid and had been playing for many many years. I did the tapping thing for a bit and even though the other kid was miles better than me everyone completely ignored him and treated me like I was a guitar god because they had never seen anything like it, he was so angry. :)

I still feel bad about what was basically a hack piece of BS sub David Blaine crapola and I bet half the guitarists here have been guilty at some point of doing the same thing...

If you could do the tapping in the early 1980s, particularly before Steve Vai did his Eruption tablature transcription in Guitar World in 1983, or before the Jump video came out and people got a look at how the tapping worked, everyone thought you were the best player ever. And it's such a cheesy trick in some ways. It was just that back in 1982 there weren't mass amounts of footage circulating showing how the tapping was done, and there weren't 20 different guitar mags out there with tab showing how it was done.

Once 1984-1985 rolled around, suddenly every teenage guitar wannabe idol learned the trick. Then, by the late 1980s, you'd go out to clubs to see local hard rock bands and EVERY (I mean, fucking EVERY) guitar player was playing as fast as they could at the top of the neck on the high-E string, pinching harmonics and depressing the tremolo arm or doing two-handed tapping. I mean, I loved Eddie's style. Loved it. Studied it, practiced it, and by the time 1990 rolled around even I was sick of hearing people play in the style of Eddie Van Halen.

[TWSguitarist]

If you could do the tapping in the early 1980s, particularly before Steve Vai did his Eruption tablature transcription in Guitar World in 1983, or before the Jump video came out and people got a look at how the tapping worked, everyone thought you were the best player ever. And it's such a cheesy trick in some ways. It was just that back in 1982 there weren't mass amounts of footage circulating showing how the tapping was done, and there weren't 20 different guitar mags out there with tab showing how it was done.

Once 1984-1985 rolled around, suddenly every teenage guitar wannabe idol learned the trick. Then, by the late 1980s, you'd go out to clubs to see local hard rock bands and EVERY (I mean, fucking EVERY) guitar player was playing as fast as they could at the top of the neck on the high-E string, pinching harmonics and depressing the tremolo arm or doing two-handed tapping. I mean, I loved Eddie's style. Loved it. Studied it, practiced it, and by the time 1990 rolled around even I was sick of hearing people play in the style of Eddie Van Halen.

I would have been too if I as around then. With me being part of the crap rap/ techno puke generation most people have no idea who Van Halen is let alone EVH's style. So when I play Eruption (as bad as I play it) people think I'm a god because they are not familiar with it.