Guitarists: What's the hardest VH song to play and why?

[neuralfraud]

As a guitarist having been turned on to the playing of EVH when I was 11, I was always fascinated by his playing... even during the "dark age" as we shall call it.

Nowadays I spend a lot of time playing VH songs as my interest has been (in the last 4 years) renewed and even though I can only play a small handfull of songs by VH, I wondered "What's the hardest one to play?"

I've witnessed wannabe's murder Hot for teacher and seen countless kids trying to pull of eddie licks in the music store, and I chuckle knowing that I can play Hot For Teacher or Aint Talkin' Bout Love, but then I listen to Sinners Swing and that fucking solo is just killer, and it's probably just organic random noodling to boot. I think to myself "Fuck I cant learn that shit"

So with that having been said, I'll put the question out there to YOU: What's the hardest VH song you've tried to play or know how to play and why? What makes it difficult?

Just curious

peace

[VAiN]

If you want a real challenge try 'Hang 'em High'.. the picking on that intro is no joke. It really shows Ed's amazing timing and right hand. Same with 'I'm the One'.. Ed's picking attack and style is way underrated. The timing on those 2, IMO, is next to impossible to nail - at least for a hack like me.

[dazzlindino]

there is alot of the vh catalog that is difficult because of the eddie timing aspects and not just straight eighth note patterns etc.
also the music books are all over the map as far as fretboard position/note clusters...not the efficient ed way
also all of his whammy dives...dive to particular note...not just wild drops....
what is the hardest one....hmmm.....probably getting eruption down......

[Matt White]

MEAN STREETS.....and not just the intro

THe verses kick major ass as does the solo.....and outro

Learn that one & NOBODY will kick sand in your face ever again

[dazzlindino]

there is alot of the vh catalog that is difficult because of the eddie timing aspects and not just straight eighth note patterns etc.
also the music books are all over the map as far as fretboard position/note clusters...not the efficient ed way
also all of his whammy dives...dive to particular note...not just wild drops....
what is the hardest one....hmmm.....probably getting eruption down......

uhh hmmm...replying to my own post....http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=11390324 this is eruption section 1 vh on one side my tracks on the other, then my tracks alone repeated....

[Terry]

MEAN STREETS.....and not just the intro

THe verses kick major ass as does the solo.....and outro

Learn that one & NOBODY will kick sand in your face ever again

The intro is a bitch.

The Hot For Teacher intro is tough to get flowing smoothly, and is a hell of a stretch between the index and ring fingers on the fretboard.

[ThrillsNSpills]

Great question NF.

The hardest one for me is the part of the solo in One Foot Out the Door that descends.. at 1:28



I've seen the tab and it doesn't make sense. I know logically it's a descending chromatic run. I just have to sit down with it at half speed .
Slowing it to half speed demystifies what's going on. If you want to sound like him you just have to focus on what notes are accented, whether he is playing slightly ahead or behind the beat, where to pick to get the right pitched false harmonic, etc.
The repetition is tough but doing it that way , once you get it , it engrained in your marrow.

The Ice Cream Man solo's a challenge because of the reach and if appears that it's a four-note per string pattern but it's a 3 note per string pattern. Once you get the aha moment it's the easiest thing in the world. If you don't get which notes are accented then it falls short.

That said there is a section in Eruption I've never heard anybody do accurately. (studio version) That is the part after the three chords and he goes high with the overbends and the triplets. I've heard a lot of talented people get real close. To answer what makes it difficult I would say in all cases is understanding the nuances of what makes him sound so phenomenal.

I can't say that the hardest one to play for me is the hardest one for VAiN, you, Matt, dazz, or anyone. That depends on what picking exercises you do.

If you're having challenges by using video lessons of picking exercises, (like the one in gear street of the guitar player from Steel Panther) and any of the Paul Gilbert or Vinnie Moore lesson vids, you can grow to the point where if you listen at half speed you don't get overwhelmed.

I hope this makes sense. It's hard to explain this kind of stuff. Anybody can do it, they just have to REALLY want to.
That means the passion has to over-ride the "oh shit I could never do that" which everybody has experienced.

[Seshmeister]

I'm surprised by you saying that.

[JJtheVagPounder]

If you want a real challenge try 'Hang 'em High'.. the picking on that intro is no joke. It really shows Ed's amazing timing and right hand. Same with 'I'm the One'.. Ed's picking attack and style is way underrated. The timing on those 2, IMO, is next to impossible to nail - at least for a hack like me.

Shut up....

[sadaist]

As a full tablature reading/butchering hack...Aint Talkin Bout Love isn't too hard. The intro was the very first thing I ever learned on the guitar. Once you have that down you pretty much have the whole song.

Not including the solo of course. I never graduated from rhythm to solos.

[VAiN]

IMO, trying to sound like Eddie is pretty much an impossible task.. I've taken the 'spirit' of VH-style playing.. saying fuck it, having a good time and going for it. Sometimes it's grate, sometimes.. ehhh.. not so much. But whatever. They tell me I have a good time. I think the in end that's what it's all about.

[Nitro Express]

Panama is probably one of the easier VH tunes. Mean Streets is a killer. The intro is basically bass slap funk applied to the guitar but trying to get it to sound like Ed is one hell of a bitch.

[Nitro Express]

If you want a real challenge try 'Hang 'em High'.. the picking on that intro is no joke. It really shows Ed's amazing timing and right hand. Same with 'I'm the One'.. Ed's picking attack and style is way underrated. The timing on those 2, IMO, is next to impossible to nail - at least for a hack like me.

That song always reminded me of some fast banjo playing for some reason. It's one of those rip snortin yee haawww songs!

[VAiN]

That song always reminded me of some fast banjo playing for some reason. It's one of those rip snortin yee haawww songs!

I totally get that!

[Hardrock69]

Well, the thing about Ed and Al is that they have syncopation down to a fine art.

I had a fucking bitch of a time trying to learn "I'm The One", but then, when it first came out, I had only been playing guitar for a year and a half or so.

Took me a few years to become a competent guitarist, much less be able to play radical shit like that.

Still one of the most difficult songs in my opinion. Also, Loss Of Control is a mother to play, but the licks are not that hard....just that the song itself is the fastest song they ever recorded.