The Guitar Player's Resource
If you didn't play yet guitar in 1978, after listening to "Eruption", "Atomic Punk" and a fiery cover of "You Really Got Me" you probably wanted a guitar in the worst way - at least, I did. Edward Van Halen and the band bearing his family name exploded onto the hard rock scene in the late '70s with their debut album "Van Halen", and it wasn't long before his unique style was heard blasting out of our consumer grade loudspeakers - disrupting the peace around our sleepy Chicago suburb.
Guitar magazines of the day immediately recognized the amazing talent of the young Dutch immigrant, and heaped praise upon him for his tone, style and energy.
He is regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in rock history, and was especially known for popularizing the tapping guitar solo technique, allowing rapid arpeggios to be played with two hands on the fretboard. In the early days, Van Halen used to play tapping solos with his back to the audience in order to maak the technique.
In 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Individually, Edward Van Halen received acclaim for his guitar work in the band.
In this 11-minute interview, brothers Edward and Alex Van Halen talk with Arthel Neville about their formative years and making music for the band.
Dan McAvinchey is a guitarist and composer living in Raleigh, NC.
He believes every musician or composer has the power to write, record and release their own music.
