Eddie Van Halen Essentials, Part 2: Tapping Techniques | TAB

The Eddie Van Halen Scale: EVH Essentials, Part 1

Eddie Van Halen brought a whole new level of technical excellence and expressive playing to the guitar when he emerged on the scene in the late Seventies. Picking up where Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck left off, Ed used some unconventional techniques—most notably tapping—to create a wild style that would forever raise the bar on rock guitar playing. In fact, his work on the early Van Halen recordings still sounds fresh today, and his style remains an essential study for any serious rock guitarist.

As Van Halen prepare to return to the road on their North American tour this July 5, this seems like a good time to break down the essentials of Ed’s style. Among the topics we will review are tapping techniques, and quintuplets and pull-offs.

For this first of the three studies, we’re going to focus on what we call “The Eddie Van Halen Scale,” a symmetrical, three-notes-per-string pattern that he uses for both major and minor keys.

FIGURE 1 shows the EVH scale in E.

You can hear it played in the key of E on many Van Halen songs, including “I’m the One,” “On Fire” and “Ice Cream Man,” all from the band’s 1978 self-titled debut. Ed also plays the scale in Bm on “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” (Van Halen II), Am on “Spanish Fly” (Van Halen II), Ab on “Jump” (1984) and C#m on “Source of Infection” (OU812). A word of warning is in order: Due to the inclusion of conflicting degrees—b3 and 3 (G and G# in the E scale) and b7 and 7 (D and D# also in the E scale)—it’s best to reserve this scale for speedy passages in your own playing.

Within the scale, Eddie often uses six-note fragments, as shown in FIGURE 2, either in passing or repeated in position. Follow the indicated pick strokes and consider slightly palm-muting each grouping to yield a tighter, punchier sound.

FIGURE 2

FIGURES 3 and 4 show how these types of moves might be stretched out into longer lines like Ed often does at the end of songs while the bass holds down a low E.

FIGURE 3

FIGURE 4

Eddie Van Halen Essentials, Part 2: Tapping Techniques | TAB

BY GP Staff

June 29, 2015

As Van Halen prepare to return to the road on their North American tour this July 5, this seemed like a good time to break down the essentials of Ed’s style.

Last week we took a look at what we call “ The Eddie Van Halen Scale

,” a symmetrical, three-notes-per-string pattern that he uses for both major and minor keys.

In this second of our three lessons, we look at Ed’s ferocious tapping technique. His deft use of tapping includes a range of variations and embellishments, such as pedaling, slides, bends and harmonics, all of which we include below. So let’s get started!

Tapping—which is shown as (+) in notation, and “T” in tab—involves using a pick-hand finger to sound a note by hammering on it. When Ed taps, he uses the index finger, keeping it straight for maximum control. (You could also use your middle finger.) He also palms his plectrum, so that he can easily switch between tapped passages and conventionally picked lines.

FIGURE 1 is inspired by “Eruption.” To play the first measure, keep your fret hand’s 1st finger depressed on the 5th fret E throughout. After each 12th-fret tap, sound the E by pulling off to it with an upward flicking motion of your pick hand, then hammer-on the 8th-fret G with your 4th finger. Repeat. The second measure of FIGURE 1 is based on a B triad (B-D#-F#) and played the same way.

FIGURE 1

Another EVH tapping approach involves pedaling. In FIGURE 2, the fret-hand pitch, G, remains constant (the pedal), while the tapping finger plays an assortment of notes.

FIGURE 2

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