Some reasons why Eddie Van Halen is the best rock guitar player, ever

[CrusaderFrank]

Clapton hasn't played anything worth listening to since 1969.

Once I got accustom to Zappa, especially his interplay with Colaiuta and Barrow; there's just nothing else like it on the planet. There's no one, none of the people I admired, nobody mentioned in this thread would even attempt a solo that could run 5-10 minutes.

I posted it here before, but start with "Inca Roads" and then you get the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar solos, Wet T shirt, System of Edges that were all the Inca Road solos from different nights.

It's all about who you like anyway

I never could get into Frank Zappa's music.

 

[ChrisL]

Clapton hasn't played anything worth listening to since 1969.

Once I got accustom to Zappa, especially his interplay with Colaiuta and Barrow; there's just nothing else like it on the planet. There's no one, none of the people I admired, nobody mentioned in this thread would even attempt a solo that could run 5-10 minutes.

I posted it here before, but start with "Inca Roads" and then you get the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar solos, Wet T shirt, System of Edges that were all the Inca Road solos from different nights.

It's all about who you like anyway

I never could get into Frank Zappa's music.

She's really good. I wish I could play piano. Sadly, I can only play Mary Had A Little Lamb.

This is my favorite pianist. She is absolutely amazing.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

EVH the greatest ever?
No. Very good, goes without saying. But subtract his fancy-fast-fingering-mind-blowing solos - and what you have left is a better than average rock guitarist, but nothing really that new. One of the things that a lot of Halen followers forget, DVH took what others did/were doing - and just did it better. He was not a pioneer of anything.
You take Clapton/Hendrix as an example, they developed a sound no one else did before them and many, many, many copied it. And still continue to be heavily influenced by them 45 years later.
So because of that, the fact he did not pioneer a sound, or develop whole styles of play no one else had thought of. He cannot be the greatest.

 

[ChrisL]

Here is Zakk Wylde doing Mississippi Queen cover! Unfortunately I couldn't find one that actually shows him playing this one, except for an old one and a 30-second clip. He's pretty good too.

 

[ChrisL]

Electric Church Music!!!

 

[Wolfstrike]

Yes , Satriani is a great guitar player, but his van halen-type band Chicken Foot has failed to produce anything.
certainly not 6 classic albums full of classic guitar work

 

[ChrisL]

Yes , Satriani is a great guitar player, but his van halen-type band Chicken Foot has failed to produce anything.
certainly not 6 classic albums full of classic guitar work

Although I agree that EVH is one of the best, popularity doesn't mean that they are good. Look at Justin Bieber!

 

[westwall]

Clapton hasn't played anything worth listening to since 1969.

Once I got accustom to Zappa, especially his interplay with Colaiuta and Barrow; there's just nothing else like it on the planet. There's no one, none of the people I admired, nobody mentioned in this thread would even attempt a solo that could run 5-10 minutes.

I posted it here before, but start with "Inca Roads" and then you get the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar solos, Wet T shirt, System of Edges that were all the Inca Road solos from different nights.

It's all about who you like anyway

Yes, what you like is a huge influence for sure. Peter Green was always one of my favorites and yes, he would play very long solo's.

 

[ChrisL]

Clapton hasn't played anything worth listening to since 1969.

Once I got accustom to Zappa, especially his interplay with Colaiuta and Barrow; there's just nothing else like it on the planet. There's no one, none of the people I admired, nobody mentioned in this thread would even attempt a solo that could run 5-10 minutes.

I posted it here before, but start with "Inca Roads" and then you get the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar solos, Wet T shirt, System of Edges that were all the Inca Road solos from different nights.

It's all about who you like anyway

Yes, what you like is a huge influence for sure. Peter Green was always one of my favorites and yes, he would play very long solo's.

I like Peter Green too! Very talented guy.

 

[ChrisL]

Clapton hasn't played anything worth listening to since 1969.

Once I got accustom to Zappa, especially his interplay with Colaiuta and Barrow; there's just nothing else like it on the planet. There's no one, none of the people I admired, nobody mentioned in this thread would even attempt a solo that could run 5-10 minutes.

I posted it here before, but start with "Inca Roads" and then you get the Shut Up N Play Yer Guitar solos, Wet T shirt, System of Edges that were all the Inca Road solos from different nights.

It's all about who you like anyway

Yes, what you like is a huge influence for sure. Peter Green was always one of my favorites and yes, he would play very long solo's.

Here are a couple my favorite songs from Peter Green. I got interested in him when I found out he was the founder of Fleetwood Mac. They had a great bluesy sound that I love.

 

[PredFan]

There are many who are at the top. To say that any one of them is the best is rather silly.

Someone once said that a great guitar player could play a few bars of music and a blindfolded person would be able to identify the guitarist. I agree with that.

Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Eddie VanHalen, and a couple of others would qualify.

EVH is one of my personal favorites.

 

[PredFan]

1) When Eddie was a kid, he took piano lessons for 5 years before his teacher realized he couldn't read music.
Eddie and his brother Alex both won piano competitions different years.
(Eddie accidently developed ears for music as a child)

2) People who followed Van Halen were saying Eddie was the best guitar player in the world, before Van Halen released their first album.

3) Eddie Van Halen would turn his back to the audience , so people couldn't see how he played.

4) Eddie Van Halen customized his guitars and amps, adding a humbucker bridge pickup, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

5) Eddie Van Halen dipped his guitar pickups to reduce feedback, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

The man doesn't know minor chords. His version of the Kinks You Really Got Me is a hack job.

He knows them, he has a style that is his. You don't like it but that isn't his problem.

There are a whole lot of guitarists that are talented. The great ones have their own style.

 

[Bfgrn]

1) When Eddie was a kid, he took piano lessons for 5 years before his teacher realized he couldn't read music.
Eddie and his brother Alex both won piano competitions different years.
(Eddie accidently developed ears for music as a child)

2) People who followed Van Halen were saying Eddie was the best guitar player in the world, before Van Halen released their first album.

3) Eddie Van Halen would turn his back to the audience , so people couldn't see how he played.

4) Eddie Van Halen customized his guitars and amps, adding a humbucker bridge pickup, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

5) Eddie Van Halen dipped his guitar pickups to reduce feedback, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

The man doesn't know minor chords. His version of the Kinks You Really Got Me is a hack job.

He knows them, he has a style that is his. You don't like it but that isn't his problem.

There are a whole lot of guitarists that are talented. The great ones have their own style.

EVH is a good technician. That doesn't make him an artist. There are songs by Van Halen I like. But his version of the Kinks 'You Really Got Me' is garage band quality at best. Dave Davies is not as technically proficient as EVH, but his artistic talents far surpass EVH. EVH would never be able to artistically compose the great guitar work in songs like 'Tired of Waiting'...a masterpiece.

 

[Bfgrn]

Dave Davies at his best...

 

[PredFan]

1) When Eddie was a kid, he took piano lessons for 5 years before his teacher realized he couldn't read music.
Eddie and his brother Alex both won piano competitions different years.
(Eddie accidently developed ears for music as a child)

2) People who followed Van Halen were saying Eddie was the best guitar player in the world, before Van Halen released their first album.

3) Eddie Van Halen would turn his back to the audience , so people couldn't see how he played.

4) Eddie Van Halen customized his guitars and amps, adding a humbucker bridge pickup, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

5) Eddie Van Halen dipped his guitar pickups to reduce feedback, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

The man doesn't know minor chords. His version of the Kinks You Really Got Me is a hack job.

He knows them, he has a style that is his. You don't like it but that isn't his problem.

There are a whole lot of guitarists that are talented. The great ones have their own style.

EVH is a good technician. That doesn't make him an artist. There are songs by Van Halen I like. But his version of the Kinks 'You Really Got Me' is garage band quality at best. Dave Davies is not as technically proficient as EVH, but his artistic talents far surpass EVH. EVH would never be able to artistically compose the great guitar work in songs like 'Tired of Waiting'...a masterpiece.

You are going to judge him by one song? He's an artist no doubt. I'm thinking you just don't like him and that's fine, but I can't agree with your reasoning or assessment.

Ray Davies is a talented artist as well.

 

[ChrisL]

There are too many good guitarists with their own sound and style to say who is the best. It's all subjective and based on the type of music you like too.

 

[Bfgrn]

1) When Eddie was a kid, he took piano lessons for 5 years before his teacher realized he couldn't read music.
Eddie and his brother Alex both won piano competitions different years.
(Eddie accidently developed ears for music as a child)

2) People who followed Van Halen were saying Eddie was the best guitar player in the world, before Van Halen released their first album.

3) Eddie Van Halen would turn his back to the audience , so people couldn't see how he played.

4) Eddie Van Halen customized his guitars and amps, adding a humbucker bridge pickup, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

5) Eddie Van Halen dipped his guitar pickups to reduce feedback, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

The man doesn't know minor chords. His version of the Kinks You Really Got Me is a hack job.

He knows them, he has a style that is his. You don't like it but that isn't his problem.

There are a whole lot of guitarists that are talented. The great ones have their own style.

EVH is a good technician. That doesn't make him an artist. There are songs by Van Halen I like. But his version of the Kinks 'You Really Got Me' is garage band quality at best. Dave Davies is not as technically proficient as EVH, but his artistic talents far surpass EVH. EVH would never be able to artistically compose the great guitar work in songs like 'Tired of Waiting'...a masterpiece.

You are going to judge him by one song? He's an artist no doubt. I'm thinking you just don't like him and that's fine, but I can't agree with your reasoning or assessment.

Ray Davies is a talented artist as well.

I told you there are songs I like by Van Halen. IMO, EVH's artistic talent is as deep as a puddle. He is a good technician with little artist ability.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Steve Howe
Chet Atkins

Eddie is good, but there are many just as good who were more creative.

 

[ChrisL]

 

[Muhammed]

1) When Eddie was a kid, he took piano lessons for 5 years before his teacher realized he couldn't read music.
Eddie and his brother Alex both won piano competitions different years.
(Eddie accidently developed ears for music as a child)

2) People who followed Van Halen were saying Eddie was the best guitar player in the world, before Van Halen released their first album.

3) Eddie Van Halen would turn his back to the audience , so people couldn't see how he played.

4) Eddie Van Halen customized his guitars and amps, adding a humbucker bridge pickup, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

5) Eddie Van Halen dipped his guitar pickups to reduce feedback, which major guitar manufacturers repeated.

The man doesn't know minor chords. His version of the Kinks You Really Got Me is a hack job.

He knows them, he has a style that is his. You don't like it but that isn't his problem.

There are a whole lot of guitarists that are talented. The great ones have their own style.

EVH is a good technician. That doesn't make him an artist. There are songs by Van Halen I like. But his version of the Kinks 'You Really Got Me' is garage band quality at best. Dave Davies is not as technically proficient as EVH, but his artistic talents far surpass EVH. EVH would never be able to artistically compose the great guitar work in songs like 'Tired of Waiting'...a masterpiece.

It's just basic beginners' barre chords and a couple of triads siding back and forth over drone notes on the high strings.