Can this be right? (recent photo of famous guitarist)

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There were times on that video where the notes didn't match what his fingers were doing. Watch it more closely and you'll see what I mean. It wouldn't be the first time a band used pre-recorded material. I've seen it more than a few times myself. I'm not saying he's not unbelieveably and naturally talented, just that it might be a pre-recorded solo (or parts of it?) because the timing seemed funky during a few parts of that video.
 
Buck62 said:
There were times on that video where the notes didn't match what his fingers were doing. Watch it more closely and you'll see what I mean. It wouldn't be the first time a band used pre-recorded material. I've seen it more than a few times myself. I'm not saying he's not unbelieveably and naturally talented, just that it might be a pre-recorded solo (or parts of it?) because the timing seemed funky during a few parts of that video.
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Did you just accuse Van Halen of playing along with a tape? :eek:

It's called delay.
 
Gnash5150 said:
I've heard that Wolfgang traded some licks on stage with Eddie on the 2004 tour.
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Yup...they played a duet...John 3:16 when they came to Denver.
 
Can't argue with his talent, and I don't think anyone deserves to have a horrible disease like cancer. But, if you've ever seen the guy in an interview in the last decade, he comes across (to me anyway) as a total a-hole. Maybe, then, he deserves to look a little bit fugly.
 
If you have the balls to rip on Eddie, I think you should have your fingers chopped off one by one, and shoved up your ass. All while listening to Eruption repeatedly!
 
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I'll be the first to confess I dont give the dime-a-dozen shredders and tappers the time of day.......but Eddie is different!

He practically invented the darn thing all over again! I challenge anybody to name two more influential rock players than Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.

I may not like his attitude, his personal habits, his vice, whatever........but when the man plays the guitar I bow my head and listen with respect!
 
Damn am I glad I quit smoking. I used to think the only way to play the guitar was drunk off my ass with a Marlboro in my mouth. A-hole or not, guitar God or not, nobody deserves to have their body turn on itself from the inside out.
 
0018G said:
nobody deserves to have their body turn on itself from the inside out.
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not unless they did it to themselves.....


...but otherwise, i agree.


cheers,
wade
 
Buck62 said:
There were times on that video where the notes didn't match what his fingers were doing. Watch it more closely and you'll see what I mean. It wouldn't be the first time a band used pre-recorded material. I've seen it more than a few times myself. I'm not saying he's not unbelieveably and naturally talented, just that it might be a pre-recorded solo (or parts of it?) because the timing seemed funky during a few parts of that video.
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Yeah, that's called crappy editing. Almost any concert video you ever see had the audio and the video recorded separately, and they were synced up later. That's why they can cut between different cameras without you hearing any change in the audio. All the different cameras record the whole concert, and the audio from the board is tracked separately. Then later on in a production studio, video from the different cameras is spliced together and the audio track is synced to it. If one of those video splices was just the slightest bit off, it will show up.
 
soundchaser59 said:
I'll be the first to confess I dont give the dime-a-dozen shredders and tappers the time of day.......but Eddie is different!

He practically invented the darn thing all over again! I challenge anybody to name two more influential rock players than Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.
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There are three most influential players: Jimi, who brought lead guitar to the forefront, Eddie, who took it to the stratosphere, and Kurt, who crashed it into the ground. Time will tell who will prevail, but for now, Kurt has had the longest reign (1966-1978; 1978-1991; 1991-2006, respectively, all years approximate)
 
IMHO Eddie is a bit more than a shredder...I feel that he plays musically, with feeling and most of the time his solo's compliment or are well placed in the songs VH plays. He's got some nasty soul in those fingers I tell ya. Not too bad for a guy that can't read music I'd say.
 
mshilarious said:
There are three most influential players: Jimi, who brought lead guitar to the forefront, Eddie, who took it to the stratosphere, and Kurt, who crashed it into the ground. Time will tell who will prevail, but for now, Kurt has had the longest reign (1966-1978; 1978-1991; 1991-2006, respectively, all years approximate)
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No, I would say Cobain's reign ended in 1994.....
 
Now, I respect that Eddie was one of the greatest innovators in guitar history, but I'm always extremely underwhelmed by his playing when compared to modern guitarists. This video is a great example. He's just noodling for ten minutes, and for some reason people are loving it. You'd think that since he was the guy who made tapping famous, he'd have continued to innovate, but nothing he plays there is very challenging at all. Guys like Steve Vai, Buckethead, and Michael Angelo are doing crazy things with tapping that I very much doubt Van Halen could dream of doing. Admitedly, some of their stuff (especially Michael Angelo) lacks feel, but you can't tell me that Eddie recycling old unimpressive tapping licks is blowing you away either. In terms of fast picking, there's no doubt he's good, but there's a thousand guys better (which I am not, btw). Don't get me wrong, I respect the guy, I just don't worship him.
 
seanr said:
Now, I respect that Eddie was one of the greatest innovators in guitar history, but I'm always extremely underwhelmed by his playing when compared to modern guitarists.
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That's somewhat fair and somewhat unfair. Nearly all artists suffer a debt of creativity after 35 or maybe 40, and certainly after that point it's going to be physically difficult to improve technique. So I don't mind if he never developed the extreme tapping techniques or picking or fingering speed of his successors. Indeed, by that time he was focused more on composition and even his keyboard playing, so you can't say he didn't continue in a creative direction.

What I fault that solo, taken in isolation, is for its limited musicality. To a large extent, those were the same licks he was using in 1978, so it doesn't seem that he used his later efforts in composition to inform his soloing.

What I will remember Eddie best for is his insanely great and not often heralded rhythm guitar playing. I would put him in the top 3 or 4 rock rhythm players of all time. He also has an uncanny ability to switch and mix lead and rhythm modes, which I don't know if his successors ever equalled.
 
Oh man you hit it on the head...pull out his old stuff...rhythm guitar with the melody mixed in seemlessly. You're right...amazing rhythm guitar and the way he can change the tone up on the fly. Rough and wreckless sound yet intentional and purposeful. Well rounded player...don't you think?
 
seanr said:
Guys like Steve Vai, Buckethead, and Michael Angelo are doing crazy things with tapping that I very much doubt Van Halen could dream of doing.
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Ah, the inevitable. Well, EVH will hold an indelible place in rock history, something that your guys, as good as they are, can only dream of.
 
I'm not an EVH fan personnally... But....

HE'S NOT DEAD YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You never know, he might blow out one more increadable CD before he's gone. I know he looked like death in the picture, but he might not be as bad as this thread has made him out to be.

Does anyone have any other recent interviews/pics of him that would confirm this situation?
 
Yeah, I don't mean to sound overly harsh. Van Halen will undoubtedly be famous long after the rest of these guys are old and arthritic. He was a great innovator and all the modern guitarists owe a lot to him. I just mean that he's nowhere near the fastest or the most musical guitarist around so people shouldn't treat him as such.
Steve Vai's phrasing
That's why I respect Steve Vai so much.
 
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