The time between the three-note legato sequence and the initial downstroke starting the alternate picking on the adjacent high E string eases the challenge of a run like this if it were played with straight alternate picking. These are fingerings built on a repeating pattern of steps. With the exception of the first note, C , the remainder of the run is based on an A minor tonality, with various shadings of Dorian, melodic minor, and the blues scale.
The effectiveness lies in the uptempo double hammer-ons, performed in a triplet rhythm, and the concise resolution to the high A root note. Considering the overall note content in degrees b b , the Van Halen Scale could be played over major triads and dominant seventh chords. In fact, later in the tune, Eddie does something similar to Ex. Notice how Ed breaks from the pattern while compressing the string range and morphing the sound to feel like a minor-blues lick.
Speaking of signature EVH phrasing, dig the pair of repeating melodic statements: The architecture of the first three notes is played twice on the lower adjacent string pair — and the following seven notes — which include key 16th-note triplet legato flourishes, repeat over descending adjacent string pairs. Classic Van Halen. In Ex. The series of single-string diminished-triad arpeggios shows his exploration into playing with fusion-esque tension.
Put simply, he naturally felt prime-number subdivisions of the beat — namely 3 triplets , 5 quintuplets , and 7 septuplets. As a result, his licks had a unique push-pull rhythmic swagger.
Look again at Ex. The repeating five-note motives F G E C D Ed plays as quintuplets are tried-and-true descending phrases consisting of a picked note on the high-E string, a wide interval three-note pull-off sequence on the B string, and a ghost hammer on the G string at the same fret where the legato pattern started on the higher adjacent string.
The combination of odd-numbered sequences, repetitive wide-interval phrasing, and string skipping to repeat those phrases is uniquely EVH. Once again, you can hear a repeating melodic idea placed within groupings of five or six notes but, in this case, unevenly distributed throughout the groupings, resulting in a slick-sounding, infectious lick.
Finally, Ex. In the thick of it all, Ed always managed to play great, gutsy, bluesy licks, albeit with an inimitable twist that only he could squeeze. Set in the indispensable root-position minor pentatonic scale with the added b5 — also known as the minor-blues scale — Ed gave us countless moments of b5 fire with licks similar to Ex. When it comes decoding the deeper components of what made Eddie Van Halen such an extraordinary guitarist, there are many secrets in the sauce.
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