“How to make the guitar talk”: Eddie Van Halen once revealed the key to his unique sound
Although the unique guitar playing of Eddie Van Halen was inspired by the many key originators who came before, much of his appeal feels completely original. He refined the possibilities of the guitar and imbued it with a certain innovation that made it feel entirely like an extension of himself rather than an additional instrument.
Few guitarists throughout history have truly understood the power of intuition and instead placed an imbalanced value on technicality, which Van Halen always opposed. Of course, with everything he did, there was always a level of technical skill and know-how involved, but he also injected a level of fearless emotion that made his sound stand out in ways that hadn’t been heard before.
Although many hail Van Halen for different reasons, two more obvious techniques he revolutionised were dive bombs and string-tapping. The foundations for these were already in motion when Van Halen entered the scene, but his excessive reimagining laid the groundwork for various sounds that would later define much of metal playing, making him one of the most prolific influences in the genre.
String-tapping, in particular, became his most recognised forte and categorised many of the band’s most prominent and most acclaimed tracks, like ‘Jump’. These rapid notes went beyond defining Van Halen’s sound; they became another building block in his broader complexities as he played with an almost orchestral feel that packed rock with a new texture.
Few fellow guitarists ever really discovered the secret ingredient to Van Halen’s distinctive sound, but the “key” to his uniqueness was never really a secret. Those who were close likely discovered the secret ingredient pretty quickly, but others were left consistently questioning how he made the guitar sound so thick and warm but also organically voluminous. In reality, it’s simple.
“I’ve never used or owned any distortion pedal,” Van Halen later admitted, revealing his purist approach to the guitar. “I always used the guitar, cable straight to the amp,” he said, continuing, “A lot of people, until they actually play my guitar through one of my amps, then they go, ‘holy shit!'” Recalling one specific memory when Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan tried his guitar, he said, “He turned it up and was just uncontrollable for him.”
Explaining his daring decision, he said: “If you have a great-sounding guitar, a quality instrument, and, of course, a good amp, you know how to make the guitar talk. That’s the key.” Although it’s not a choice every musician understands, Van Halen took great pride in not owning a distortion pedal, mainly because he believed great playing came from emotion within. He also likely felt like distortion pedals added unnecessary artificiality and limited the guitar’s expressive potential, which were two things he sought to avoid at all costs throughout his career.
