Eddie Van Halen has died

I saw on Twitter he has a patent for a guitar... &quot;support device&quot; that includes the greatest patent image I&#x27;ve ever seen: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;patents.google.com&#x2F;patent&#x2F;US4656917A&#x2F;en" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;patents.google.com&#x2F;patent&#x2F;US4656917A&#x2F;en</a>

One of the greats, that completely re-defined guitar, and spawned a new class of guitar players, as well as gear.<p>I remember having played guitar for probably a year, when a friend of mine (who had been playing for the same time) threw on Van Halen 1 on a cassette, and we listened to Eruption. It sounded out of this world, like nothing else I had heard.<p>After listening to Eddie play guitar (on&#x2F;off) for decades, I&#x27;ve come to love his dynamics and touch, as well as his rhythm playing. He mastered the the technique of blending lead and rhythm into one, in a tight yet loose-feeling way.<p>There are, and have been, many much more advanced guitar players since Eddie started - but few are as fun to listen to as Eddie, and most of them (in hard-rock and metal) stand on the shoulders of greats like Eddie, either through his playing and style, or gear used. He made 80&#x27;s superstrats what they are today, he made hot-rodded&#x2F;modified Marshalls what the are today, hell, he even made the Peavey 5150 what it is today - which in turn spawned a whole slew of metal amps.<p>It&#x27;s been a tough year so far, as far as my heroes dying goes. I&#x27;ve been lucky enough to not have lost too many idols in the past, but with the passing of Neil Peart and Eddie - two of my top 5 musicians and music idols of all time, it&#x27;s been a real blow.<p>It&#x27;s been no secret that Eddie has suffered from cancer for years now, but still, you kind of forget about that, until the day comes.

When I was a Sophomore in college (1978) me and some buddies got tickets to see Black Sabbath with Van Halen opening. We were driving up the freeway to go see the show and had 4 of us in our buddy&#x27;s Mom&#x27;s Datsun Station wagon he borrowed from her. We were smoking weed to get ready for the concert and had the windows rolled down part way to try to keep from reeking out the car. An ember flew into the back of the wagon and we didn&#x27;t notice it but the car just kept getting more and more smoky so we kept rolling the windows down more and more which just fanned the flames. The next thing you know the car was in flames in the back. We pulled over and stood by the side of the freeway and watched our buddy&#x27;s Mom&#x27;s car burn up.<p>The cops and fire department came and put it out eventually. The Cop asked us where we were going and if we needed a ride or to call someone. We told him we were going to see Black Sabbath and Van Halen and he said oh wow, you can&#x27;t miss that I will drive you there. Our buddy said OK he could call his Mom when we got there and arrange rides for after the show.<p>When we got there our high was blown so we toked out more. When I got in there and the show started, I will never forget Eddie sliding out on the stage on his knees hammering out Eruption. I don&#x27;t know if it was the weed or the music or both but I swear I had an out of body experience. I had never heard it like that, live was just a whole &#x27;nother level.

Never knew until recently, that the amazing guitar solo on Michael Jacksons <i>Beat it</i> was played by him.<p>I can&#x27;t find any transcripts, but in an interview on the Howard Stern show, van Halen said (if I remember correctly) that the infamous knocking at the beginning of his solo was him knocking on his guitar, like a professional who is giving his workhorse a friendly tap before the race - and that he was amazed Michael and Quincy left it in.

(Trying to think of something new to add to this discussion, not already mentioned.)<p>Well, one of the requirements of being a popular hard rock band of the day was to have a triumphant logo, and VH had one of the best. I even drew it once or twice in drafting class. :-)<p><pre><code> `8888888888888888, `88888888888888888&#x27;\ ,888888&#x27;\ ,88888888888888888&#x27; 8888888888888888, `888888888888888&#x27; ,888888&#x27; &#x2F; ,88888888888888888 \ `888, \________,888&#x27; ,888&#x27;\__\&#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `88888888888888888, ,888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,88888888888888888&#x27; `88888888888888888, ,888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,88888888888888888&#x27; \ `888, ,888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `88888888888888888, ,888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,88888888888888888&#x27; `88888888888888888, ,888&#x27; ,88888888888888888888888888888&#x27; \____________`888, ,888&#x27; ,888888888888888&#x27;\ __________&#x2F; `888.888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `88888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `888&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `8&#x27; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; \ ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `88&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `&#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; ,888&#x27; &#x2F; `88&#x27; &#x2F; `&#x27; &#x2F; `&#x2F;</code></pre>

This deeply saddens me, the pool of people I admire is draining faster than it’s replenished. It also reminds me that Death just dragged another bead on his abacus and before long my bead will be up.<p>Also, while I respect and admire what Eddie has done to further the art of playing electric guitar, I must confess I much more enjoy Eddie The Songwriter rather than Eddie The Guitarist.

So sad to hear! For what it&#x27;s worth, the Van Halen cassette scene in &quot;Back to Future&quot; was my first introduction to this legend: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;BaYADHcpdng?t=17" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;youtu.be&#x2F;BaYADHcpdng?t=17</a> RIP

I wondered what was up a few months ago when I heard he was selling off his car collection. That and the news he had been flying back and forth between the US and Germany for treatment had me concerned.<p>After I heard the first Van Halen album my Kiss records went in the closet, and I got more serious about music. Never did anything with it, but it was a fun journey, listening to him along the way, wondering what he would do next. A true rock guitar hacker.

The man was an absolute God with the guitar. The skill he demonstrated in this solo should be evident to anyone.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=L9r-NxuYszg" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=L9r-NxuYszg</a>

His music wasn&#x27;t really my style, but I remember the Heavy Metal effect pedal from Boss that my cousin owned had a booklet in it with the setups of various professional musicians - to show off how they used Boss pedals in different combinations. Everybody had complicated setups with multiple pedals. Van Hallen&#x27;s &quot;setup&quot; went something like this:<p><pre><code> Heavy Metal --&gt; cable --&gt; jack --&gt; amp</code></pre>

Only 65. I grew up listening to Van Halen and spent a crazy amount of time trying to play guitar like Eddie. I think their first album was released when he was only 22. What a legend. What a life. Taken too soon. :(

RIP Eddie<p>Huge talent and very innovative guitar player. Known for his guitar playing style, dive bombs, tapping, usage of Floyd Rose, custom guitars (Frankenstrat), brown sound, solos, instrumentals, heavy sound and huge music hits.<p>I cannot think of many influential Rock guitar players as Eddie.

Eddie Van Halen&#x27;s famous rider(contract) has a useful lesson for tech companies.[0][1]<p>&quot;It&#x27;s one of those rock &#x27;n&#x27; roll legends that turns out to be true: In the 1980s, the party-rock superstars in Van Halen demanded, via a clause embedded in their tour rider, that no brown-colored M&amp;Ms be allowed backstage at their concerts.&quot;[0]<p>The reason was that if they included brown M&amp;Ms, it was a strong indication they hadn&#x27;t read the contract, which included intricate but important technical details.<p>[0] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;therecord&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;14&#x2F;146880432&#x2F;the-truth-about-van-halen-and-those-brown-m-ms" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;therecord&#x2F;2012&#x2F;02&#x2F;14&#x2F;146880432&#x2F;...</a><p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.businessinsider.com&#x2F;van-halen-brown-m-ms-contract-2016-9https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.businessinsider.com&#x2F;van-halen-brown-m-ms-contract-2016-9" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.businessinsider.com&#x2F;van-halen-brown-m-ms-contrac...</a>

i was never much of a fan of EVH, but i am a huge fan of a bunch of guitarists who would either not have existed (as guitarists) or who would have sounded very different if EVH had not done his thing. so thanks for that, EVH.

Don’t waste your time, Leuconoé, living in fear and hope of the imprevisable future; forget the horoscope. Accept whatever happens. Whether the gods allow us fifty winters more or drop us at this one now which flings the high Tyrrhenian waves on the stone piers, decant your wine: the days are more fun than the years which pass us by while we discuss them. Act with zest one day at a time, and never mind the rest.<p>–Derek Mahon, The Hunt by Night (1982)

He was a GOAT guitarist and a nice fella. RIP<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=yb26D8bBZB8" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=yb26D8bBZB8</a>

I never really got into Van Halen until I was an adult. As a teen in the early 90s a lot of the kids in my circle would make fun of anyone who listened to them because it wasn’t “cool” any more, especially when grunge became popular. Later in my adult years I began to really appreciate EVH’s technique and spent endless hours trying to replicate his style (and mostly failing, as I could never get my stubby fingers to move that fast). A few things I did learn and absolutely loved was his use of pinch harmonics and other right-hand techniques like palm muting and tapping — he of course didn’t invent those things but he elevated to a new level. I also don’t hear this often from fellow fans, but he had a unique “swing” that so many guitarists just didn’t have.<p>Cool story: I read somewhere that when EVH first started performing in public, he would often play with his back to the audience, as he didn’t want to people to see his techniques and possibly steal them!<p>RIP Eddie - may you enjoy your time in heaven among the guitar gods. Or is it supposed to be hell? After all you did run with the devil.

The Beat it solo is one of the most unique solos out there.

Ah man, their debut album stands out sonically to this day, it just blew a hole in the scene. RIP Eddie.

Fun tidbit for fans of music theory: EVH tuned the B string on his guitar slightly flat, to form a just-intoned interval with the G string. This allowed him to play distorted major chords without the associated discordant beating. [1]<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.petersontuners.com&#x2F;inTune&#x2F;Eddie-van-Halen" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.petersontuners.com&#x2F;inTune&#x2F;Eddie-van-Halen</a>

VH1 was the first rock album I ever bought, back in 1979, and I’ve spend 41 years loving it. I know the band has had their ups and downs but I think that Eddie’s playing on their last album was just as fresh, vibrant and exciting as it ever was. Impossible to overstate the impact this man had on my life, as well as the entire music genre. RIP.

I have no real knowledge or affinity towards him or his band but I do realize he is a member of a dying breed of rock stars. People who could pack a whole stadium and control the crowd with one gesture. Am I just out of touch or one of the side effects of balkanization of entertainment into small fandoms is death of the rock start?

One aspect of Eddie&#x27;s playing that rarely gets mentioned was his rhythm and chord playing. His chordal phrasings and how he could make a song sound huge for just a single guitarist was amazing. AND The first few early albums were mixed with the main guitar track panned hard left.

Never a huge fan of &#x27;Stadium Rock&#x27; I saw him live with Van Halen on free tickets and it was just immense. Only then did I understand what &#x27;Stadium Rock&#x27; even meant. All talent, zero gimmicks, just raw genius filling up an entire stadium.

I used to go to sleep when I was 12 listening to Eruption, Mean Streets, Take Your Whiskey Home, etc. fantasizing about being the guy playing those riffs and solos.<p>They should re-issue those &quot;Who the f*ck is Eddive Van Halen?&quot; shirts right about now.

His style was so far ahead of its time. He was playing this way over 45 years ago! Zep was just hitting their peak. The Beatles had only released Sgt Pepper 7 years before.<p>The original shredder (who played a nice rhythm too).

RIP Eddie. I used to listen to him a lot, during sleepless days at campus lab while working on my undergraduate thesis.<p>Previously we missed Neil Peart and Rocco Prestia. Now EVH. Not an exciting year for music world :(

The fact that his isnt the #1 post.. breaks my heart. Rock in Peace Eddie!!

He&#x27;s the most famous alumnus from my high school. RIP Eddie.

Sad news, he was one of the best rock guitar players of all time. So many good songs covering 4 decades. RIP.

Lives on in the hearts of millions.

Rest in peace, Eddie.

Probably because he smoked a metric ton of cigarettes &#x2F; did lots of coke.<p>RIP

2020 strikes again.

I know this has nothing to do with eddie dying. rip. but i just wanted to say. i think Hagar was the better singer. I just prefer the 80s synth rock sound. Not to say roth wasn&#x27;t good. he was great. i just prefer hagar.

why should eddie van halen be discussed and memorialized here when kobe bryant’s death was relentlessly flagged and censored from discussion?

I don&#x27;t fully understand hacker news I think, I am curious as to why this is still on the front page but the Nobel prize that was announced today has been on page 2 all day (unless I missed its original front page landing)<p>also, RIP Eddie!