Ever since I can remember, my mega-Italian mother, Mary Buono, has prepared a mystical grain pie for Easter, the recipe for which is to be kept secret at all costs. It’s the stuff of legend. Anyone who’s lucky enough to have had a taste speaks of the pie with reverence. While Mother Superior is adamant about keeping the formula classified, in true Italian matriarchal fashion she is always more than generous with the dish, wasting no time putting a plate in front of you for you to enjoy.
Edward Van Halen’s innovative and exciting lead guitar playing has had the same kind of presence in my life, and in countless others’ too. Like my mom, he guarded his secret recipes by literally turning his back on live audiences during some of his most celebrated lead-playing sleights of hand, and often told tall tales in interviews when asked about his playing techniques and tone-creation process. While much has been revealed over the years by both a more forthcoming Eddie and people who have astutely transcribed and analyzed his playing, some facets of his techniques still fly under the radar. In this lesson, I’m going to take a cue from mom and serve up a plateful of EVH’s signature soloing techniques and concepts, with plenty of examples. Even better, I’m going to key you in on the musical ingredients.
Ed is a wizard at utilizing simple tools to create memorable riffs with clever approaches. Consider his use of natural harmonics. Ex. 1 opens the door with a taste of what he plays as part of the main intro riff in “Panama” (1984). The lick infers a timeless melodic sequence by way of a descending Badd4 arpeggio. Ed makes it happen using a combination of fifth- and