Eddie Van Halen is unquestioningly one of the most influential rock guitar players of the late 20th century. Idolized and worshipped by throngs of electric and acoustic guitarists, Van Halen's mark on popular music has been (and continues to be) a powerful force to be reckoned with. Eddie is completely self-taught on guitar and his early guitar heroes were Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. Van Halen's brilliant guitar work has been an inspiration to several famous guitarists including Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, who later toured with Van Halen singer David Lee Roth. Though mainly an electric guitarist, Eddie is equally adept on acoustic guitar, not to mention classical guitar (check out Spanish Fly from Van Halen II).

Eddie Van Halen has endorsed several electric guitar manufacturers over the years, including Peavey, Music Man (after it was bought by Ernie Ball), Kramer (now owned by Gibson) working with them to produce his signature models. Eddie's guitar on the first Van Halen album was a homemade instrument that featured a Fender Strat-style body with the electronics of Gibson Les Paul. He has also owned a Gibson ES-335, Carvel electric guitar, an Ovation nylon string (classical guitar) that he used to record Spanish Fly, several Gibson Les Pauls (let us just mention here that we have an entire curriculum based on learning rock guitar, a rock rhythm and rock solo course. learn more here).

Eddie Van Halen is a master of the guitar, both electric and acoustic. Eddie's style is blues influenced rock, hard rock and metal, marked by blindingly fast technique, catchy groove oriented rhythm guitar parts with a touch of funk, and his signature two-handed tapping (a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs). Having studied classical piano, Van Halen also incorporates elements of classical music into his guitar playing. On their debut album, "Van Halen", Eddie wrestled devastating feedback, kamikaze vibrato moans, sustained harmonics, white-hot leads, and liquid screams out of a cranked-to-the-max homemade guitar. His early guitar sound has been dubbed the "brown sound".

(B. January 26, 1955, Netherlands) Like Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen was one of the most influential, original, and talented rock guitarists of the 20th century. Born Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, he moved with his family to the U.S. in the '60s. Mesmerized by the British Invasion rock movement (especially the Dave Clark Five) Eddie began playing the drums, while Alex took up guitar. The brothers switched their respective instruments shortly thereafter . . . the rest is history.

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