Eruption (song)

Eruption is a song by Van Halen off their first album Van Halen (1978 — now often called "Van Halen I" by fans). The song, written and performed by Eddie Van Halen, is considered one of the most influential instrumentals of all time, appearing on many 'greatest guitar solos' lists.

Related Topics:
Van Halen - Van Halen - Eddie Van Halen

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It is a 1 minute and 42 second electric guitar solo, starting in the key of A flat, then drifting across multiple keys. After a quick intro with brother Alex Van Halen on drums, the solo takes off in a barrage of scales, bends, and "dive bombs" (extreme use of a whammy bar). The highlight of the solo, however, is the use of "tapping" — both hands on the neck of the guitar to produce rapid arpeggios, resembling a Baroque organ fugue more than a guitar. A phaser, 1950s Gibson humbucker pickup, 1960s Marshall tube amp, tape-driven Echoplex, and studio plate reverb helped define the distinctive tone of the track. Eruption ends on a cycling low E flat (twelfth fret harmonic dived an octave lower by manipulation of the Echoplex controls), and is followed by a cover of The Kinks song You Really Got Me in the key of A flat.

Related Topics:
Minute - Second - Electric guitar - Alex Van Halen - Whammy bar - Tapping - Arpeggio - Baroque - Organ - Phaser - Gibson - Humbucker - Marshall - Tube amp - Echoplex - The Kinks - You Really Got Me

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Eruption was the first prominent appearance of several innovative and well-honed techniques, earning Van Halen the unofficial status of "guitar god", cementing the band's future success, and influencing countless future guitarists and bands. Legend has it that the piece was originally Eddie's improvised stage warmup, which producer Ted Templeman heard and asked him to record. "Spanish Fly", an acoustic instrumental on the second Van Halen album, can be viewed as somewhat of a nylon-string version of Eruption, expanding on similar techniques. Similarly, it was suggested by Templeman for inclusion on the album after he heard Eddie Van Halen goofing around on classical guitar at a party.

Related Topics:
Ted Templeman - Second Van Halen album - Classical guitar

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When performing live before the release of their first album, Eddie would place his back to the audience to prevent other guitarists from stealing his technique. His brother Alex had warned him that other guitarists would "rob him blind" if his tricks were exposed before a major album release. Afterward he was indeed emulated by millions, but was comfortable displaying his techniques once credit had been firmly established on vinyl.

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