EVH is a Clumsy Picker!

[Gabe Nickelson]

Just watched his solo on the Live DVD 'Right here, Right now'. Man! Not to brag, but I think I can pick better than him.

But he makes up for it in tapping, hammer-ons, and his slower picking style is great.

Don't get me wrong, I think EVH is the most influential guitarist of the 20th century, but man! Work on your picking accuracy!

Of course this video was shot probably over 10 years ago. Anyone else notice this?

Gabe

[Gabe Nickelson]

Oops! Meant to edit my last post and ask....

Any advice for EVH?

Gabe

[cerealk]

Originally Posted by Gabe Nickelson

Don't get me wrong, I think EVH is the most influential guitarist of the 20th century,

ahem...cough...

Jimi Hendrix

cough...

[BrianH]

could be the alchohol...

course if I had his wife I'd be itching to get back with her asap

[Giant Steps]

My advice to Eddy?

Don't listen to alternate picking Nazis.

Good Cheese,
-VIG-

[BrianH]

Originally Posted by VaiIsGod

My advice to Eddy?

Don't listen to alternate picking Nazis.

Good Cheese,
-VIG-

I agree.. well that is, do what works for you. I personally use the Frank Gambale style of picking mostly... but it in itself is rooted deeply in alternate, but has a fling with sweep picking on the side..lol.

But depending on the sound I want, or even the genre of music, my picking technique varies alot. That is I play country/bluegrass very different than I do rock instrumental stuff.

[caprile]

i think even i can play cleaner than VH. the fact is....could i ever write a riff like unchained? hold a barre chord and come up with one of the coolest riffs ever. who the hell cares if the man can't pick!

[BrianH]

Originally Posted by caprile

i think even i can play cleaner than VH. the fact is....could i ever write a riff like unchained? hold a barre chord and come up with one of the coolest riffs ever. who the hell cares if the man can't pick!

good point.. EVH has some of the best riffs ever created.

[jem7vwh]

i think in general, his picking has never been his best skill. My favorite VH playing is the bluesy-legato stuff he layered on top of his tapping on the 1984 album. The solos to "Drop Dead Legs" "Girl Gone Bad" and "House of Pain" are prime examples.

He had the disadvantage of growing up in an age where "alternate picking" wasn't even in most very good guitarists vocabulary. Most all of us here grew up through or after the shred revolution and have therefore all had time to work on sweep picking, economy picking, alternate picking, bidextral tapping and any number of techniques which simply didn't exist when EVH was woodshedding.

In regards to EVH advice:

1. work on your pinky. half of the stuff that sounds like tapping is just wide interval legato, check the solo to "Ice Cream Man"

2. work on your bend accuracy. EVH is to deep bends what Vai is whammy control.

3. examine his quirks. For instance, nearly all of his tapping follows the tap-pull off-hammer on format seen in eruption. This has the effect of creating a pedaling feel. That's why some of his solos sound nearly classical.

He loves to use middle octave triads like these:
e------
b-9-7-8
g-9-8-7
d-9-9-7
a------
E------

nearly all of his rhythms and riffs can be learned with them

[Giant Steps]

He had the disadvantage of growing up in an age where "alternate picking" wasn't even in most very good guitarists vocabulary. Most all of us here grew up through or after the shred revolution and have therefore all had time to work on sweep picking, economy picking, alternate picking, bidextral tapping and any number of techniques which simply didn't exist when EVH was woodshedding.

Actually, all those picking techniques were used regularly by jazz guitarists far before the "shred revolution."

Good Cheese,
-VIG-

[caprile]

Originally Posted by jem7vwh

He loves to use middle octave triads like these:
e------
b-9-7-8
g-9-8-7
d-9-9-7
a------
E------

nearly all of his rhythms and riffs can be learned with them

those and the 'am7' shape:
e------
b---8-
g---7-
d---9-
a------
E------

now go play runnin' with the devil!!!!

[Mr Orange]

The alt picking nazis must die!

[darren wilson]

Being technically precise doesn't make somebody a better musician, in my opinion... it just makes them a better technician.

You can practice to get better technically, but you can't practice that passion and emotion that Eddie has. So what if his picking is "clumsy"... does his music move you?

I hear similar things said of David Gilmour... sure, everybody and his brother can play the solo to "Comfortably Numb"... but could you have written that solo?

[BrianH]

well said Darren... infact, that IS what great music always is, emotion, not technical ability.

[Knightmeir]

My favorite song by EVH and his brother is "Respect the Wind" off the Twister soundtrack. Good stuff.
Although he's one of the best players out there in my opinion, he isn't very bright... divoricing his wife... and smoking with mouth cancer. Sometimes people shouldn't be TOO influential... eh? heh heh