Feedback on “Eruption” transcription

General Music Discussion
#49

I would say that could have been an influence, but Eddie has mentioned this experience of seeing Page playing the unaccompanied “Heartbreaker” solo at the LA Forum in 1971 for years as being how he was first inspired to come up with the “moveable nut” technique that later evolved into right hand tapping.

Page’s solo actually didn’t involve “hammer-ons from nowhere” because he usually began the sequence by picking the note at 2nd fret of the G string and then doing standard hammer-ons and pull-offs for the remaining legato triplets. I don’t think Eddie got the “hammer-on from nowhere” thing from Page, but it certainly could have inspired it in some way.

For giggles, you can hear the very Page solo that Eddie describes at the 8:08 mark. Eddie would have been 16 years old at the time and Alex would have been 18.

#50

In the video Eddie doesn’t say he got the hammer on from nowhere from Jimmy Page but that it was Eddie’s attempt to outdo that Jimmy Page lick that led Eddie to that technique.

#51

Yes, we agree to some extent. As I said above, Eddie said that he got the inspiration for the moveable nut thing after seeing Page at the Forum in ‘71. I wouldn’t necessarily say “outdo”, but yes Eddie probably got the idea to “extend” the concept that Page was working with to create the moveable nut trick.

#52

While relistening to the Steve Rosen interview with Ed, he shows Steve another lick at about 5:20 and says, “you only need to pick it once.” The notes are a little different but similar concept of picking only the first note.

#53

That’s the “Ice Cream Man” ending solo lick that I posted above…Eddie does sound like he is only picking the 5th fret notes in the Rosen interview and I think that’s exactly what he does on the record:

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I’ve veered off a few times, but can we try to keep this thread to suggestions/observations on my transcription? Thanks :slight_smile:

#54

Hi everyone! I had Matt add Troy’s suggestions to the transcription (to the best of my understanding) and I have updated the download link in the first post to include the new version as of today, 04-03-20.

If anyone can look at it and tell me if I got those parts correct now I’d appreciate it greatly! It’s been a real gas to get that particular incredible lick concept right after all these years!

Cheers!
Allen

#55

In light of Troy’s “Upstroke on the high E/silent hammer-on/hammer-ons and pull-offs for the rest” observation (wish I had a less cumbersome way to say that!) for “Somebody Get Me A Doctor” and “Eruption” it’s been great fun going back and adding those articulations to some of the solos that use it.

First, “Somebody Get Me A Doctor”…here’s how I now play it, thanks to Troy:

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And I’ve also incorporated it into “Girl Gone Bad” after Troy’s explanation and after confirming it with this clip starting at around the 2:41 mark:


Here’s how I’m now playing that segment from the ‘1984’ album version:
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This is also basically the same pattern in “Romeo Delight” and I’ll make a TAB for that as well…but you get the idea. This lick is everywhere in Eddie’s playing and it’s exactly as Troy described it!
#56

To Troy and the team…please message me here or in reply to the e-mail I just sent at your earliest convenience. Thanks!

#57

Dredging this up again, but just trying to make sure I understand your take on this fast part from “When It’s Love”…are you saying that the note on the 13th fret of the G string is a “hammer-on from nowhere”. I’m not sure I’m following…I’m thinking that Ab note might be a silent-hammer on. I’m not getting it quite as legato as Eddie does and I’m wondering if that is what I’m missing?

#58

Did you try slowing down the video and looking at the hands? It looks like the G string is picked with a downstroke and the B string is picked with a single upstroke, then the other two notes on that string are hammer-pull.

I think I mentioned this before but the index finger note is not hit twice. If you’re adding that, that may be why it sounds less smooth. Ed plays this lick in the Rosen interview around 4:15 and even slows it down to demonstration speed, super easy to hear. There is no doubled note.

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#59

Are there any silent hammer-ons in this lick?

#60

I started a thread about this…I posted a TAB of how I’m playing it, maybe that can help? I think I’m still missing something…

#61

I’ve made some changes to the “When It’s Love” solo and I think I’m getting closer now…

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#62

Just wanted to give anyone that is interested a heads up…as of this writing, the current February 2021 issue of Guitar World features the transcription of “Eruption” that this thread covers. Thankfully, the transcription editor did indeed credit my friends Bill, Mark and Troy as “Musical Consultants” on the piece at the end of the article that goes with the transcription itself.

It means the world to me to get more correct information out to the largest number of players who really want to learn and I’m so grateful that Troy’s observations, my friend Bill’s observations and my observations are now out in the magazine. The circulation of all magazines isn’t what it once was for sure, but it still makes me happy to get some more information out in it’s digital and physical pages.

I was also able to get some corrections into the “I’m The One” transcription (though I was not credited for these) and chief among those corrections are those that cover the open E string lick that Troy demystified for us here! “Mean Street” also appears in the magazine, but it is simply a reprint of an old and still problematic transcription. I was asked to correct that as well, but I ran out of time before the publishing deadline.

I’m really passionate about getting the right information into transcriptions because I know that I and many others only get confused by the just plain wrong information that often gets presented. It is maddening when you struggle to learn something only to discover that you played something wildly different from what was actually played. I’m not discussing originality and the benefit of learning something incorrectly to come up with something different…that’s another discussion. I’m just talking about well thought out, well researched information…the kind of information that ‘Cracking The Code’ is all about. It’s meaningful to me and I think many appreciate this kind of information.

Thank you again to Troy and everyone here for all their help!

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#63

I recently got in touch with a very smart friend named Ed DeGenaro who is well versed in theory and notation and he painstakingly entered my transcription into Soundslice for me and for anyone who likes this format. He did this free of charge and it was no small task…I hope someone out there might appreciate this and the effort that went into it!

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#64

Maybe this time will be the time I finally learn to play all of this.

(Narrator: It wasn’t)

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#65

:sweat_smile: It’s an ongoing process like anything else. I’ve been working on it for over 35 years now. And there’s always room for improvement! Getting the help of others is super important as I’ve mentioned…Troy and my other smart friends made my understanding grow by huge leaps and bounds versus what I learned on my own.

I know this is as accurate as has ever been attempted so far, but new knowledge can always come to light. As I mentioned before, I did not transcribe the ending tapping segment accurately at all…I put down what I believe he intended to play and what he usually played when he executed that part live. There were so many “mistakes” and changes of “direction” in this segment, “bumping” into strings etc. that I just couldn’t bring myself to notate all of that. I was so exhausted from trying to nail down everything else as accurately as possible that I just gave up on the tapping segment. Ironically, it’s the least interesting part of the piece for me. This is the part that even a complete newbie can execute easily. It’s difficult, if not impossible to nail all the mistakes note-for-note, but it’s pretty easy to get the essential intended idea out.

Dive in!

#66

Thank you for this. I know i don’t speak for myself, but i’m grateful for your EVH contributions over the years.

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#67

Thanks! That is very much appreciated! I’m glad to have a small part in helping anyone who is really interested in learning as much as possible about Eddie’s playing. The aforementioned friends and collaborators deserve more credit than I do…they took the blinders off for me and I hope to help do the same for others!

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#68

my pleasure. Troy and Co. created a great community here to learn and grow as guitarists.

i miss Eddie very much. i’m still having a hard time with his passing. His contributions to the world of Hard Rock guitar are immeasurable. not to mention is equally impressive contributions to the modern guitar itself (super strat) and amplification! it’s just mind-blowing. I highly doubt we’ll ever see a guitar visionary of this importance ever again.

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