The average layperson has almost no ability to discern good from bad playing

[Tom_Gilroy]

@RG550DX

So do you mean the, like, colloquial inflections and idiosyncratic subtle nuances within the execution of his phrases are what’s technical? I

Yes. There’s astonishing breadth and depth of the variation in dynamics, tone production, bending contour, vibrato phrasing, etc.

More than that, it’s all intentional. This is all on purpose, you can’t just do these things randomly and actually sound good. You can’t set and forget, you have to learn how different guitars and amps respond and adjust your touch.

@RG550DX

I admit that sort of thing is what I find most difficult of copping blues licks - always at the start I sound wooden and mechanical until the phrase is under my fingers enough to start trying to emulate those nuances.

Making simple stuff sound good is really, really hard. Having the command of Eric Clapton or Albert King? It’s still absolutely extraordinary today.

@RG550DX

And even then I just never seem to sound as fluid, I tend to be better at my own particular brand of slow note shaping.

You have to find your own character in this stuff. If it’s not an honest expression of your self, it’s never going to become natural for you.

@RG550DX

Those subtle nuances sometimes add almost too much derivative color relative to standard techniques, no?

It can certainly make the rest of your playing sound bland and lifeless by comparison.

@RG550DX

It’s funny though, as I’m listening to these examples I think I’m starting hear that Eric Clapton was in fact an influence on Van Halen in terms of his phrasing.

You can definitely hear it in EVH’s playing. EVH told had it, too.

@Drew

As far as unexpected cool playing, that’s right up there with Eddie Van Halen on the Twister soundtrack.

It so rarely comes up when people talk about Clapton’s work, too. I loved the Lethal Weapon movies when I was younger just for the soundtracks.

[garbeaj]

Did someone say Clapton and Van Halen?!

- YouTube

[Tom_Gilroy]

Good video. I definitely hear Clapton and Page as clear influences in EVH’s playing.

[steve506]

Similarly, EVH sounds like Chuck Berry on Red Bull to me.

[garbeaj]

Thank you!

I’ve never found any specific link to Page in EVH’s playing other than Page’s general influence regarding guitar based hard rock music, guitar solos as a given within song structure and the “unaccompanied guitar solo” cadenza thing in “Heartbreaker” creating a space for something like “Eruption” to happen as a live concert staple. There are no Page specific licks in Edward’s playing, but as I noted in my video, those “Sitting On Top of the World” licks are in nearly every instance of Edward playing lead guitar in any context.

[Tom_Gilroy]

It’s mostly a Page “vibe” that I hear in EVH’s playing, rather than any specific licks.

[garbeaj]

I agree…that’s a good way to put it, though I think that “vibe” is indicative of the whole virtuoso charismatic guitar player with “out there” frontman thing and the basic pattern for hard rock and heavy metal that Zeppelin basically invented and that all other heavy bands have essentially followed ever since.

Edward did say that he loved the first album and he and Alex did see Zeppelin live at the Inglewood Forum, likely in ‘75 and ‘77 though it is possible they saw them before that. There’s no question that Alex and Ed loved Zeppelin as a whole even though Ed did call out Page’s sloppy technique which was at its worst in ‘75. Edward did say in the same breath that it didn’t matter and that he reckoned that he and Page played with a similar kind of “reckless abandon”-and I can see his point, though they were both lick-based players that didn’t truly improvise that much per se.

[kgk]

Now it’s official, Clapton is a great guitarist:

- YouTube