Joe Satriani Watched YouTube Videos of Eddie Van Halen Solos
WHAT THEY SAID
"I think one thing that really helped me was this amazing community, these guitar players of all ages dedicated so many hours to figuring out exactly how Ed played a lot of these songs." * Satriani spent hours studying YouTube videos of other guitarists playing Van Halen's parts while preparing for the 2024 Best Of All Worlds tour with Sammy Hagar and The Circle. *
THE DETAILS
- Satriani learned the songs from original recordings first, but found Van Halen's quirky fingering and string choices the hardest part to nail. *
- The timing challenge was brutal — Van Halen played on the beat while making it feel pushed forward, while Satriani's natural style sits back on the backbeat like a singer. *
- Van Halen played songs differently every night, sometimes forgetting parts or replacing them with unexpected variations. *
- Satriani estimated it would take three months of daily metronome practice to develop Van Halen's super-tight swing technique. *
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The tour already happened in 2024, proving Satriani's YouTube homework paid off.