10 Greatest Eddie Van Halen Guitar Moments

Eddie Van Halen has got to be one of the greatest legends to ever pick up a guitar. From the moment the first Van Halen record graced our speakers, Eddie was on a journey to recontextualize the electric guitar from the inside out, with one new technique popping up left and right. Though he brought so much to the electric guitar world from a technique standpoint, it will never replace the mark it left on thousands of guitarists who were inspired by him.

For many guitarists, this man is the reason why they pick up a six-string, whether it's the opening sounds of his solos coming in or just one of his colossal riffs assaulting your senses. Even when the band couldn't continue on with David Lee Roth, the band never missed a beat with Sammy Hagar all due to the massive melodic mind at work behind the fretboard.

Going through his entire career, there's a practical gold mine of great material to choose from, be it him laying down a ripping lead on a Van Halen track or sitting in with other artists. There may have been plenty of drama at play during Eddie's time in the limelight, but it's best to remember him for the massive amount of joy he brought to every single one of us through his music.

To kick things off, this is known primarily as one of Van Halen's biggest hits. From being used in countless movies to being the ultimate party anthem in the '80s, a lot of up and coming guitar players get their first exposure to Van Halen through "Panama." Though Eddie's lead work is not as flashy on here as some of his other cuts, there's something uncanny going on with his rhythm playing.

For as often as he tore up the fretboard with one lick after another, the entire intro of the song shows of Eddie's technical finesse when it came to locking in with his brother Alex. The tempo might be at a laid back groove for Van Halen, but the way he adds the rhythmic accents with machine-like precision is something that no other artist was doing at the time.

Hell, he even finds time in between the riffs to add subtle hints of craziness, from using a dive bomb to turning the sound of guitar harmonic screeches into a hook before plowing through the chorus. The solo isn't too shabby either, as Eddie adds tasteful uses of tapping into the mix that serve to complete a melodic phrase rather than make someone's jaw drop. Some people tend to think it's all about playing fast to achieve guitar greatness, but Eddie was already a god just playing simple chords.