10 Greatest Hard Rock Guitar Solos Of All Time

Any guitarist who has been alive over the past 20 years remembers where they were the first time they heard Van Halen. The band's jaw-dropping songs and impressive lead work made Eddie Van Halen a guitar god from their debut album onward. Each Van Halen song could be one of hard rock's greatest moments, but it all started with this 1 minute burst.

Recorded while Van Halen were warming up, Eddie Van Halen's "Eruption" is the benchmark that most people judge good guitarists on. The instrumental starts with Eddie annihilating more hammer ons and pull offs in 30 seconds than most guitarists can do in 3 minutes. From there, Eddie offers a crash course in every difficult soloing technique from tremolo picking to blues riffing to legato runs.

It would have made for a fine interlude on its own, but the song explodes towards the end when Eddie starts to tap the notes on the guitar neck rather than using a pick, making for a colossal barrage of notes that felt like nothing else.

This technique was a game changer in the rock world, with many bands trying to ape this new style of playing. It may only be a minute long, but "Eruption" is the ultimate guitar showcase from a man who can make one guitar sound like an entire symphony.