Why Eddie Van Halen is an Influential Musician

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There are certain musicians that come along that shift a culture, attitude, or future musicians. Another musician that went on influence future generations and considered one of the greatest guitar players in the world is Eddie Van Halen.

Eddie Van Halen was born in Holland in 1955 and immigrated to Pasadena California. At the age of seven, Eddie was training as a classical pianist, although his love for Rock and Roll was developing. He started working a paper route and used the money to buy a drum set. His brother Alex, also musically inclined, bought a guitar. After months of practicing, Alex and Eddie switched instruments. Alex would spend hours on Eddie's drums and loved to play them. Eddie, a little frustrated with the drums, picked up Alex's guitar and felt at home with the instrument. Eddie would sit in his room for hours memorizing Eric Clapton guitar rifts' from "Cream". In his teenage years, Eddie and Brother Alex Van Halen played in local clubs and local parties in California. They started become a big name in the local area of Pasadena California. A police officer once commented that the parties that the Van Halen brothers played at were so big, that the police were looking for where the party was in a four-block radius. There would be almost 2,000 people attending house parties when the Van Halen brothers played. Alex and Eddie initially called there band Genesis but learned there was a much bigger group in Europe with the same name, so they changed it to Mammoth. The band had humble beginnings and the brothers could not afford a PA system for their concerts. They rented a PA system from David Lee Roth when his band was not playing. During one performance, the rented PA system broke down. A member of the local band...

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... China Wholesalers at Aliexpress.com. Web. 07 June 2011. .

This was another one of Eddie's home built guitars. These pictures are a representation of the true musician that Eddie Van Halen is. Even expensive guitars would not give the sound Eddie was searching for, so he built his own.

"YouTube - ‪Eruption Guitar Solo--Eddie Van Halen‬‏." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 07 June 2011. .

Included because this is Eddie as any musical artist and fan could tell you within the first 4 seconds of hearing his distinctive sound. Influential! I task anyone that is a rock fan to give a listen and not be able to say within 4 seconds of play that this is none other than Eddie Van Halen.

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