Kacie+S.

As you research your selected guitarist, you will need to note some specific information from his or her life and career. Include the following in your final writing: Details for your written assignment: ,
 * Introduction
 * Biography
 * Discography
 * Legacy
 * Conclusion

Your Guitarist Name: Eddie Van Halen

Write your essay here! : __Eddie Van Halen__

The guitarist that I am researching is Eddie Van Halen. He had crossed over several musical styles reflecting on his musical influences such as blues and rock but he mostly plays heavy metal with the electric guitar. Like a lot of other rock guitarists, Eddie Van Halen used string bending, pick slides, natural and artificial harmonics, slurs, and whammy bar dives. But, it was his two-handed tapping that separated him from other rock musicians.

When Eddie Van Halen was a child, he played many different instruments such as violin, drum set, and piano. Once he mastered all of those instruments he started to work on the base with the help of his brother and ever since then he had practiced it incessantly. His father was a famous musician so he got the idea of playing the instruments from his father. As Eddie Van Halen got older he got more and more into playing the guitar so he stared to play at public at parties, and, with his growing popularity, he began appearing at local clubs in Southern California. Van Halen collaborated in numerous musical projects. Eddie Van Halen provided the guitar solo for Michael Jackson’s hit song “Beat It” in 1983. And that same year, he worked with the legendary guitarist Brian May on the short-lived Star fleet Project.

A song that Eddie Van Halen had released was **“Eruption.”** This song was important because it is one of the most influential guitar solos in the history of rock. Another song that he had released was **“Jump.”** This song was important because it includes the requisite guitar solo expected from the legendary guitarist and it reached number one on the //Billboard// charts. He was influenced by the type of music Blues and Rock. Some musicians that were Blues and rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix served as major musical influences for Eddie Van Halen.

Eddie Van Halen had influenced many guitar artists because of what he had expanded upon and utilized playing techniques idiomatic to the electric guitar. He did string bending, pick slides, harmonics, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. But, it was his extreme whammy bar dives and, in particular, his two-handed tapping that influenced most of the playing of rock musicians. Although guitarists before him had done the tapping to the limit extend, Van Halen had edvanced that techniques and he had made the approach to do a guitar solo of rock musicians of his generation and many had followed.

While I have been researching this guitarist, I have learned a lot about him. Eddie Van Halen"s Brother got him in playing the guitar and he started playing at parties and clubs. When he got a band together, their songs sky rocketed because of Van Halen. He expanded the tecniques on the guitar and now other guitarists are influenced by him. He has definitely made a music legacy in the musical world.

Works Cited

Sources : Include the source information for all of the articles or web sites that were used to complete your project. Source information is found at the end of each article in iCONN.They should also be listed in alphabetical order by the first word of the source citation. sample: "Carol Kaye." //Contemporary Musicians//. Vol. 22. Detroit: Gale, 1998. //Gale Biography In Context//. Web. 8 Jan. 2012. "Selected Websites on Carol Kaye's Life and Works." //Gale Biography in Context//. Detroit: Gale, 2008. //Gale Biography In Context//. Web. 8 Jan. 2012.


 * Your Source List:**
 * 1:** Perry, Mark E., and Perry Mark E. "Eddie Van Halen." //Musicians And Composers Of The Twentieth Century// (2009): 1. //Biography Reference Center//. Web. 21 Oct. 2013.

Guitarist Research Notes Table
//cells will expand as you enter your findings// || What do you like about his/her style? || Many different people are following the foot steps of Eddie Van Halen because of his exquisite guitar playing. I think his style of music is very good. I noticed that in most of his songs he has an instrumental solo which is very cool because now you can hear what his style of playing is. ||
 * ** Information Feature ** ||= **Your Findings**
 * The guitar style I am researching is: || The guitar style is heavy metal. ||
 * The artist I am researching is: || The artist I'm researching is Eddie Van Halen ||
 * This guitarist lived from _ to __ || He was Born in January 26, 1955 and he is still alive. ||
 * Define and describe the guitar style you are researching. || The guitar style is heavy metal which you play with an electric guitar. ||
 * What kind of musical training did the guitarist have? || His brother Alex showed him how to play the guitar and he had practiced it incessantly. ||
 * What types of music influenced this artist? || He was influenced by Blues and Rock music ||
 * Name some musicians who influenced the guitarist you are researching. || Some musicians that influenced him were Blues and rock guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Jimi Hendrix served as major musical influences ||
 * Has this guitarist played more than one style? If so, what other styles? || He had crossed over several musical styles reflecting on his musical influences such as blues and rock. ||
 * What type of guitar does this musician play? || He plays an electric guitar ||
 * What are some interesting facts about your guitarist’s childhood? || Van Halen learned to play the violin, drum set, piano, and bass with his brother, Alex's, help. Also, his father was a professional musician so he got to take lessons from him. ||
 * What did this guitarist do before he became famous? || The guitarist began performing in public at parties, and, with his growing popularity, he began appearing at local clubs in Southern California. ||
 * List two interesting facts about the guitarist’s life. || Eddie Van Halen provided the guitar solo for Michael Jackson’s hit song “Beat It” in 1983. And that same year, he worked with the legendary guitarist Brian May on the short-lived Star fleet Project. ||
 * List two albums or songs your artist released, the dates they were released and why they are important. || Two songs that Eddie Van Halen had released are **“Eruption.”** Released in 1978 and **“Jump.”** released in 1984. **“Eruption.”** is important because it is one of the most influential guitar solos in the history of rock. **“Jump.”** is important because it includes the requisite guitar solo expected from the legendary guitarist and it reached number one on the //Billboard// charts. ||
 * Who is playing this style of music today?
 * What legacy has this guitarist left to the world of music? || "Van Halen expanded upon the electric guitar. Continuing traditional practices of the rock genre, he employed string bending, pick slides, harmonics, hammer-ons, and pull-offs; however, it was his extreme whammy bar dives and, in particular, his two-handed tapping that most influenced the playing of rock musicians. Although guitarists before Van Halen used tapping to a limited extent, he advanced the technique, and he transformed the approach to guitar soloing of rock musicians of his generation and those that followed. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, Van Halen often borrowed musical devices from classical music." ||