Wolfgang Van Halen says this aspect of his father’s guitar playing is “incredibly underrated”: “Everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and Mr. Shred, but that’s just a flavour to what he did”
When people talk about Eddie Van Halen, it’s usually all about the lightning-fast tapping, the jaw-dropping solos, the “Mr. Shred” persona. But, as his son Wolfgang Van Halen points out, that’s only part of the story – there’s another side of the guitar legend that rarely gets its due.
In a recent appearance on The Cody Tucker Show, the Mammoth frontman turns the spotlight on his father’s rhythm playing and songwriting, the very foundation that, according to Wolfgang, allowed those iconic solos to shine.
READ MORE: “Do you see Taylor Swift shredding scales? I don’t think so”: Wolfgang Van Halen explains why fans who expect him to shred like Eddie are missing the point
“I’ll throw you a different angle at something that I think is really obvious. I think my dad is an incredibly underrated rhythm guitar player and songwriter,” he says [via Blabbermouth].
“I think everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and he’s Mr. Shred, but I think that’s just like a flavour to what he did. And I think it’s the fact that he was such a good songwriter and rhythm guitar player which allowed him to be the shredder guy on top of it. ‘Cause there are plenty of people who are just great shredders and they’re just running through scales and stuff, and that’s not as interesting.”
The interview also sees Wolfgang name dropping another underrated rhythm player whose contributions are often overlooked onstage: AC/DC’s Malcolm Young.
“But I think in terms of guitar players that are maybe underrated, I’d say one of my favorite underrated guitar players would have to be Malcolm Young from AC/DC,” says Wolfgang.
“Obviously, Angus [Young, AC/DC’s lead guitarist] is very in your face and dancing around while he was just in the back, but I think [Malcolm] is the greatest rhythm guitar player in history. He just had such a grit, and he’s absolutely one of my favourites.”
Beyond that, Wolfgang recently spoke to Guitar.com and shared his five all-time favourite guitar players, offering a glimpse into the influences that shaped his own approach to the instrument.
The post Wolfgang Van Halen says this aspect of his father’s guitar playing is “incredibly underrated”: “Everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and Mr. Shred, but that’s just a flavour to what he did” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
