Only a select few guitarists stand a chance of competing with Eddie Van Halen. Eddie was a different animal than any of the guitarists who came before him. It was to the point where half of his licks sounded like he developed his language on the guitar in an era when everyone was still preaching the virtues of Jimi Hendrix. When you find someone like that, you have to hang on tight. But Sammy Hagar felt that working with Joe Satriani was the next best thing.
Eddie’s technique consisted primarily of a few scale shapes. He would go outside the box when he needed to. But many of his core licks tended to come from the blues scale before he started introducing his signature tapping phrases to the world.
This was a game-changer for most who heard it. Eddie Van Halen found it extremely annoying when he saw copycats attempting to imitate his style. Many people attempted to emulate his style. But Satriani was already his animal when he strapped on a guitar.
He may have tapped like Eddie. But he was already a local legend while teaching in California. It was with students including future Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. He primarily focused on his solo career when it came to releasing his music. His offer in the late 2000s was too good to pass up.
After Van Halen relaunched without Hagar, with Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, on bass and David Lee Roth returning on vocals, Hagar decided to form a new supergroup with the amusing name Chickenfoot. Despite the hilarity of someone naming their band that, the chops were no joke. Especially with Satriani on lead and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on hard rock grooves on each track.
Hagar could claim to be one of the few guitarists who hit the jackpot twice. But he rated Satriani one notch higher than Eddie. He tells Paulo Baron, “[Joe] is another nut, I love him to death, he’s probably the best guitar player in the world.” And he’s one of the greatest songwriters because Joe can write a song a minute, to where Eddie struggled. Eddie would take forever for whatever reason…[Joe] He can just write out of the ether”.
It’s not like Hagar is speaking out of his ass here, either. Looking at Satriani’s extensive back catalog, he has been able to create classics comparable to Eddie’s without the presence of Roth or Hagar. Satriani also borrows and expands on Eddie’s ideas, such as the two-handed tapping piece ‘Midnight‘.
That’s not to say Satriani didn’t admire Eddie’s work, even if he couldn’t figure out how he played many of his signature licks. He may have helped propel rock and roll forward after Eddie. But anyone who has ever picked up a guitar owes Van Halen a debt of gratitude.
