Five acoustic guitarists far more skilled than Eddie Van Halen
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(Credits: Far Out / Carl Lender)
Who could ever question the magnitude of Eddie Van Halen? When he burst onto the scene, he didn’t just bring with him some exciting riffs and solos; he championed a brand new playing style, one that would change guitar as we know it. That tapping technique was looked upon by others as the stuff of witchcraft, as not only was he quick, but he was melodic, too. There was genuine beauty in the songs that he wrote alongside that unrelenting skill. It was a sight to behold.
Tony Iommi recalls going on tour with Van Halen and how much he regretted the decision to do so. It was nothing against Van Halen themselves, but who else, other than a guitar pioneer, could recognise the work of another guitar pioneer? He found Eddie a tough act to follow, to say the least. “Eddie was playing things I’d never seen before,” he said. “We’re still friends, and we became friends then. Of course, he set off a whole new load of players playing like that, and now I can’t believe some of them. I can’t follow it. I certainly couldn’t do it.”
The issue with a lot of rock fans is that they think shredding is the only form of talent. It’s impressive, sure, and it’s great to listen to, but it isn’t where guitar playing ability starts and stops. While Eddie Van Halen may have been one of the very best in rock, he would be stumped if presented with the acoustic passages of some of the most talented folk, classical and jazz guitarists of their age.
This article isn’t pitting these guitarists against each other. Their styles vary far too much for us to do that. On the contrary, this is us acknowledging that there is more to being a skilled guitarist than a tapping solo. The acoustic talent below is some of the best guitarists to pick up a six-string, yet the nature of music means that when people discuss the best guitarists of all time, these names hardly get a look in.
Five acoustic guitarists better than Eddie Van Halen
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