Help!! Eruption

[diamondaveroth]

OK, this is the hardest section to pull of on eruption I'm so Fuc*kin mad cause i can't nail it!! It's the section after the trem picking where he does a series of wierd pull offs and stuff. The thing that pisses me off is the part where he hammers on to from the 5th fret on the D string to the seventh fret D string and does 4 consecutive quick strikes on the seventh fret followed by a quick pull - off on the g string from the 5 th fret to the open string and continues with the quick strikes on the seventh fret D string. How The hell can you make this sound ok!! i've been practicing this section for three weeks STRAIGHT and still cant get it to sound right are there any tips to making it sound right or should i just completely give up on this section. thanks and god bless

[Stiglar]

do you mean the section just before the tapping ? .. just after the little silent part ? or have i got the wrong bit ?

[gtarxtrm]

Yeah, that's the hard part and I myself could not get it cleanly or maybe it doesn't need to be. I heard some of the versions from our members here and they seemed to just wing it with quick trills, pull offs and hammer-ons around that vicinity of the fretboard that you described and it does sounds pretty good and maybe close but it is not perfect. If you're trying to achieve perfection good luck to you but practice will always do the trick. So be patient. If you have a good tab for it, I would start slow and get it up to speed by ear or by metronome. Once you get the feel and the speed, you will be satisfied with it. I know my advise is probably lame and you may have done this already but as a fellow guitarist, take this as a motivational tool to achieve and conquer. BTW, maybe you can record and post a clip of that section of Eruption so that you can get a detailed advise from our fellow guitarists in this forum (just a suggestion). Goodluck!

[diamondaveroth]

Thank you all for your advice, yes i shall probably take it slower than I have been going and it will come to me. Thanks to you all

God Bless

[mab8485]

A true testiment to the greatness of 'eruption'. Almost 30 years later and most guitarists are still sweating over it

[Mr Crumb]

That is one of the toughest parts of Eruption. It's also one of the most incorrectly transcribed parts as well. I've seen it transcribed in such a way that although the notes are correct, the positioning makes it impossible to play.

Once you learn to play it correctly slow, you're half way there. It's only a matter of gradually speeding it up.

[classalpha]

Originally Posted by diamondaveroth

OK, this is the hardest section to pull of on eruption I'm so Fuc*kin mad cause i can't nail it!! It's the section after the trem picking where he does a series of wierd pull offs and stuff. The thing that pisses me off is the part where he hammers on to from the 5th fret on the D string to the seventh fret D string and does 4 consecutive quick strikes on the seventh fret followed by a quick pull - off on the g string from the 5 th fret to the open string and continues with the quick strikes on the seventh fret D string. How The hell can you make this sound ok!! i've been practicing this section for three weeks STRAIGHT and still cant get it to sound right are there any tips to making it sound right or should i just completely give up on this section. thanks and god bless

No. The part is generally played on the 2nd and 5th frets on the D and G strings and using your pinky and index (1st) fingers only.


Being that I can't post tab here... I'll give you a SLOW, step-by-step approach to this part...



At first a bit difficult, but to be played very SWIFTLY and individually picked, first mute-pick the D string, fretting it at the 5th fret with your pinky finger, then pull off to open D (D flat in this case). Next ... hammer on the 2nd fret note with your index finger (still D string) then hammer back on the 5th fret with your pinky, then slide it to the 7th fret... still with your pinky on the D string... DIG IN while alternate picking a quadruplet.


Next (I'll call this part #1) and still using the pinky and index fingers, change string to the G and shift your hand position towards the headstock, then pick the G string at the 5th fret... holding the note down with your pinky. Pull off to the open G (Gb) then hammer on the the 2nd fret (Ab note) with your index finger. See a pattern?


Next, swiftly picking with all DOWN STROKES, use your pinky to fret the 6th fret on the B string, pull off to the open B (Bb) then down stroke pick on the 5th fret (fretting with your third finger), then pull off to the open "B" again then pick the D note 3rd fret with your index and pull off again to the open "B" string.


See a pattern yet?


Now, move up to the 8th fret (still on the B string) then fretting the note with your pinky, DOWN STROKE pick then pull-off the note to the open B. Next on the 7th fret (downstroke pick) then pull off to open B... then TRILL between the 5th and 7th notes with your index and ring (or third) finger on the B string.


See a pattern now?


The next part can go two ways... I like to play it on the second frets on the A and D strings. Open note pick the A then hammer on the 2nd fret (index finger). Open pick the D string then hammer on the 2nd fret with your index finger, then repeat the same pinky fourth and first (index) finger pattern:

e.g.

Fret D string at the 5th fret (with pinky) then pull off to open D... then hammer on to the 2nd fret (with first finger) to the Eb flat note and repeat the lick while digging in with your pick.


Next, change string to "G" and (using DOWNSTROKES) fret with your pinky on the 5th fret, pull off to open G (Gb) pick 4th fret (third finger) pull off to open G... then fretting at the 2nd fret, downstroke-pick the note then pull off to open G, then shift your hand up to the 7th fret, downstroke-pick the note then pull off to the open G. Downstroke pick the 6th fret note then pull off open G then downstroke pick the 4th fret note then pull off to open G, after which you TRILL between the 4th fret and 6th fret notes.

Now back to the first part (#1) and just repeat the B string lick... but instead of trilling between the 5th and 7th frets and ending, slide down diatonically to the 3rd and 5th frets, trill between those then slide to the 1st and 3rd frets, then trill between those, finally trilling the open B and the 2nd fret notes.


I think you and just about everyone else knows the rest.



Hope that helps.

[strat78]

And you called mine "loose".

Originally Posted by classalpha

No. The part is generally played on the 2nd and 5th frets on the D and G strings and using your pinky and index (1st) fingers only.


Being that I can't post tab here... I'll give you a SLOW, step-by-step approach to this part...



At first a bit difficult, but to be played very SWIFTLY and individually picked, first mute-pick the D string, fretting it at the 5th fret with your pinky finger, then pull off to open D (D flat in this case). Next ... hammer on the 2nd fret note with your index finger (still D string) then hammer back on the 5th fret with your pinky, then slide it to the 7th fret... still with your pinky on the D string... DIG IN while alternate picking a quadruplet.


Next (I'll call this part #1) and still using the pinky and index fingers, change string to the G and shift your hand position towards the headstock, then pick the G string at the 5th fret... holding the note down with your pinky. Pull off to the open G (Gb) then hammer on the the 2nd fret (Ab note) with your index finger. See a pattern?


Next, swiftly picking with all DOWN STROKES, use your pinky to fret the 6th fret on the B string, pull off to the open B (Bb) then down stroke pick on the 5th fret (fretting with your third finger), then pull off to the open "B" again then pick the D note 3rd fret with your index and pull off again to the open "B" string.


See a pattern yet?


Now, move up to the 8th fret (still on the B string) then fretting the note with your pinky, DOWN STROKE pick then pull-off the note to the open B. Next on the 7th fret (downstroke pick) then pull off to open B... then TRILL between the 5th and 7th notes with your index and ring (or third) finger on the B string.


See a pattern now?


The next part can go two ways... I like to play it on the second frets on the A and D strings. Open note pick the A then hammer on the 2nd fret (index finger). Open pick the D string then hammer on the 2nd fret with your index finger, then repeat the same pinky fourth and first (index) finger pattern:

e.g.

Fret D string at the 5th fret (with pinky) then pull off to open D... then hammer on to the 2nd fret (with first finger) to the Eb flat note and repeat the lick while digging in with your pick.


Next, change string to "G" and (using DOWNSTROKES) fret with your pinky on the 5th fret, pull off to open G (Gb) pick 4th fret (third finger) pull off to open G... then fretting at the 2nd fret, downstroke-pick the note then pull off to open G, then shift your hand up to the 7th fret, downstroke-pick the note then pull off to the open G. Downstroke pick the 6th fret note then pull off open G then downstroke pick the 4th fret note then pull off to open G, after which you TRILL between the 4th fret and 6th fret notes.

Now back to the first part (#1) and just repeat the B string lick... but instead of trilling between the 5th and 7th frets and ending, slide down diatonically to the 3rd and 5th frets, trill between those then slide to the 1st and 3rd frets, then trill between those, finally trilling the open B and the 2nd fret notes.


I think you and just about everyone else knows the rest.



Hope that helps.

[classalpha]

Originally Posted by strat78

And you called mine "loose".

Hmmmm... that was a cursory description on how to properly "finger" it ... but it wasn't a transcription with the necessary string muting, accents, etc.. all of which I ommitted for purposes of brevity. The correct fingering and accurate fretting (which most players totally miss the mark of when attempting that part of "Eruption") is what I concentrated on. Unfortunately I don't have the 'Power Tab' program on my comp anymore or I would have transcribed it comprehensively.... at least that particular excerpt from it. And how "loose" or "spot on" it would be played at speed (from my description) depends of course on the player and their picking/fretting hand coordination, sobriety, biorhythms, etc..

[wahwah]

Biorhythms? Do you mean you can't play it on your period??? JK!

[classalpha]

Originally Posted by wahwah

Biorhythms? Do you mean you can't play it on your period??? JK!

Hey Chris! I suppose if a menstruating female is playing it would be much "looser" as well!!

[strat78]

its time for more cowbell

[classalpha]

Not. But you can play it wrong if you wish. It'll just make me exclusively better at it anyway. Thanks!

[strat78]

ZING!!! Exhibit #2: From the horses mouth (or fingers that is) check out the clip of the said portion of Eruption. Looks familiar to me.http://www.johnjgray.com/PlexiPalace/vhsolo.mpg

[classalpha]

Sorry man I can't d/l that file... seems too big and I'm still on dial-up here...


I do recall seeing a more recent (and much shorter) clip online of Ed playing it live... if I'm not mistaken I think perhaps it was from the same show as the 'Mean Streets' intro which someone posted here before. That clip had a clear view of him doing the curently disputed part... but it corroborated how I'd played that particular section of ''Eruption'' for years...

BTW... I know who Kurt Mitchell is... I was just being facetious.


If you decide to sell your take on that solo someday I Hope you make yourself some bank.