Van Halen YRGM solo study

[strat78]

There is something in this solo that has never been acknowledged, much less placed in its proper context: the bends are just fucking wild! They have such a youthful vigor that just trying to replicate them makes one feel like the twenty year old genius Ed once was!!! A buddy of mine just gave me a copy of a video made back in 78 of "You really Got Me". Its lip-synced but, just watching that wicked little Edward playing along with the actual album blew me away! -You can see just how loose and dexterous his technique was. Anyway, here is my rather stiff interpretation of that under-appreciated solo. Note the bend that starts on the G sting, seventh fret, yet bends all the way up five steps to the high G. -Very cool Edward shit.

[Stiglar]

very cool strat ,

it is true you don't notice how wide and agressive those bends really are .. another reason i love van halen , i experienced a similar thing trying to learn eruption a while back it has similar kinda wild bends up high in the neck just before the tremelo picking part .. very hard to nail down with the same intensity as ed .. . i think you nailed it and it should be a good lesson for people myself included ! thanks !