STANDARD TUNING: E, A, D, G, B, E.
V.H. STOMPIN 8H V.H. ON S.N.L. IN 1987
Intro
Key of: E
Ok for those of you who don't know what this is. Its an improv jam that V.H. did with the
Saturday night Live band back in 87.
V.H. is using a Digital delay, reverb, and a Harmonizer in this piece. However, you will not
need the harmonizer. If you set up the delay the way I suggest. If you have a harmonizer
you can use it. You want a doubling effect. Either way its not a necessity.
NOTE ON TUNING: Here is the deal with the tuning on this. For those of you who have the video
Ed is tuned to a standard tuning. My transcription for this was done with my guitar tuned flat.
In most cases you won't need to transpose any notes because its in the key of E and that's where
I transcribed it. The main chord pattern is an E to an A.
My suggestion is rather than worry about the tunings and stuff like that, you use this as a lesson
on Ed's improv soloing. Take away some of the tricks and riffs and use them in your own playing
or to add ideas to your soloing. If you want to play along with the video great. But, most of you
out there don't have this video. So, think of this a great big lesson on Eddie V.H..
Delay trick opening: With the volume knob all the way down. Sound the harmonic indicated.
Then bring it down with the bar by reaching under your neck and using your left hand
to bring the bar down. Then with your right hand slowly turn up the volume knob and
bring the bar up at the same time and rate of speed. Slowly. Once the volume knob is
up all the way, pull up on the bar a little. Repeat the process for the next measure as well.
He does this two times in the opening to this jam.
Your delay setting is 2.5 to 3 moderate repeats at 350 to 400 milliseconds. No more, no less.
My guitar is tuned flat on the audio lesson, V.H. is standard tuning on SNL.
Intro:
Your delay setting is 2.5 to 3 moderate repeats at 350 to 400 milliseconds. No more, no less.
My guitar is tuned flat on the audio lesson, V.H. is standard tuning on SNL.
E_______________________________________________
B_______________________________________________
G_5h<<<<>_4_h(11)<<_4^1_h(9)>>>_4_h(11)<<<______________
D_________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________
B__________________________________________________
G___4^1_h(16)>>>slowly release this bend_______________
D__________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________
Turn off the DELAY at this point.
Now we get to some serious jammin'.
I'm going to transcribe the leads V.H. is doing.
Later there is a part where V.H. is jamming the main rhythm riff with
G.E. Smith and the band. I will tab that when we get to it. Its a mean
STOMPIN riff. Remember this is flat of Ed if you're in a standard tuning.
Most of the notes will match up because I transcribed it in E but some
may be a half step off.
Delay off and here we go with V.H.'s leads.
E____________________________________________________
B__17__20^1/2__17______20^1_20^1.5_20^2>>release bend quickly___
G________________19_________________________________
D___________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________
This is a cool little speed picking section. Its pretty classic V.H..
You need to do this very very fast and its important to get the note
on the 15th fret 3rd string in there. This is a scale V.H. loves. But,
that note is key.. Otherwise it won't sound like V.H.. Adding in a
flat 5 in a scale is something that really creates the V.H. sound on
speed picking. In this case the key of E he does a Bb in the scale
which is the flat 5.
E__12_________________________________________
B______15^1~____12_14_12_15_12_14_12_____12___
G____________________________________15______
D____________________________________________
A____________________________________________
E____________________________________________
E_____________________________________
B__12_14_12_15_12_14_12_____12________
G_______________________15__________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E___________________________________
The ending to this speed picking thing, is this little riff. Kind of a broken
hammer on feel. If you've never heard this before that's ok. You can
use this scale to give you ideas for you own solos in the key of E.
E_________________________________________________________
B________________________________________________________
G__11_14-12-11____11-12-11__14_11__12______________________
D_________________________________________7a.h ~_7a.h ~_____
A_______________________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________
Only pick the note in bold.
E_______________________________________________________
B__20^1w.b_--17--20w.b_20^1w.b__>bring down slow__17_20__17~_____
G_________________________________________________
D_________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________
No delay on this tap harmonic sequence but, you are alternating with bent
notes and released bends to create a back and forth effect we did earlier.
See audio lesson for help with all these tricks.
E_____________________________________________________________
B_____________________________________________________________
G__7^1_h(10)>>release bend>>>__7_h(14^^)_7^1_h(12)>release bend>>_7_h(14^^)__
D____________________________________________________________
A____________________________________________________________
E____________________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________________
B__________________________________________________________
G__7^1_h(12)>release bend>>_7_h(14^^)_7^1_h(12)>release bend>>_7_h(14^^)__
D__________________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________________
E_____________________________________
B___________________________________
G__7^1_h(19)>release bend slowly and vibrato_______
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E___________________________________
Big stretch hammer ons and pull offs here.
E__7-10-12____________________________
B___________________________________
G_________________________________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
This section is all with the whammy and pull offs.
E__12-10-7_>release_20__20^1_20^2~_____
G_________________________________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
Similar to the earlier section where we bent the note up and
released the bend slowly while picking.
E____________________________________________________
B__12^2.5_>>>>slowly pick releasing the bend pick 11 times release bend slowly______
G___________________________________________________
D___________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________
Cool little scale down here. Its hard to hear on the video but this
is what I heard and it seemed to work fairly well when I played along.
E_____________________________________________________
B__10__12-10_____10____________________________________
G____________13_____13_10__12-10_____10________________
D________________________________12_____12_10__7~_____
A_____________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/v/van_halen/stompin_8h_tab.html ]
E_______12////_14////_15////_17////_19__22^1_____
B__15^1_________________________________
G_______________________________________
D_______________________________________
A_______________________________________
E_______________________________________
E__22^1_________________________________
B_______17_21_17__19^1>release_19__17^1_____
G_______________________________________
D_______________________________________
A_______________________________________
E_______________________________________
Rhythm section riff #1. V.H. joins in.
This rhythm section is transcribed for a flat tuning. If you have a copy of this
video and want to match Ed move this down 1/2 step. If you are in a flat tuning
leave it where it is. And you'll match him perfectly.
E_____________________________________
B__4^1/4______6______4__________________
G__4^1/4______6______4__________________
D________6______6______6_4_6_4_________
A______________________________________
E______________________________________
E___________________________________________
B__4^1/4______6________ 7__7__7_______________
G__4^1/4______6________ 6__6__6_______________
D________6______6_____4__4__4_______________
A_____________________4__4__4_>slowly release bend__20_20^1_~___________
G________________________________________________
D________________________________________________
A________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________
Only pick the notes in bold. The others are sounded by the bend itself.
Really whine that last note, bend the hell out of it.
E__________________________________
B__22_20__22^1_22_22^1.5_22_22^2_~_>release slightly_________________
G_________________________________
D__________________________________
A__________________________________
E__________________________________
Cool little tap sequence here. Gliss at the end and pull off to that last note.
E__(18)-11-14_(16)-11-14_(18)-11-14_(16)-11-14__(18)---gliss----14~____
B___________________________________________________________
G___________________________________________________________
D___________________________________________________________
A___________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________
///// mean to trem or speed pick the notes indicated.
E______________10//_12////_14////_16////_17////_19////__20^1__
B__11-14_14^1/4_____________________________________
G_________________________________________________
D_________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________
E__________________________________
B__20_22^1_19_20_20^1__19^1_~______
G_________________________________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
Rhythm break #2 Couple of cool V.H. fills here.
E_____________________________________
B__4_____6________4__________________
G__4_____6________4__________________
D_____6_____6__4_____6_4_6_4_________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
E_______________________________________
B__4_____6_____________ ___12h_w.b 2 hits____
G__4_____6____________12h_______________
D_____6_____6____12h____________________
A_______________________________________
E_______________________________________
For this trick. Dive bomb the open 3rd string. Then as you bring
the bar back up hover your finger over the fret to sound a harmonic
and bring that up with the string.
E___________________________________________________________________
B__4_____6________4_________________________________________________
G__4_____6________4_____________0>>>dive_5h w.b_____5^1a.h scream>>whammy it._
D_____6_____6__4_____5----12---9_______________________________________
A___________________________________________________________________
E___________________________________________________________________
I did not tab out this whole 2nd rhythm section just these couple cool parts.
From here go back and jam the 1st rhythm section from earlier with the
chord hits. V.H. throws in a few screams off the 4th fret 3rd string bent up
one step and add in some whammy bar to it.
Ending leads. Outro. Band stops, its just Ed.
E__________________________________
B__________________________________
G__6^1_(13)-6^1>>>slowly release bend.________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
This ending section is tapping from hell. Its great stuff.
I will help you with this on the audio lesson.
E__(19)-16_(19)-16-14-12__(19)-16_(19)-16-14-12___
B__________________________________________
G__________________________________________
D__________________________________________
A__________________________________________
E__________________________________________
E_____________________________________
B__(19)-16_(19)-16-14-12_________________
G_______________________(19)-13~_______
D_____________________________________
A_____________________________________
E_____________________________________
E____________(21)-16-19____________(21)-16-19____________(21)---gliss_-19__
B__(21)-16-19____________(21)-16-19____________(21)-16-19____________----__
G_________________________________________________________________
D_________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________
E________17////_18////_19////_20////_21//__22^1>>release bend slowly_
B__19^1___________________________________________
G________________________________________________
D________________________________________________
A________________________________________________
E________________________________________________
Nice an easy with these. In a half time feel.
E__________________________________________________
B__4____6____9___10___11_____19^1>>release bend quickly_19__
G__6^1__8^1__11^1_12^1_13^1_________________________
D_________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________
Crazy little capo with the right hand trick here. Something Ed took from
the Steve Vai school of crazy guitar endings.
You're going to make a capo with your right hand by barring it across all
the strings on the fret indicated. Then do the pull offs and hammer ons.
Your right hand will act like a capo and allow open strings to be where the
bar is instead of open. This opens up some weird pull offs and huge
scale downs.
The right hand capo notes are the notes in parenthesis on the 12th fret.
E__(12)____________19-16-12_____________________________________
B__(12)___19-16-12___________19-16-12_19-16-12_19-16-12_19-16-12____
G__(12)________________________________________________________
D__(12)________________________________________________________
A_____________________________________________________________
E_____________________________________________________________
E__(12)_______________________________________________
B__(12)____________________________19-16-12____________
G__(12)___19-16-12_19-16-12_19-16-12__________19-16-12____
D__(12)________________________________________________
A_____________________________________________________
E_____________________________________________________
E___________________________________
B___________________________________
G__19^1__16__19^1___________________
D__________________________________
A___________________________________
E____________________________________
Final ending is just this harmonic whammied and drawn out. Classic V.H.
Live ending type thing.
E________________________________________________________________
B________________________________________________________________
G__5h __with whammy bring this harmonic down and back up a couple times__
D_________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________
