“That was the coolest thing about Eddie for me. That’s why nobody could ever touch him”: Slash explains why Eddie Van Halen was really a blues player at heart

Slash and Eddie Van Halen playing guitar live on stage.

During his lifetime, Eddie Van Halen pioneered some of the most innovative approaches to the electric guitar with some boundary-bending techniques.

From taking two-hand tapping to unprecedented heights, to harmonics and dive bombs, Van Halen’s expansive playing style is often heralded for its adventurous fretboard acrobatics.