That moment when you heard Eddie blaze through Eruption, Panama, Unchained, Beat It or any other face-melting Van Halen tune.

Hearing him fire through his trademark runs, tap out those wild flurries of arpeggios and coax so much expression from the instrument did two things to you:

1. It blew your mind.
2. It showed you that it was possible.

Eddie Van Halen’s playing has always had a mythological, untouchable feel to it. His solos and riffs all have a distinct flavour, and there never any chance of confusing him with another guitarist. It was always full of joy and expression no other player could come close to matching. Not only was his note choice, technique & feel impeccable, but his tone was clearly from a different planet. Almost like the perfect Racer had designed the perfect Race Car. There was a synergy between man and machine that no guitarist had ever achieved, and an ease of communication between them that made Edward’s guitar sound like it was a part of him.

So like most budding shredders, you probably did what we all did, and picked up your guitar, in a feeble attempt to learn to the play EVH’s blistering lead lines & swinging riffs. The inevitable result?

Disappointment.

The sound you’d hear coming from your amp was harsh & brittle, it wasn’t even in the same universe as Ed’s one-of a-kind sweet, squishy Brown Sound.

You’d try the lick, but yours sounded full of effort, as your pick tripped over the strings in a clunky jig, and your fretting hand tried to make sense of the notes it was supposed to stretch to, while his flowed with the ease & confidence.

No matter how persistent you were, whether it was weeks, months, years or even decades, eventually you’d run out of steam, and give up on the dream, because you knew that whatever Edward Van Halen was doing to achieve those breathtaking sounds, you just didn’t have it. It was like Ed always knew something we didn’t. Maybe that’s why he was always smiling?

Every time you’d hear a Van Halen classic come on the radio, you’d get that brief spark of hope, that it can be done. But then you’d remind yourself that that road is a dead-end, and that there’s no point putting yourself through that heartache yet again.

...because learning from dropping the needle is tedious, difficult, and 1000% slower than learning with modern transcribing approaches.  

Over the last 5 years, I’ve been on a mission to break down and recreate what Eddie was doing to create those beautiful sounds.

Because, just like you right now, I was desperate to learn to Shred Like Ed. I wanted to blaze around the fretboard and extract those juicy tones he managed, as authentically as possible.

But unlike every guitarist in 1982 who failed to sound like Eddie, I had every secret weapon I needed at my disposal. I had access to isolated recordings of Ed’s guitar parts. I had access to technology which allowed me to slow music, and loop it, until I understood exactly how he’s playing. I had the prior knowledge of the guitar and music theory to analyse Eddie’s solos and visualise what he was actually doing. I had the free time and energy to go on a deep dive discovering Ed’s pedals, amp settings and “tricks” that he’d use to sculpt the perfect tone.

While EVH was a god, most of the things he did, where in-fact very human, and entirely reproducible.

If you learn the philosophies, concepts and shapes behind his musical phrasing, then suddenly it all begins to make sense. And when you have an accurate tone to play through, suddenly executing those ideas correctly becomes downright achievable.

That feeling when you first nail Hot For Teacher, Dreams, You Really Got Me or Poundcake, it’s like the planets aligning, or the heavens opening. You look down and realise that you now have the same spaceship, and you can now do the same tricks.

Where there was mystery and myth, you now see logical and attainable goals. It’s a truly incredible feeling, and I want you to experience it.

That’s why I created Shred Like Ed. I decided to take the ENORMOUS amounts of information on both Ed’s playing and tone, and use my knowledge of 17 years of guitar teaching to bottle it up for you, in a logical and approachable manner. I’ll be your tour guide, as we embark on a journey of tone, technique & discovery.

So grab your axe, and lets get started!

2 Handed Tapping:

• Single String Arpeggios
• Percussive Patterns 
• Tapped Harmonics 
• Tapped Harmonic Chords
• 4 Finger Tapped Arpeggios
• Tapped Riffs
• Pentatonic Tapping Runs
• Symmetrical Tapping Runs

Pentatonics:

• Stretch Licks
• Blues Licks on Steroids
• Circular Blues Licks 
• Pull Off Speed Licks 
• "Snarling Dog" Licks 
• "Freebird" Style Rapid Fire Licks
• Chuck Berry style licks

Runs:

• 6 Note Patterns
• Symmetrical Scales 
• Efficient Picking Strategies

Harmonics:

• Applying Natural Harmonics
• Pinch Harmonics
• Tapped Harmonics
• Manipulating Harmonics with the Whammy Bar

Tone & Amp Setup:

• How to Achieve the Brown Sound
• The Secret to Ed’s Wet/Dry/Wet Setup
• Understanding Pedals & the Signal Chain
• Free Helix & Amplitube Presets Included

Guitar Setup:

• Setting Up Your Instrument
• Unique Tunings
• Using Volume Pot for Swells & Clean Tones
• Cathedral Technique

Picking Approach:

• Ed’s unique Swing Feel
• Middle Finger Picking Grip
• Pinch Harmonics
• Unique Palm Muting Approach
• Finger Picking
• Effortless Tremolo ‘Fan Picking’

Left Hand Approach:

• Ed’s Finger Choice Philosophy
• How to Stretch When Needed
• Hammer-On from Nowhere
• Legato Phrases

Riff Styles:

• 2 Guitar Parts at Once
  Open String Pedals
• Piano Style Triads
• 3rd & 6ths

Whammy Bar:

• Integrating Into Existing Licks
• Divebombs
• Horsies
• Melodic Phrases
• Combining with Legato

Downloads:

• Entire Video Course (Includes 20 hours of Lessons, Drills and Improvs, as well as 40+ Etudes)
• PDF Companion Booklet for All Lessons
• Guitar Pro Files for All Lessons
• MP3s for Drills & Improv Backing Tracks
• Helix & Amplitube Presets