Van Halen's "Jump"

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 22 Dec 2011 7:04 am

What is the time signature during Eddie's guitar solo? What the heck...?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 22 Dec 2011 9:58 am

It's all in 4/4, it's just that the accents are placed on different beats. Just tap your foot and count and you'll see, forget about the accents.

Listen to the keyboard part he plays in the background--it's a 2 bar phrase that repeats and the rhythm of it is:

(these are all eighth notes and the R is an eighth rest)
/ R an 2 R 3 an 4 R / R an 2 R 3 an 4 an /

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 22 Dec 2011 5:41 pm

I'll be darned... that's it. Thanks, Mike!

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 22 Dec 2011 5:52 pm

Imagine a Jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIOdvXE7kbI

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 22 Dec 2011 7:03 pm

Chris LeDrew wrote:Imagine a Jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIOdvXE7kbI

That's awesome, thanks for the reminder.

Chris LeDrew · Post by **Chris LeDrew** » 22 Dec 2011 7:29 pm

No sweat...I thought it would fit into the conversation about how accents can work in time signatures.

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 23 Dec 2011 6:59 pm

...I just think that it's awfully dadgummed funny that this topic even came up, here, on the SGF.
I've been wood-shedding on Eddie's solo over the last couple of weeks,...just for grins. It's a been blast, too.
On my new Pod X3, there is a '5160' preset. (...aka 5150)
It makes it easy to get 'into' the Eddie groove/mindset.

I might tab it out sometime, if anyone is interested.

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 23 Dec 2011 7:07 pm

Dale Hansen wrote:...I just think that it's awfully dadgummed funny that this topic even came up, here, on the SGF.
I've been wood-shedding on Eddie's solo over the last couple of weeks,...just for grins. It's a been blast, too.
On my new Pod X3, there is a '5160' preset. (...aka 5150)
It makes it easy to get 'into' the Eddie groove/mindset.

I might tab it out sometime, if anyone is interested.

I have to admit, I really don't like Eddie's solo on that tune very much. To me, it sounds like 5 different solos spliced together and doesn't make any sense. But what do I know? Eddie could do no wrong back in the day.

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 23 Dec 2011 8:12 pm

FWIW,....I've always liked Eddie's wild, carefree, approach to this piece....Along with his boyish, mischievous grin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX7dSsZDPUs

Granted,..this would never be anything that I would play 'live' on stage, anywhere that I could imagine.
Besides the pure entertainment of it, the value of 'aping' Eddie, is in the tonal choices, voicings, scales, feel, and the timing.
Here's a good tute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3D6Uzlp ... re=related

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 24 Dec 2011 7:37 am

Dale Hansen wrote:...I just think that it's awfully dadgummed funny that this topic even came up, here, on the SGF.

That's one of the wonderful things about this Forum.

I once asked Buddy Emmons (via the "Ask Buddy" section of buddyemmons.com) if he had ever thought about doing Eddie's "Eruption." He politely replied he'd never heard of it.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 24 Dec 2011 12:57 pm

David Lee Roth, not much of a singer, but a fabulous front man.

Daniel Morris · Post by **Daniel Morris** » 24 Dec 2011 1:39 pm

Huh, couldn't see Eddie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olk8rZmlhY4

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 24 Dec 2011 8:35 pm

I remember seeing my friend Dave Easley playing this solo on the C6 neck of his P/P Emmons through a Mesa Boogie amp not too long after it came out. I get a smile on my face everytime I think of it.

Bo Borland · Post by **Bo Borland** » 26 Dec 2011 8:54 am

What a great band on that version Rob Ickes, John Jorgensen and more..

David Easley · Post by **David Easley** » 27 Dec 2011 7:26 am

I remember that cover band back in the 80's that Bob Watson mentioned. They were all a great bunch of guys but that keyboard player psychologically manipulated me into playing that solo. Nothing against Eddie VH. I respect anyone with a distinctive style but I wasn't any kind of a metal head. In that band there was a guitar player who handled all the 50's stuff, Johnny B Goode and all that and I played the sixties and seventies parts on steel, Clapton, Jeff Beck etc. In one rehearsal the keyboard man played the keyboard solo from Jump and looked around the room with a sly grin and said, "Well, I've got my part. It's too bad we don't have anyone with the ability to play the guitar solo."

I drove home from that rehearsal saying to myself, "I'm not going to be manipulated like that." But he'd already gotten my goat. The next gig I played that solo and he looked at me with a triumphant smile just like I was a puppet and he was pulling the strings. I seem to remember a series of minor nine and suspender arpeggios and I remember feeling glad I had already been familiar with Speedy West and Joe Henderson.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 27 Dec 2011 8:04 am

Great story, Dave.

Is Joe Henderson a six-stringer?

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 27 Dec 2011 8:38 am

Frank Freniere wrote:Great story, Dave.

Is Joe Henderson a six-stringer?

Joe Henderson is one of the greatest tenor sax players in Jazz history.

Frank Freniere · Post by **Frank Freniere** » 27 Dec 2011 4:29 pm

AJ Azure · Post by **AJ Azure** » 5 Jan 2012 10:41 pm

Daniel Morris wrote:Huh, couldn't see Eddie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olk8rZmlhY4

I saw it when it aired originally but, it just struck me, Roth looked like a 70s era game show host lmao creepy. he needed the polyester suit and a longer mic

Scott Thomas · Post by **Scott Thomas** » 6 Jan 2012 10:52 am

deleted

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 4 Feb 2012 3:19 pm

....Here's a 'caveman' version of the tab that I (sorta) promised earlier.

I recently bought a very decent video camera, and already had the demo segments shot. The trouble is,..that the video software that I bought along with it is a bit too much for my computer... I'll have that fixed shortly. The demo vid's will be posted on my BDG FB page, soon.(...Hopefully) > BDG Facebook
I'll post again, here, when I have it uploaded to You-Tube.

A few quick clarifications:
Section 2 - I use my LKL here, instead,..which raises the 1st string a full tone.
Section 4 - This is the infamous 'tapping' part of Eddie's solo. To replicate that hollow, metallic sound, it helps if you move your right hand nearer to the bar hand, in order to hit a few inadvertent palm harmonics. When I play this section, my right thumb is actually brushing my left (bar) thumb, but everybody's hands are created a bit differently. Also, the 15B isn't exactly accurate. I just use that here, to illustrate that I'm beginning to sweep down to the 8th fret. It should be thought of as one continuous phrase.
Section 5 - From the 4th fret slide up to 6th, on the 10th string, really dig the thumb in, and go for that 'growl' that Eddie gets. The 'zip', is just a reminder to follow up high, before the next phrase.
Section 6 - The notes on the 4th and 16th frets are part of a continuous line, and not broken.
Sections 7,8 - Is another continuous phrase. It really goes by quickly, so while learning this part, it helps to place 'markers' at the 9th, 14, and 18th frets, to avoid any UN-necessary thought.
(...I use .45 caliber bullets in front of the E9th neck, in line with the frets to 'mark' them. Muscle memory, along with sight memory will eventually allow you to remove them.

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 4 Feb 2012 4:32 pm

...This is the video that I used, (and ripped the audio from) to get oriented with the notes, punches, and phrasing.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3D6Uzlp6DM&feature=related

There are plenty of tutes, and versions out there on you-Tube. My take is sort of a hybrid of the better ones. You'll notice that on this video, the notes on the harmonic * section aren't the same as what Eddie played. (*9B-*9-*9B-*9,...is more in line w/ the original.)
It also helps to listen to Eddie's original video/recording, to get closer to the genuine feel.

To 'rip' audio from a You-Tube vid, go here > http://www.listentoyoutube.com/
From there, you can burn a CD, or...whatever.
Best of luck,..And, again,..I'll try to get my vid up ASAP.
In the meantime, feel free to drop me a line or call,...That is, if you really want to learn this thing, and that you want my help.
(My ph# is displayed on my BDG FB page.) > Here

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 5 Feb 2012 3:35 pm

I couldn't escape this thread without posting this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad7IXj4CKOw

When you've mastered your Van Halen licks, you can move onto his successor, Steve Vai. Enough to make you crave that "Cold Cold Heart" tab again...

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 12 Feb 2012 4:00 pm

Sorry,...Better late than never.
As of today, (2/12) the "Jump", demo video is posted on You-Tube, and also on my Bessdang Gizmos FaceBook page.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Goodnooz4U# ... 8FRgN_Iu2A

Thanks,

DH

Dale Hansen · Post by **Dale Hansen** » 18 Feb 2012 8:58 am

Scott Thomas wrote:Has this badly out of tune performance of Jump ever been posted here before?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjx_GjyXCs4

Scott,
What, exactly,.. was the point of posting that? Are you trying to hint that Van Halen sucks?...That Eddie sucks?
Have you, yourself, never had an embarrassing moment...or, even a single time that things hadn't gone as smoothly as planned?
This was obviously a technical foul. Either the guitar tech, or sound crew messed this up, and weren't on the same page.

The stench of 'schadenfreude' here on the SGF is absolutely overwhelming at times.