The Van Halen Riff You NEED To Know

[@CameronCooper]

CORRECTION: At the start of the riff slide to 9 on the G and pull off to the 4th fret. Big stretch! When you hear the same B note as the riff progresses, he plays the 9th fret on the D string.

[@HONORYOUROATH]

Cameron is such a hugely talented guitarist and musician but he has the most endearing and humble spirit. A true class act.

[@My.Guitar.Journey]

Love the balance album its one of his best sounds

[@petersullivan1367]

Your playing on this is so smooth and flawless

[@onemancarnage]

That riff always makes my day , I rewind it at least a dozen times .

[@TheMusicalMagician]

You know what I kinda find stupid? That the actually talented people on KZbin and TikTok are not getting that much recognition, while the stupid things are popular as hell.

[@Jay-sy5yf]

It's the audience.

[@Thepoweroftheriffcompelsme]

If he had bewbs and could play like this he’d be ruling the world by now 🤦‍♂️🤣

[@terrestrialexperiment3646]

Agreed. That's the world we live in.

[@MrShelby7000]

It’s just another example of our society rotting away

[@quantumfoam140]

You must be new here.

[@HONORYOUROATH]

Amsterdam and Baluchitherium are two of Ed’s best riffs. Ed really had that special sauce.

[@jonn8163]

That is definitely one of the most amazing riffs and his live versions have been unreal

[@miketuliomusic]

This is great! Would love to see some more tunes from Balance!! I agree that it’s some of Eddie’s best.

[@CameronCooper]

Got plenty of those!

[@brendaborgosano8422]

And love the focus on the nuances and feel

[@thedangerussone]

Great job as always! Thanks for taking the time to make this video. It’s really appreciated and an incredible song on guitar. I love Sammy, but the lyrics in the chorus left a lot to be desired for me.

[@CameronCooper]

My pleasure!

[@2thdoctom]

Favorite VH album is BALANCE?? Nothing wrong with that, it’s definitely a great one-atypical favorite. Great lesson, man. That rare footage of Edward working on this riff on KZbin made me revisit the album. How about “Big River”?

[@LiveLaughJordan-oi6tg]

Cam thank you so much. I love your EVH videos!

[@bweeks8869]

Thanks for posting Cameron. It's a great riff!!

[@toddydoyle]

Thanks again my main man!! I'd like you to show us how to do the solo from Judgement Day, particularly the two hand tapping technique.

[@gavterrygt]

I feel that Balance doesn’t get the love it deserves and I’m glad it’s your favourite too! I saw VH at Wembley in their last uk appearance (supporting Bon Jovi) and that tone 😍

[@mojomann67]

Great lesson Cam. Eddie's playing is what got me to start playing and continues to this day to be my biggest inspiration. Love guys like you keeping the flame alive! BTW remodeling the room? miss the signs on the wall :)

[@brendaborgosano8422]

Yeah Cameron love this ! Thanks so much for the precisely accurate instruction.

[@CameronCooper]

What other Van Halen riffs should I teach?

[@danlightfoot6592]

As Is

[@Mari-ky4jo]

Beautiful girls!!!

[@psofoss]

Girl gone bad

[@canyoncarver]

Baluchiterium of course, or Fire In The Hole, the criminally underexposed song from the problematic VH3 album...

[@odgeUK]

Definitely Dirty Movies.

[@heatwithoutlight]

Please do the rest of the tune, in the same detail. This was great!

[@MKRISING75]

Aw hell yes this is shit man thank you so much for breaking this down for idiots like me and yes exactly where the lesson stopped I would love for you to teach the heavy chorus riff because that part is so good!! I love this song since the day I purchased the CD on my lunch break the day the Balance album was released Amsterdam the seventh seal and Feeling are my favorites. The solo on this track is to die for man! I saw VH on the opening night of this tour in Pensacola FL boy was it badass! Thanks again for your generosity it does not go unnoticed🤟🏻and I for damn sure hit like every time I watch your videos! Hope you are well you are one badass guitar player🤟🏻

[@gokhanersan8561]

Eddie’s PhD thesis on guitar : Amsterdam. Well done.

[@dad_halen_5150]

Hear about it later ! Awsome video Cam as always 🤟🏻

[@koenmartin8624]

I’ve always wanted to learn this riff! Thank you so much Cam!! Keep it up :)

[@Stewart.fryers]

I love this and it’s a great one to play. The solo is mad

[@emcg.9655]

I really fancy trying one of these evh guitars, ive noticed they all seem to have a really nice quarter sawn neck.

[@obiem9319]

Beautiful 🎉❤

[@jalalfaruque9527]

This is amazing CC 🎸

[@joepipe1010]

Love this tone !

[@deano572]

been working on this since the video was released... I'm closing in on it finally

[@ChrisG1967]

Brilliant lesson 👏

[@Wyatt-x2z]

That would be cool if you could do all of Amsterdam and maybe in the future hot summer nights would be awsome

[@toddkoenig426]

Maybe you already did House of Pain? Great tone as usual, thank you forvall the great videos you post! Rock on! 🤘🏻👍🏻🎸🔥

[@bdubz5150]

Bad ass riff, bravo! One of my favorite. Sounds best using Air Norton, and a Tone zone pickup set.

[@CameronCooper]

Cheers!! I think it sounds good if it can be played, doesn't always matter what the pickups are.

[@pauljams6565]

Eddie the Almighty ‼️🎶😉✨👍. . .

[@6thmichcav262]

1). How about the unpublished “I want some action” from 5150? 2). I really appreciate your instruction videos on “learn what you like,” not just scales and theory. After I get a little more Jake E. Lee down from your last vid, I’m putting this on my “to-learn” list!

[@danlightfoot6592]

Epic❤

[@MAX96MENDES]

Dude, you sold all your guitars and room posters ? Thanks for your great tutorial !

[@david_farmer]

Hey Cameron love your video as usual! I don't know how other viewers feel about this, but for me it's always tougher to transpose visually without tabs. I tried doing a screen capture of one of your other videos like this, and then rotating it 180 so visually it looks much more like when I look down at my own fretboard. For me, that was a lot easier to use and learn. If you're keen to, maybe give it a try in an upcoming video on the sections where you're zoomed into the actual lesson. I'd be curious if it's easier for other viewers, or if it's just me.

[@CameronCooper]

I find I can't win these days. I don't tend to put tabs up because I don't have the programs to make it, I can't read it anyway and prefer to do breakdowns of what I'm teaching. By taking that approach I can include the things that tab can't detect which is feel and nuance. I've thought about doing the 180° screen flip but fear it would be more of a distraction for people rather than a benefit. Might give it a shot in a future vid. I've done lots of lessons where I've zoomed right into the fretboard where it is virtually full screen then people complain because they can't see my picking hand.

[@david_farmer]

@@CameronCooper Yeah it's tough for sure. Sorry not trying to be a troll! It was just a thought. I find the 180 flip easier to follow, but one size certainly doesn't fit all! FWIW I don't mind the not tabs thing. That's got to be a hassle to do and I'd rather you post more without tabs than less because the tabs take too much time! Keep it up and thanks for sharing these great tips. I never get too much VH!

[@6thmichcav262]

Anything shown at the speed Cam does on KZbin is 1000 times easier than, for example: trying to pick it out yourself by ear with no guitar instruction; trying to watch a blurry VCR video on slow motion-mo of a performance filmed in 1988 from the upper deck in Mars; or buying some fopped-up tab book with all of the notes transposed wrong. These videos are great!

[@thedr.zeroultrazone984]

But the best riff in the song is the chorus roll an Amsterdam part! That one is right up there with Unchained. It's the timing of it, the way it flows rhythmically.

[@sebastionhawk5565]

NIce tutorial. Would you call that E dominant Phrygian?

[@CameronCooper]

No idea. I don't tend to think about that sort of thing. You're probably right

[@raycegriffith2760]

What guitar picks do you use

[@Cumil88]

Love it, hugely under rated song and album! There's a great video of Eddie playing and writing Amsterdam from 1985 just type in "(RARE FOOTAGE) Eddie Van halen Playing Amsterdam on a charvel in 1985 at 5150 studios" and you'll find it ; )

[@reneedegon1891]

How about Pleasure Dome?!?

[@patambrosch7385]

Outta love again

[@robertdyer8517]

THE WHOLE FREAKING THING PLAY IT ALLL!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CameronCooper]

Yeah I can do it. Just not going to waste everyone's time playing stuff I'm not teaching in this video.

[@4o5919]

Bro, you have got to tell me which guitar you prefer more; This or the ProMod?

[@CameronCooper]

I like both very much. The EVH stuff have dive only floyds and D tunas which is massively handy for me

[@brenobrendalia7838]

if you could walk through the solo...that´s would be amazing...

[@i5150v1]

Wham bam Amsterdam

[@bradgilligan2429]

My dad caught a guitar pick from eddie van halen and lost it. How do you feel about that? I was pissed when he told me that because I would have loved to use that pick with my guitar lol.

[@CameronCooper]

A cool memory no doubt but remember it's just a pick. I'd only be cross if I was the one who caught it and lost it.

[@bradgilligan2429]

@@CameronCoopertrue also drop c# is my favorite tuning. In progress learning this riff so thank you.

[@Bongobananjuice]

Have you heard the 1985 version. I like that better

[@CameronCooper]

Yeah, that video went everywhere when he died. Much more relaxed version of it. Before he got the riff to how he liked it I suspect

[@blZjNnY333]

One of my favorite albums as well. Thanks for sharing. Like and subscribe folks⭐️

[@owlperchedsilo3745]

why does that strat style guitar have a Gibson looking headstock ?

[@CameronCooper]

Look up the EVH 5150 guitar. It's inspired by the old Kramer Baretta which famously had the hockey stick headstock. As time's gone on and Kramer has since become a division of Gibson, EVH (a Fender brand) needed to make a headstock that was inspired by the old hockey stick design without breaking the laws and as a result it's ended up looking very similar to the Gibson explorer headstock.

[@owlperchedsilo3745]

@@CameronCooper , yeah i was going to say the Explorer headstock. ok then.

[@AskDrDanny]

Freakin' nasty!!!

[@My.Guitar.Journey]

Seventh seal

[@jakenogard9667]

Cameron needs to mime and pretend guitar playing like Ken Tamplin that's why he got a lot of followers🤘

[@CameronCooper]

Why would I mime it when I spent all the time to learn to do it? And also teach it... if I were doing a multi angle play through then I would mime over my efforts since I film with the one camera.

[@OrangeLight08]

man that guitar is really chuggy

[@Kinger1625]

Ironically I tried one at a guys house last Saturday, as we don’t get a lot of EVH products in my town…..but I like the look, and the pups….but it needed a set up. To think many of the hits during the second era were written before the original frontman left. Video in 85, of Ed playing this….sounds so good! Great riff!

[@gkniffen]

Too bad Sam put his lazy, stupid lyrics and a boring melody on Ed's masterpiece. 🤷‍♂️