talkin’ ’bout riffs
Learn three classic Van Halen riffs with TG’S video lessons
Runnin’ With The Devil
Despite the relaxed feel, Eddie marks out the rhythm here with absolute precision, largely achieved by quick pick-hand mutes. After each chord, Eddie gently bounces the side of his pick hand against the strings, momentarily muting the strings and creating a brief pause. The result is a cruising, mid‑tempo riff that intros one of the band’s best loved songs.
Listen out for the ‘scratched’ pick strokes that lead into each four-chord phrase – these dampened notes set up the groove of the ensuing changes and are a key part of the riff. The D to G chord change is played as a hammeron, so play a firm barre with your first finger at the 7th fret and be ready with your second and third fingers at the 8th and 9th frets.
Panama
This riff has an eighth-note feel and features chord stabs on both downbeats and offbeats. This makes the rhythm quite tricky, so use the pedal tone notes (the lowest note of each chord) to form landmarks within each phrase. If you get the pedal tones in the right place, the chord stabs should land at the right time.
To get the right feel, palm mute the fifthstring notes and leaving the chords to ring out cleanly. It’s important that each sustained chord lasts for its correct duration – so you’ll need to use fret-hand muting to bring each chord to a stop. To do this, simply, relax the pressure from your fretting fingers, while staying connected with the strings. This should bring each chord to a silence.
5150
Eddie’s intro features palm-muted eighth notes throughout most of the sequence. Place the side of your picking hand on the strings where they meet the saddle and be prepared to adjust your position depending on which strings you’re muting. There are several arpeggios and melodies in the riff so practise each phrase slowly to ensure the string changes become familiar a nd the synchronisation between fret hand and pick hand stays accurate throughout.
Strike the strings from the tip of your pick. This’ll help you to avoid picking too hard, and to maintain the steady thrum of the downstrokes. The arpeggios also need a light touch.