MusaBefore “Eruption” melted faces and rewrote the rulebook on rock guitar, Eddie Van Halen was just another teenage shredder obsessed with tone, speed, and experimentation. But according to Eddie himself, it was one legendary Led Zeppelin song—and one simple, rebellious thought—that sparked his iconic tapping technique: “What if I use my finger?”
The song in question? “Heartbreaker.” Yep, that gnarly Jimmy Page solo with its blistering, off-the-cuff rawness planted a seed in young Eddie’s mind. Listening to Page break rules and stretch boundaries, Eddie had a lightbulb moment. He didn’t want to just copy the solo—he wanted to go beyond it. So, instead of just picking every note the old-school way, Eddie started using his right-hand index finger to tap notes on the fretboard. And just like that, a rock revolution was born.
It sounds simple now, but in the ’70s, this was practically guitar heresy. Two-handed tapping wasn’t mainstream—until Eddie made it unignorable. His innovation gave birth to the nuclear explosion known as “Eruption,” a solo that turned tapping into an art form and made millions of guitarists question if they were even holding the instrument correctly.
What’s wild is how one moment of inspiration—one rebellious “what if”—birthed a signature style that influenced generations. From Steve Vai to Slash to modern prog-metal virtuosos, the tapping torch has been passed, but it all traces back to one curious kid, a Led Zeppelin riff, and a defiant flick of the finger.
So the next time you hear “Eruption,” remember: behind the fireworks was a Led Zeppelin moment, a finger, and a fearless sense of play.
Musa
