Neil Young vs Eddie Van Halen

StuffnJunk

Who do you prefer and why?

Who is "better"?

I think your answer says a lot about you as a guitarist/musician, and probably as a person as well.

ps - i haven't been on here in a while, and i guess i'm just bursting with ideas for stupid threads

seanw1010

neil young by 1000000000000000000000000000000000000
i cant stand any of van halen

Kilgore_Trout

sadly these are the kinds of comparisons some people make around here completely seriously...

that being said... neil... by far... he could shred like eddie if he wanted to... he just doesnt

who's_pearljam?

I think 100% the winner is:

Them!


We're posting on a message board. Whaddya think they're doing right now!
They are both amazing guitarists. To me it's the emotion and impact that the music makes, not the skills or speed out of any instrument.
The guitar sound that hits me right in the heart and brain is at a Neil Young show when he pulls into his first solo and he gets that piercing vibrato going. It just doesn't get any more emotional than that to me. That's the sound that makes the hairs stand up on my arms and neck at a show.

Anon

StuffnJunk wrote:

Who do you prefer and why?

Who is "better"?

I think your answer says a lot about you as a guitarist/musician, and probably as a person as well.

ps - i haven't been on here in a while, and i guess i'm just bursting with ideas for stupid threads

You can't compare them, it's like comparing apples and oranges.
I read this article a couple of years ago and thought how dead on he was.
Neil Young - Talking about People Who go to school to learn guitar...

It would give you a rather sad view of your future, wouldn't it? First off, nobody cares if you know how to play scales. Nobody gives a shit if you have good technique or not. It's whether you have feelings that you want to express with music, that's what counts, really. When you are able to express yourself and feel good, then you know why you're playing. The technical aspect is absolute hogwash as far as I'm concerned. It bores me to tears. I can't play fast. I don't even know my scales. I know that most of the notes I play aren't where I play them. They're simply not there. So you can play any note you like. I think about it on another level, I don't care about that sort of shit. On the other hand, I appreciate really great guitarists, and I'm very impressed by those metal groups with their scale guitarists. When I see that, I go «Holy shit, that's really something». Satriani and Eddie Van Halen are guitar geniuses. They are incredible musicians, at an amazing level. But it does'nt really grab me. One note will do.
http://www.thrasherswheat.org/ptma/Frenchguitar492.htm

Edit to add. I am not advocating that people should not learn their scales , I posted this article to show the huge difference between how Neil plays, and what's important to him. Complete contrast to EVH.

FinsburyParkCarrots

We're really talking heart vs head here, and, like you all, as a guitarist I have a heart, and ... er ... I like a bit of head now and again. And rawwwwwk will certainly get you that.

ianvomsaal

I really love CSN&Y, but I've never been all that into Neil Young as a solo artist (I actually think Stephen Stills might be a better guitarist).
Young's individual music has just never really appealed to me - I'm like ehhh. Therefore if pressed I guess I'd say I prefer Eddie Van Halen
(though I'm not a huge fan - far from it actually). They have completely different styles. They are completely different types of players.
So STUFFNJUNK . . . what does this say about me as a guitarist, musician, and person???

- Ian

BTW, Van Halen has always said that he plays by feeling, & never counts, which is why he needs cues for everything. He actually said he
looked to his son for all the cues on their last tour because he "can't count" (I'm not defending this because I think this completely sucks).
I think a really good musician has it all, feeling and technical ability all rolled into one - look at players like Steve Morse or Allan Holdsworth.
Now I'm not a huge fan of either of these guys - I just think they are both really good technical players, and really good overall musicians.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Holdsworth? His improvisational ability is immense, and yes, it suggests a great artistic sensibility transcending his enormous technical facility. But that MIDI stuff? Jeeze, he's also responsible for the worst lift muzak in fusion history.

Novawind

While I love me some "Jump" and "Dance the Night Away", I gotta give this one to Uncle Neil. Van Halen can write pop songs (and they are pop) but Neil Young does exactly what he said in Pj_gurl's quote- songwriting is about feeling. Scales are about finger exercises and practice. I think that's kind of why Neil Young songs are so easy and fun to play- any dope with a guitar (myself included) can figure out a Neil Young song and have fun with it.

Smellyman2

ianvomsaal wrote:

I really love CSN&Y, but I've never been all that into Neil Young as a solo artist (I actually think Stephen Stills might be a better guitarist).

Yikes. I am sure Stills would tell you otherwise.


Other than that two different kind of guitarists. Probably Eddie is "better", but it should be a Van Halen vs. Steven Vai or something

Django

FinsburyParkCarrots wrote:

Holdsworth? His improvisational ability is immense, and yes, it suggests a great artistic sensibility transcending his enormous technical facility. But that MIDI stuff? Jeeze, he's also responsible for the worst lift muzak in fusion history.

Holdsworth is from another planet as guitarist go.

FinsburyParkCarrots

Smellyman wrote:

Yikes. I am sure Stills would tell you otherwise.


Other than that two different kind of guitarists. Probably Eddie is "better", but it should be a Van Halen vs. Steven Vai or something

Don't spread it around, but I always thought Sammy Hagar played the most enjoyable solos in Van Halen.

kenny olav

I appreciate Neil Young's guitar playing so much more, but there's still a 16 year old kid inside me that gets hot for teacher now and then.

DOSW

Neil Young definitely. EVH plays solos so people can hear it and say, "wow, that Eddie Van Halen sure is great." Neil plays solos so people can hear it and say, "wow, that was a great song."

ballgame

worst thread ever

Apples to oranges

billyruff

Love them both, they both give me different experiances ...
I like to play songs by both ...But I sing heart of gold to put my kids to bed not eruption...

Dogman3

As a musician, you don't rate people as "better" than others. You just gain tremendous respect for each individual's style.

aNiMaL

ballgame wrote:

worst thread ever

Apples to oranges

Agreed.

ezyrydr

Neils art makes a much more direct connection with ME than Eddie's does. It's probably due to how I was raised, and what kind of person I am. It feels more "pure" and "earthy" as opposed to Eddie's which is more like frosting on a spaceship which some people are totally down with.

exhausted

hot for teacher vs. cortez the killer

hmmmm.

i much prefer neil young's body of work. i don't listen to van halen at all. as brilliant as the hot for teacher video is.

for whatever that says about me.

i don't like listening to solos with millions of notes generally. however impressive they may be.

i feel there is greater talent (or at least a greater gift) in creating music with emotional impact, depth, resonance....

ny wins for me.

Bibbs

OMG I cant even believe you have compared the 2.... what is this world coming too!

SomethingCreative

neil.

I prefer playing the really sweet, juicy notes...rather than just playing ALL of them

ianvomsaal

This is neither difficult nor a million notes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqsuet6lMzE&feature=related
Sure you can overplay the solo's & ad-lib parts, but the tune's basically 3-chords & a little attitude.

fanch75

George Lynch is better than both of those hacks. Seriously.

To the question at hand, I like Neil fine, but EVH is on another planet when it comes to shredding. Different types of music and hard to compare.

petrocs

seanw1010 wrote:

neil young by 1000000000000000000000000000000000000
i cant stand any of van halen

agreed