Intro

   Key of: E

Ok for those of you who don't know what this is.  Its an improv jam that V.H. did with the

Saturday night Live band back in 87.


V.H. is using a Digital delay, reverb, and a Harmonizer in this piece.  However, you will not

need the harmonizer.  If you set up the delay the way I suggest.  If you have a harmonizer

you can use it.  You want a doubling effect.  Either way its not a necessity.

NOTE ON TUNING:  Here is the deal with the tuning on this.  For those of you who have the video

Ed is tuned to a standard tuning.  My transcription for this was done with my guitar tuned flat.

In most cases you won't need to transpose any notes because its in the key of E and that's where

I transcribed it.  The main chord pattern is an E to an A.

My suggestion is rather than worry about the tunings and stuff like that, you use this as a lesson

on Ed's improv soloing.  Take away some of the tricks and riffs and use them in your own playing

or to add ideas to your soloing.  If you want to play along with the video great.  But, most of you

out there don't have this video.  So, think of this a great big lesson on Eddie V.H..

Delay trick opening:  With the volume knob all the way down.  Sound the harmonic indicated.

Then bring it down with the bar by reaching under your neck and using your left hand

to bring the bar down.  Then with your right hand slowly turn up the volume knob and

bring the bar up at the same time and rate of speed.  Slowly.  Once the volume knob is

up all the way, pull up on the bar a little.  Repeat the process for the next measure as well.

He does this two times in the opening to this jam.

Your delay setting is 2.5 to 3 moderate repeats at 350 to 400 milliseconds.  No more, no less.

My guitar is tuned flat on the audio lesson, V.H. is standard tuning on SNL.


Intro:

 Your delay setting is 2.5 to 3 moderate repeats at 350 to 400 milliseconds.  No more, no less.
My guitar is tuned flat on the audio lesson, V.H. is standard tuning on SNL.


E|-----------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------|
G|-5h<<<<>-4-h(11)<<-4^1-h(9)>>>-4-h(11)<<<--------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|

E|--------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------|
G|---4^1-h(16)>>>s| lowly release this bend---------------
D|--------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------|

Turn off the DEA Y at this point.

Now we get to some serious jammin'.

I'm going to transcribe the leads V.H. is doing.

Later there is a part where V.H. is jamming the main rhythm riff with

G.E. Smith and the band.  I will tab that when we get to it.  Its a mean

STOMPIN riff.  Remember this is flat of Ed if you're in a standard tuning.

Most of the notes will match up because I transcribed it in E but some

may be a half step off.

Delay off and here we go with V.H.'s leads.

E|----------------------------------------------------|
B|--17--20^1/2--17------20^1-20^1.5-20^2>>r| elease bend quickly---
G|----------------19---------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------|

This is a cool little speed picking section.   Its pretty classic V.H..

You need to do this very very fast and its important to get the note

on the 15th fret 3rd string in there.  This is a scale V.H. loves.  But,

that note is key..  Otherwise it won't sound like V.H..  Adding in a

flat 5 in a scale is something that really creates the V.H. sound on

speed picking.  In this case the key of E he does a Bb in the scale

which is the flat 5.

E|--12-----------------------------------------|
B|------15^1~----12-14-12-15-12-14-12-----12---|
G|------------------------------------15------|
D|--------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|
B|--12-14-12-15-12-14-12-----12--------|
G|-----------------------15----------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|

The ending to this speed picking thing, is this little riff.  Kind of a broken

hammer on feel.  If you've never heard this before that's ok.  You can

use this scale to give you ideas for you own solos in the key of E.

E|---------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------|
G|--11-14-12-11----11-12-11--14-11--12----------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------7a.h| ~-7a.h ~-----
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|

Only pick the note in bold.

E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--20^1w.b---17--20w.b-20^1w.b-->br| ing down slow--17-20--17~-----
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|

No delay on this tap harmonic sequence but, you are alternating with bent

notes and released bends to create a back and forth effect we did earlier.

See audio lesson for help with all these tricks.

E|-------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--7^1-h(10)>>r| elease bend>>>--7-h(14^^)-7^1-h(12)>release bend>>-7-h(14^^)--
D|------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------|
G|--7^1-h(12)>r| elease bend>>-7-h(14^^)-7^1-h(12)>release bend>>-7-h(14^^)--
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|--7^1-h(19)>r| elease bend slowly and vibrato-------
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|

Big stretch hammer ons and pull offs here.

E|--7-10-12----------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

This section is all with the whammy and pull offs.

E|--12-10-7->r| elease-20--20^1-20^2~-----
B|---------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------|

Similar to the earlier section where we bent the note up and

released the bend slowly while picking.

E|----------------------------------------------------|
B|--12^2.5->>>>s| lowly pick releasing the bend pick 11 times release bend slowly------
G|---------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------|

Cool little scale down here.  Its hard to hear on the video but this

is what I heard and it seemed to work fairly well when I played along.

E|-----------------------------------------------------|
B|--10--12-10-----10------------------------------------|
G|------------13-----13-10--12-10-----10----------------|
D|--------------------------------12-----12-10--7~-----|
A|-----------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------|

E|-------12////-14////-15////-17////-19--22^1-----|
B|--15^1---------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------|

E|--22^1---------------------------------|
B|-------17-21-17--19^1>r| elease-19--17^1-----
G|---------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------|

Rhythm section riff #1.  V.H. joins in.
This rhythm section is transcribed for a flat tuning.  If you have a copy of this
video and want to match Ed move this down 1/2 step.  If you are in a flat tuning
leave it where it is.  And you'll match him perfectly.

E|-------------------------------------|
B|--4^1/4------6------4------------------|
G|--4^1/4------6------4------------------|
D|--------6------6------6-4-6-4---------|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------------|
B|--4^1/4------6--------| 7--7--7---------------
G|--4^1/4------6--------| 6--6--6---------------
D|--------6------6-----4--4--4---------------|
A|---------------------4--4--4->s| lowly release bend--20-20^1-~-----------
E|------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|

Only pick the notes in bold.  The others are sounded by the bend itself.
Really whine that last note, bend the hell out of it.

E|----------------------------------|
B|--22-20--22^1-22-22^1.5-22-22^2-~->r| elease slightly-----------------
G|---------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|

Cool little tap sequence here.  Gliss at the end and pull off to that last note.

E|__(18)-11-14_(16)-11-14_(18)-11-14_(16)-11-14__(18)---| gliss----14~____
B|-----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------|

///// mean to trem or speed pick the notes indicated.

E|--------------10//-12////-14////-16////-17////-19////--20^1--|
B|--11-14-14^1/4-------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|

E|----------------------------------|
B|--20-22^1-19-20-20^1--19^1-~------|
G|---------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

Rhythm break #2  Couple of cool V.H. fills here.

E|-------------------------------------|
B|--4-----6--------4------------------|
G|--4-----6--------4------------------|
D|-----6-----6--4-----6-4-6-4---------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

E|---------------------------------------|
B|--4-----6-------------| ---12h-w.b 2 hits----
G|--4-----6------------12h---------------|
D|-----6-----6----12h--------------------|
A|---------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------|

For this trick.  Dive bomb the open 3rd string.  Then as you bring

the bar back up hover your finger over the fret to sound a harmonic

and bring that up with the string.

E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--4-----6--------4-------------------------------------------------|
G|--4-----6--------4-------------0>>>| dive-5h w.b-----5^1a.h scream>>whammy it.-
D|-----6-----6--4-----5----12---9---------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

I did not tab out this whole 2nd rhythm section just these couple cool parts.

From here go back and jam the 1st rhythm section from earlier with the

chord hits.   V.H. throws in a few screams off the 4th fret 3rd string bent up
one step and add in some whammy bar to it.

Ending leads.  Outro.  Band stops, its just Ed.

E|----------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------|
G|--6^1-(13)-6^1>>>s| lowly release bend.--------
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|

This ending section is tapping from hell.  Its great stuff.

I will help you with this on the audio lesson.

E|--(19)-16-(19)-16-14-12--(19)-16-(19)-16-14-12---|
B|------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------|

E|-------------------------------------|
B|--(19)-16-(19)-16-14-12-----------------|
G|-----------------------(19)-13~-------|
D|-------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------|

E|------------(21)-16-19------------(21)-16-19------------(21)---| gliss--19--
B|--(21)-16-19------------(21)-16-19------------(21)-16-19------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

E|--------17////-18////-19////-20////-21//--22^1>>r| elease bend slowly-
B|--19^1-------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------|

Nice an easy with these.  In a half time feel.

E|--------------------------------------------------|
B|--4----6----9---10---11-----19^1>>r| elease bend quickly-19--
G|--6^1--8^1--11^1-12^1-13^1-------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|

Crazy little capo with the right hand trick here.  Something Ed took from

the Steve Vai school of crazy guitar endings.

You're going to make a capo with your right hand by barring it across all

the strings on the fret indicated.  Then do the pull offs and hammer ons.

Your right hand will act like a capo and allow open strings to be where the

bar is instead of open.  This opens up some weird pull offs and huge

scale downs.

The right hand capo notes are the notes in parenthesis on the 12th fret.

E|--(12)------------19-16-12-------------------------------------|
B|--(12)---19-16-12-----------19-16-12-19-16-12-19-16-12-19-16-12----|
G|--(12)--------------------------------------------------------|
D|--(12)--------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------|

E|--(12)-----------------------------------------------|
B|--(12)----------------------------19-16-12------------|
G|--(12)---19-16-12-19-16-12-19-16-12----------19-16-12----|
D|--(12)------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|--19^1--16--19^1-------------------|
D|----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|