How Eddie Van Halen Kept His Unique Guitar Technique a Secret: “Turn Your Back to the Audience”
Before the world knew him as a revolutionary guitarist, Eddie Van Halen was a young musician guarding a secret that would forever change the way the electric guitar was played. Long before his dazzling two-handed tapping became a staple of rock, Eddie was determined to keep his breakthrough technique hidden from watchful eyes.
In the late 1970s, Van Halen was quickly rising through the ranks of Los Angeles clubs. His lightning-fast solos and jaw-dropping improvisations left audiences stunned. But while fans heard something they had never experienced before, few could actually understand how he was pulling it off. That was by design.
Eddie had developed his now-famous tapping style—using both hands on the fretboard to create rapid, cascading notes—through endless hours of experimentation. He knew it was groundbreaking, and he wasn’t about to let rivals or curious guitarists steal his invention before Van Halen had their shot at making it big.
His solution? Turn his back to the audience.
When the time came for a solo that involved tapping, Eddie would literally step away from the spotlight, face his amplifiers, and play with his back toward the crowd. From the front, it looked like another rock star pose. In reality, it was a calculated effort to shield his fingers from prying eyes.
“I didn’t want anyone stealing my trick,” Eddie once admitted in interviews. “At the time, it felt like mine alone, and I needed to protect it.”
The secrecy didn’t last forever. Once Van Halen’s self-titled debut dropped in 1978, the world got its first taste of “Eruption,” the explosive solo that introduced tapping to the masses. By then, the genie was out of the bottle. Guitarists everywhere scrambled to copy the technique, and tapping quickly became a hallmark of the rock and metal scene.
Looking back, Eddie’s early caution only adds to his legend. It shows how aware he was—even as a struggling musician—of the power of innovation. Protecting his craft gave him the edge he needed to cement his place in history as not just a guitarist, but a true pioneer.
Eddie Van Halen’s genius wasn’t just in what he created, but in how he protected it until the world was ready to hear it.
