Lesson - Tabs

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Tabs & Lesson

Lesson Notes by Jeff Fiorentino

Not too much I can say about this one.. This is pretty much a have fun with it lesson. Rhoads and Van Halen are opposite sides of the "approach" spectrum in more ways than not. VH being less precise and more flashy personality based guitar playing, while Rhoads tended to be very precise with a stronger theory influenced more traditional classical background.. This example song we did of a VH style what if version of "Crazy Train" is a prime example of what the VH approach to things might take the shape of with a Rhoads piece..

The riffing embellishments I put together for this track I think will be a blast for everyone to jam along with.. If you can nail the sound, it'll be all the better too.. There's nothing in here that's overly complex, but at the same time VH style riffs are all about what sounds good, they're not about being overly busy...

Lots of slick slide-ins, fills, and pull offs with tons of chord and riffing substitutions (embellishments) make this one of the stronger Van Halen style guitar lessons anywhere on the JFRocks.com website...

My song here is a huge shining example of chord and riffing substitutions.. Obviously I'm going to show you the differences in the riffing and chord structure and walk you through the our song and its solo on the video lesson, but I highly recommend that you also view the "September 2010" Jeff's Mailbag guitar lesson segment as well.. That Mailbag deals with "Chord Substitutions", and those concepts are some of the best to get your head around when doing song embellishments, such as what I do here in these VH'izing cover song lessons, when making a re-make of something that's all your own, using YOUR style..

Enjoy the song example and its lesson, and PLEASE be sure and crank it up, the Flanged and non-Flanged sounds and mix CRANK! We mixed this track with a very traditional Van Halen mix, and I used as authentic a guitar sound as possible...

Of course as always I suggest you listen to the song example a few times before diving into the tabs or video lesson...

----- Jeff Fiorentino, JFRocks.com

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Crazy Train ("Vh'ized")
TAB Transcription

Song Intro

VH TONE TIP: The key to making the Flanger sound the way it does for this track or even for VH application with certain song is to use it in conjunction with the Phase 90. The Phase 90 is used throughout this song on the rhythms. It is however lighter in the mix in the rhythms than it is in the leads. This is easily controlled by plugging the Phase 90 into the FX loop. Though I don't like the Flanger in the FX loop of the amp, the Phase 90 works very well there and gives in my experience anyway the home or studio guitarist the real-deal VH tone. Keep in mind though that what works for me may not work for you.. There's no telling really, it depends on a number of factors.. But as always the proof is in the pudding here at JFRocks.com... The setup and settings I give are what I used to record the song example.. There's no fancy equipment around here...

*Apply slight palm mute,

F#m F#m add11 D/A E

E________________________________________________
B_____________0________________3_________________
G________4______2___2________2___________________
D__________4______4________4_____________2_______
A_____4__________________0_____________2___2_____
E___2________________________________0___________

F#m F#m add11 A E/G#

E________________________________________________
B_____________0__________________________________
G________4______2___2_________2___________4______
D__________4______4_________2___2_______6________
A_____4___________________0___________7__________
E___2_______________________________4____________

F#m F#m add11 D/A E

F#m F#m add11 D5 E5

E________________________________________________
B_____________0__________________________________
G________4______2___2________7_________9--->______
D__________4______4________7___7_____9____________
A_____4__________________5_________7______________
E___2_____________________________________________

Main Theme Riff

This riff is obviously taken from the actual Crazy Train riff.. But VH likes to to slide in's and hammer on pull off type stuff more than just playing a straight chunking riff... I twisted the notes of the riff up and altered the chord pattern under it slightly to do what I think VH "MIGHT" have done with the Crazy Train riff.. Either way you slice it, I think it's a cool riff.. Especially the post solo non-Flanged version of... This version is similar to the outro in that it has Flanger on it..

*Chord names above the tabs indicate Bass root note hits.. Not necessarily the chord shapes contained within the riff itself..

F#m A E

E___________________________________________
B___________________________________________
G___________________________________________
D___________________________________2_______
A_______4____0-4--5~____0-2-0_______2_________
E___0-2____2_________________4--5--4__________

F#m D E

E_____________________________________________________
B_________________________3____5_5_5~_________________
G_____________________2_2_2____4_4_4~_________________
D_____________________0_0_0___________________________
A_______4____0-4--5~___________________________________
E___0-2____2_____________________________0>fast w.b dive>>____

F#m A E

F#m D E

Verse Riffing (Verse #1)

The verse I did for this is all chord substitutions for the actual Crazy Train verse riff.. Since we're using the VH guitar style as an example, I used this riffing because VH likes these chord shapes.. You seem them all over the place.. The vibe and feel of the original Crazy Train riff fit well with this DOA / Feel your love tonight style verse riff...

Take note as well what the bass is doing.. On this first verse it's following the basic chord flow.. On the second verse it's driving the "A", then the relative minor "F#".. That added a very VH element to the track and is along the lines of a DOA type thing...

A5 D/F# A

E________________________________________________
B___________________3______2_____________________
G___________________2______2_____________________
D___2_______________4______2_____________________
A___0______________________0_____________________
E_____2__x_x_0_2_0______x________--random hand slide--____

E______________________________________________________________
B______________________________________________________________
G______________________4^1 a.h scream >>release_4-2-4-2-0__________________
D___2__________________________________________2-4-2-0___________
A___0_________________________________________________2-4-2-0____
E_____2__x_x_0_2_0______________________________________________

E______________________________________________________
B______________________________________________________
G______________________4^3/4 sick bend__(9)^1>release_(9)^3/4_---~_
D___2__________________________________________________
A___0__________________________________________________
E_____2__x_x_0_2_0_____________________________________

Bridge

Per usual with this VH style stuff I changed the feel of the bridge to suit more of an Alex Van Halen approach to things.. He loves to bounce off those toms and do tribal rhythms, and that actually is the mainstay of the VH feel on a lot of tracks.. With this VH style stuff I really have to consider the band dynamic and Alex as much as I do Eddie... As for Edward's style take special note of the chord shapes I used...

F#5 E5 F#5 D E

E_______________________________5h~_*12h will also work here too______
B_______________________7h~____________________________
G____________________7h________________________________
D___11__9__11--____7h___________________________________
A___ 9__ 7__ 9---_________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________

F#5 E5 F#5 A/E E5

E____________________________________________
B_________________________14_____12~_________
G_________________________ x______x___________
D___11__9__11--_____2----14_14_____14~_________
A___ 9__ 7__ 9---_______________x_______________
E_____________________________x_______________

F#5 E5 F#5 D E

E______________________________5h~____________
B_______________________7h~___________________
G____________________7h_______________________
D___11__9__11--____7h__________________________
A___ 9__ 7__ 9---________________________________
E______________________________________________

F#5 E5 F#5 A E

E_________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________
G_________________________________________________________________
D___11__9__11--____________________________________________________
A___ 9__ 7__ 9---____________________________________________________
E_________________2_4_5~__0>slow w.b dive______8^2 steady bend____>into chorus____

Chorus Riffing

Slight variation from the actual Crazy Train.. This is about changing chords into riffing, and adjusting the chord flow itself to suit a style.. In this case VH...

A5 A G# E5/B

E_____________________________________
B_____________________________________
G___2_________________________________
D___2___2__2__2_______________________
A___0___0__0__0___0____4---7~__________
E___________________4__4---7~__________

F# E F# A5 E

E______________________________________________
B______________________________________________
G______________________________________________
D__________________2>w.b down slightly_________________
A__________________0>w.b down slightly_________________
E___2_0_2_x_x__2_4______________0>slow w.b dive______

F# E F# E5

E______________________________________
B______________________________________
G___________________9__________________
D___________________9__________________
A___________________7__________________
E___2_0_2_x_x__2_4_______0>slow w.b dive______

F# E F# D5 E5/B

E______________________________________________
B___________________3____5_5_5--_______________
G___________________2____4_4_4--_______________
D___________________0__________________________
A______________________________________________
E___2_0_2_x_x__2_4_____________________________

Verse #2

See notes for verse #1 - Click here to jump to them on the page.

E____________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________________
G_______________4^1>release_4<bend_4^3/4_(9)^1>release_(9)^3/4_-4~~_______
D___2________________________________________________________
A___0________________________________________________________
E_____2__x_x_________________________________________________

E____________________________________________________________
B___________________3______2___________________3___5_5_5~____
G___________________2______2___________________2___4_4_4~____
D___2_______________4______2___________________0_____________
A___0______________________0_________________________________
E_____2__x_x_0_2_0______x________--random hand slide--________________

Pre-Solo

Basically a repeat of the song's intro with slight variation...

*Apply slight palm mute

F#m F#m add11 D/A E

F#m F#m add11 A5 E/G#

F#m F#m add11 D/A E

*Guitar 1 solo lead in - does D5 and E5 power chords..

F#m F#m add11 D5 E5

E___________________________________
B_____________0_____________________
G________4______2___2_____7____9____
D__________4______4_______7____9____
A_____4___________________5____7____
E___2_______________________________

*Guitar 2 solo lead in - No Flanger.. Use the solo sound... with Phase 90 only...

D5 E5

E______________________
B___3______ 5__________
G___5^1~___7^1~_______
D______________________
A______________________
E______________________

SOLO

This solo is trickier than it sounds... I wanted to take the basic Rhoads concept for the Crazy Train solo and VH'ize it in a way that I really think VH might have approached the chord pattern under it... I'll walk you through it on the video, there are some assorted classic VH moves and feel elements to this, that I haven't covered before on other web based lessons... I'll also cover the rhythm under the solo too, as I've VH'ized that a bit as well...

(x) = Notes in parenthesis are tapped...

*TAP TIP: Some stretching will be necessary for these opening taps.. But I kept the pattern repetitive for ease of reading.. I encourage embellishment.. These taps are done with your index finger on the 7th fret, your middle finger on the 9th fret, and your pinky finger on the 12th fret. The notes on the 14th fret are tapped with your right hand, ideally with either your index or middle finger.

F#5 E5

E__(14)-7-9_(14)-7-12_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-10_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-12_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-10_____
B______________________________________________________________________
G______________________________________________________________________
D______________________________________________________________________
A______________________________________________________________________
E______________________________________________________________________

D5 C#5

E_______________________________________________________________________
B__(14)-7-9_(14)-7-12_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-10_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-12_(14)-7-9_(14)-7-10______
G_______________________________________________________________________
D_______________________________________________________________________
A_______________________________________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________________________

*Remember notes in italic are not picked, only notes in bold are.. Also keep in mind that the next 2 lines of tab go together as 1 phrasing section..

B5 A5 G#5 F#5

E_________________________________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________________________________
G__<begin with bar 1/2 depressed<0-4-0-4-0>trill and move whammy bar in limbo between 1/2 and 1/4 depressed_-0>w.b dive_6^1>w.b down_-0>w.b dive__
D_________________________________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________________________________

F#5 E5 D5 C#5

E___________________________________
B__________5_____ 7____10~w.b~_______
G__5^3/4~__7^1____9^1__12^1~w.b~_____
D___________________________________
A___________________________________
E___________________________________

B5 A5 G#5 F#5

E_______________________________________________________________________
B__(12)-7-10_(12)-7-10_(12)-7-10_(12)-7-10___(12)-6-9_(12)-6-9_(12)-6-9_(12)-6-9_____
G_______________________________________________________________________
D_______________________________________________________________________
A_______________________________________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________________________

F#5

E_____________________________________________________________________
B__(12)-5-8_(12)-5-8_(12)-5-8_(12)-5-8___(12)-4-7_(12)-4-7_(12)-4-7_(12)-4-7______
G_____________________________________________________________________
D_____________________________________________________________________
A_____________________________________________________________________
E_____________________________________________________________________

*To save tab space and for ease of reading, the next tap section simply moves up chromatically, you can be random with it, but stay in time. The slide dashes after the tap mean to gliss or slide the tap randomly as you do them... See video for help... It's a tough technique to tab because both hands actually slide to create the effect you hear on the MP3... So I'll help you with it on the video lesson....

F#5 E5 D5 C#5

E__________________________________________________
B__(12)----7-10__(13)----8-11__etc. etc.. see note above..____
G__________________________________________________
D__________________________________________________
A__________________________________________________
E__________________________________________________

B5 A5 G#5 F#5

E_________________________________________________________________________________________
B_________________________________________________________________________________________
G__2-4-2-0-2-4-2-0_***///keep trill going and slide palm lightly up the string to create random harmonics____
D_________________________________________________________________________________________
A_________________________________________________________________________________________
E_________________________________________________________________________________________

E_________________________________________
B_________________________________________
G_________________________________________
D_________________________________________
A_________________________________________
E__--random hand slide--___--random hand slide--____________

F#5 E5 D5 C#5

E___________________________________________
B__5_____ 7_______ 9______10~w.b~_____________
G__7^1~__9^1~____11^1~__12^1~w.b~___________
D____________________________________________
A____________________________________________
E____________________________________________

B5 A5 G#5 F#5

E_______________________________________________________________________________________________
B________2_2-5-2-0__2_2-5-2-0__2_2-5-2-0_5-2-0_______________________________________________________
G__4^1~___________________________________4-2-0-4-2-0-4-2-0**palm mute & speed up-4-2-0-4-2-0-4-2-0__5^1.5 ___h(14)_
D_______________________________________________________________________________________________
A_______________________________________________________________________________________________
E_______________________________________________________________________________________________

*The solo ends with a tap harmonic off the 14th fret "h(14)" with the root note being off the final step and a half bend up in the solo "5^1.5".. This is done over the opening part of the main guitar's post solo riff.. That being said, and as logic would dictate if you're one guitar by yourself playing along with this track you'll have to leave out the final tap harmonic..

This is because when we recorded the song the majority of it was done live, however when we get to the solo I recorded the rhythm under it in the live performance and then went back and did the solo... ---Jeff Fiorentino

Post Solo Main Theme Riff

This a stand-alone riff with only Phase 90 on it.. Be VERY LOOSE with it.. Especially the ending chord hits.. It's very free-time Van Halen, and I again think a pretty good representation of what VH Might have done with something like the Crazy Train theme riff...

Flanger Riff Version - Outro

Now the band comes back and the Flanger is kicked on for the Main Theme Riff... Which leads us into the outro.. Take note that I ended the song on a B Flat, which is the 4th of the F#m key.. This is a good VH tension ending.. Something to keep in mind when songwriting or doing any VH style embellishments of your own...

Take note that the Flanger goes off for the ending E chord hits...

*Chord names above the tabs indicate Bass root note hits.. Not necessarily the chord shapes contained within the riff itself..

F#m A E

F#m D E

F#m A E

F#m E

E____________________________________________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________9_9________9_9_______9____9____9____9___
G____________________________________________________9_9____9___9_9_______9____9____9____9___
D____________________________________________________9_9____9___9_9_______9____9____9____9___
A_______4____0-4--5~______________2_3_4_5__*Flanger off here!!_ 7_7____7___7_7_______7____7____7____7___
E___0-2____2______________2_3_4_5_____________________________________________________________

Bb5/F

E____________________________________________________________________
B____________________________________________________________________
G____________________________________________________________________
D____________________________________________________________________
A___1________________________________________________________________
E___1_*let chord ring out_____________*with whammy bar depressed pluck open string with your finger_0*______

Guitar 2 Scale down Ending

This is a classic early VH scale down we do all the time here in these lessons.. I added it a twist to it at the end on the 5th string to work with our key and track vibe...

E Bb

E__0__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
B____12__11-12-11___11-12-11__11________________________________________________________________________________
G_______________14_______ 14__14__11-12-11_ __11-12-11__ 11_______________________________________________________
D______________________________________ _14__ ______14__14__11-12-11___11-12-11__ 11______________________________
A_________________________________________________________________14________14__14_11--12--11--9--11--9--7~-------1___
E______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

End

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"Crazy Train" (Halen'ized)
Arrangement & Riffing by:	Jeff Fiorentino
Performed by:	Jeff Fiorentino (Guitar), Mick (Bass)
Transcribed by:	Erica Reese with notes by Jeff Fiorentino
Engineered by:	Mick the Mixer



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