Rock stars come and go. Musicians play until they die.
To hell with the rules. If it sounds right, then it is.
Jimmy Page is an excellent producer. Led Zeppelin I and II are classics. As a player he's very good in the studio, but I've never seen him play well live. He's sloppy. He plays like he's got a broken hand and he's two years old. If you put out a good album and play like a two year old, what's the purpose?
It's always about the music, never about anything else.
You only have 12 notes. Do what you want with them.
If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you'll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually you'll get to where you want to be.
There are really three parts to the creative process. First there is inspiration, then there is the execution, and finally there is the release.
If I can help a kid discover a liking, or even a passion for music in their life, then that’s a wonderful thing.
The name Van Halen, the family legacy, is going to go on long after I'm gone.
Bass is for people who can't play guitar
It's always a Catch-22 situation. They hate you if you're the same, and they hate you if you're different.
Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me.
A guitar is a very personal extension of the person playing it. You have to be emotionally and spiritually connected to your instrument. I'm very brutal on my instruments, but not all the time.
Sometimes I just want to lick David Lee Roth in the nuts
Some people think a song without words isn't a real song. Tell that to Beethoven and he'll kick your ass!
I'm just a guitarist in a kick-ass rock and roll band. What more could I ask for?
Obviously you have to have rhythm. If you have rhythm, then you can play anything you need. If you have rhythm and you love music, then play and play and play until you get to where you want to get. If you can pay the rent, great. If you can't, then you'd better be having fun.
Everything comes to me while I'm sitting on the pot.
It makes me feel kind of weird, but obviously the Man Upstairs gave me something and it touches people, and I'm just so blessed.
Most beginners want to learn lead because they think it's cool .. consequently, they never really develop good rhythm skills .. since most of a rock guitarists time is spent playing rhythm, it's important to learn to do it well .. learning lead should come after you can play solid backup and have the sound of the chords in your head
Rock & Roll is feeling, and after you know most of the basics ... chords, rhythm, scales and bends ... getting that feeling is just about the most important aspect of playing guitar
I'm not a rock star. Sure I am, to a certain extent because of the situation, but when kids ask me how it feels to be a rock star, I say leave me alone, I'm not a rock star. I'm not in it for the fame, I'm in it because I like to play.
I went to the zoo one day and saw a chimp playing with a beat-up acoustic guitar in a way I had never seen before. Instead of using the pick the chimp was banging the neck and tapping it with its fingers. I knew the chimp was on to something so I practiced this new technique in my room for hours until I'd perfected it.
I played 'Eruption' two times for the record, and we kept the one that seemed to flow ... there's a mistake at the top end of it whenever I hear it, I always think, Man I could've played it better ... but I like the way it sounds. I'd never heard a guitar sound like that before.
You've only got 12 notes and however you mix them up is your thing.
