With their 1978 debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sound of machines and animals. Van Halen became one of the most popular American rock & roll bands of the late '70s and early '80s, and, in the process, set the template for hard-rock and heavy metal.
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