Wolfgang Van Halen Says Father’s Rhythm Playing and Songwriting Often Overlooked

Wolfgang Van Halen thinks his father, Eddie Van Halen's rhythm playing and songwriting talents are underrated. The Mammoth frontman shared these thoughts during an interview.

"I think my dad is an incredibly underrated rhythm guitar player and songwriter," Wolfgang Van Halen said, according to Guitar.com. "I think everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and he's Mr. Shred, but I think that's just like a flavour to what he did."

The musician explained how his father's prowess as a songwriter and rhythm player built the foundation for his more celebrated technical work.  "I think everybody looks at him as Mr. Tap and he's Mr. Shred, but I think that's just like a flavour to what he did. And I think it's the fact that he was such a good songwriter and rhythm guitar player which allowed him to be the shredder guy on top of it," he said. "Cause there are plenty of people who are just great shredders and they're just running through scales and stuff, and that's not as interesting."

Wolfgang Van Halen pointed to Malcolm Young of AC/DC as another rhythm player whose contributions get shortchanged. He declared the late musician the greatest rhythm guitar player in history.

The comments mirror previous statements Wolfgang Van Halen has made about musicianship. He's discussed the appeal of Taylor Swift's music and drawn comparisons between technical skill and effective songwriting.

Wolfgang Van Halen spoke about his father's playing style and influences in interviews with Guitar World. Those conversations touched on Allan Holdsworth's influence and different approaches to tapping techniques.