How Eddie Van Halen Invented Tapping

At a What It Means to Be American event at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, legendary rocker Eddie Van Halen, in an interview with music journalist Denise Quan, explains how he came up with his unique, two-handed style of playing the guitar frets--then performs some of his signature licks. Read more about Eddie van Halen here: For a full report on the live discussion, check out the Takeaway: Visit to read our articles and learn about upcoming events. Follow along on Twitter: Instagram: Facebook: LinkedIn: #EddievanHalen