Eddie van Halen at the piano

Like much of the music world, I was saddened by the recent passing of Eddie van Halen. His rock group, Van Halen, released their first album in 1978, when I was playing keyboards in a middle school rock band myself.

Since Eddie instantly established himself as a “rock guitar god,” it surprised many listeners when he began playing keyboards on songs like “Jump.” Later on, we learned that the piano had in fact been his first instrument, and he had won four consecutive classical piano contests in his youth.

I’ve been enjoying his piano playing over the past few days so I thought I’d share a few clips I’ve found with you.

Here’s Eddie playing piano at a party. His playing reminds me of the progressive rock pianist/keyboardist Patrick Moraz.

And here’s a longer audio of him playing his songs on piano during a performance at a school.

Whether he was tickling the ivories or tearing up the guitar strings, the music literally poured through his fingers. We can all be inspired by Eddie van Halen’s musicality and dedication to his instruments.

Enjoy the journey, and like Eddie, “let the music flow!”

Ron

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