"The mid-1970s was the golden flashpoint for the modern guitar sound." Before the Shred Era: How Bill Nelson and Eddie Van Halen Redefined Guitar Harmonics When we think of guitarists who completely tore up the rulebook and introduced advanced harmonic techniques to rock music, names like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, or Zakk Wylde often dominate the conversation. But to truly understand where the modern vocabulary of the electric guitar came from, we have to look back to the mid-to-late 1970s. Long before the 1980s shred boom, two guitarists—operating in entirely different sonic universes—were simultaneously capitalizing on the power of harmonics to redefine what the instrument could do: Bill Nelson and Eddie Van Halen. The Art of Clean Harmonics: Bill Nelson’s Sonic Evolution While many music fans associate the mid-70s with either the dying embers of prog rock or the raw energy of punk, Bill Nelson of Be Bop Deluxe was busy forging a completely unique path. ...
Where music meets myth, and every note tells a story.