Eruption - Van Halen - Violin Cover By Nina D
Музыка
My journey to learn Eruption began a few years ago, when I only had access to a 5-string fretless violin. I learned a small bit of it, and quickly realized that I would need to compromise the octave range, and the finger tapping in order to perform it. There are a few covers out there of violinists doing just that, and they are very impressive.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I did not want to do that. I wanted to sound like Eddie. Thus began my journey with the 7-string fretted violin. Pretty much the entire reason for having this instrument custom-made (thanks Wood Violins crew!) was to see if I could play Eruption. At the time of purchase, I wasn’t even sure if it would be physically possible to do the finger tapping, even with the new instrument.
Upon its arrival, my first task was to learn how to play the darn thing- it’s like a completely different instrument, the neck is huge, I am tiny, and the low strings are super thick. (I also had to buy a special bow to properly play it). If your bow arm falters by a millimeter, you will hit the surrounding strings. Once I had this part somewhat down, I knew I had to dive into the hardest part right away- to answer the question, “but will it tap?” I began with transcribing this beast of a solo into notation. If you play guitar, and you want to learn how to play pretty much anything, you can go to KZread and find slow note for note tutorials on EXACTLY how to do so. This doesn’t exist for trying to translate guitar things to a violin. You’re on your own.
I tried it out with my normal rig. Pretty much dead sound. Nothing happening but noise. I had a few ideas for specialty pedals. Since you can’t really go to the store and try pedals any more, I bought one, it didn’t work, shipped it back, bought a different one, didn’t work, shipped it back, etc. ad nauseam. Months went by. It seemed for every step forward I took in achieving this technique, I took two steps back with new problems. For months, my poor family listened to what sounded like a train wreck falling on top of a car wreck falling off the Empire State Building. Brody even said to me, “it ain’t gonna happen.” So I locked myself away until it did. Sometimes during this process, it really felt like me against the world. It was that bad for that long.
I struggled and fought the limitations of the instrument. I had some really hard practice days, but the best motivation for me is “it can’t be done.” It took a combination of newly learned left and right hand technique, played precisely, practiced slowly for clarity, FOREVER to even make the right sound. The spaces that you need to hit, quickly, on a fretted violin are much smaller than that of a guitar. I tweaked the effect chain and technique right up until the 11th hour on the very final day of doing this. One day near the end of it, I was practicing in the studio and Brody was taking a shower. When he got out, he said to me he thought I was playing the recording of Van Halen. That was my breakthrough day. I knew I was close.
I haven’t worked this hard since my masters recital on classical violin. I’ve ripped up my fingers to shreds, they bled, they blistered.
Eddie Van Halen was in a class all of his own. His sound, technique, rhythm, and musicality changed the game for all guitarists (and this electric violinist) that followed. I am a far better performer, a far better violinist, with a much larger range of abilities, thanks to the months (or years) I put into dissecting his style and taking the time to do this on a violin as close to how he did it (so effortlessly) on a guitar as possible. Thank you, EVH, for making so many of us better musicians. ❤️🤍🖤
Some thanks to my amazing team:
Audio Mixing/programming, Drone footage and video editing, Fog jets and laser programming: Brody Dolyniuk
Filming: Patrick Rivera Photography
Lighting: Robert Brassard
Custom Made Eddie Van Halen Outfit: 3x Emmy-nominated costume designer Diana Eden
Hair and Makeup: the MOBB Group
Graphics/Animation: Derryl Rice
*Special thanks to the entire Smith Center crew for allowing me to film this video at Reynolds Hall, the classiest venue in Las Vegas.
*During my process of learning to tap, I searched, but only came across one other single violinist, in which I saw a clip of him doing a tapping segment during a solo on a Mark Wood Viper page- and I have to recognize him for that, because it was not an easy technique to figure out. He plays metal violin, check out his page called Bowbreakerz.
*Thanks to John Wedemeyer for knowing the ins and outs of every single piece of analog gear in existence.
*Thank you to my entire family (including those who visited from out of town during this process) for listening to this 9 million times.
*Thanks to my husband Brody for not giving up on ME, even when he gave up on the idea of tapping on the violin- and continuing to help me see this project through to the end, with all the audio and visuals.
Пікірлер: 3 000
Hey everyone! There seems to be a lot to confusion about the instrument I am playing. For those curious: I own many violins, ranging from a regular 4-string acoustic Klotz violin c. 1752 which I used heavily throughout my masters degree in classical violin, to the 7-String Wood Violins fretted Viper (created by Mark Wood) that can be seen in the Eruption video, and everything in between! I perform on many different violins both live on tour, and in my videos. I choose the instrument that best serves my needs for the repertoire (the same way a guitar player would have a rack of guitars for a show). Back to the 7-string violin; the top 4 strings are exactly like a regular violin. They are violin strings, tuned in 5ths, same fingering, same spacing (the Flying V shape doesn’t affect that). You can play all of your favorite Mozart, Paganini, Bruch or Mendelssohn on it exactly as you would an acoustic 4-string. There are 3 lower added strings for range (BbFC) also tuned in 5ths following a natural violin hand position. I use these strings so I can play guitar solos in the same range as a guitar (the top E string of a violin sounds an octave higher than the top E string of a guitar). The frets are not like guitar frets. They are smaller and curved, and you are supposed to play on top of them instead of in between them. Though they can come in handy in a live setting where you are playing rock or metal with a drummer, if your in-ears happen to go out and you really need to still play in tune, I find it harder to play with the frets and I use them for achieving certain guitar techniques like pinch harmonics, tapping, or power chords. I don’t use these violins for everything, and I much prefer a fretless to cover something like Pink Floyd. The removal of the chin rest in lieu of a chest support system on the Viper serves to free up your head while performing. I sing and play at the same time in my show, and I also use a talk box. It helps to have full range of your head. Adding extra strings or frets to an instrument does not change the mechanical makeup of said instrument, nor does it change the fundamental technique needed to play the instrument. A guitarist could not pick up this violin and play it. A violinist could. Bow technique alone is something that takes years to master. You can’t compare it to Jimmy Page playing his guitar with a bow, because that’s much different. Jimmy Page is not using the bow with proper violin technique to perform difficult technical repertoire, he used it to create a new sonic aesthetic to his instrument, the same way John Cage utilized a prepared piano to create a new sonic landscape for traditional piano. But in no way was the guitar no longer a guitar, or the piano no longer a piano because they used a unique method to draw sounds. There is a difference between round wound strings and flat wound strings. Bowing a guitar will not produce the clarity of bowing a violin. To bow a guitar, you can get some sounds on the top or bottom strings, or all the strings because the bridge is mostly flat. You won’t be performing Paganini on a guitar with a bow. To bow a violin, first you have a curved bridge, and you must learn a very specialized bow grip, numerous bowing techniques, and practice for years to perform difficult repertoire like Paganini. In other words, it’s not just used as a sound effect, it’s necessary to the fundamentals of the instrument. Hopefully this clears up some confusion, ☮ out!
@weets69
2 ай бұрын
Nina, thx for the clarification. This makes more sense to me now. I retract my first comment 🤘 Ps. Never questioned your talent by the way. I believe EVH would be approve of your rendition 😎
@kevinagnew6878
2 ай бұрын
Wow I am so very glad I had a chance to read this and you Rock it
@LIGHTintheHALLS
2 ай бұрын
You not only play it powerfully and brilliantly but the textures of sound you coaxed from that unique violin are spot on.
@zeekmclaughlin7238
2 ай бұрын
Incredible tribute, Nina.. you more than captured the essence of Eruption and definitely got my attention!
@kremata
2 ай бұрын
That was fantastic and made me shed a tear of emotion. I come from the rock classic era but always had a soft spot for violin. You perfectly combine them.
Who else heard the beginning of "You Really Got Me" in their head after she was done?
@billhahne2879
3 ай бұрын
It's almost a sin she didn't continue into YRGM, but I get it - Eruption stands on its own as a tribute to both rock guitar and EVH.
@TheAlfaNut
3 ай бұрын
Haha yeah me! 😅
@TheAlfaNut
3 ай бұрын
Haha yeah me! 😅
@marcmiller789
3 ай бұрын
Eddie once said in an interview that the "eruption" solo was mostly made up of bits and pieces of his favorite VH songs.
@joemarchinski914
3 ай бұрын
Yess🤘
What people forget about is that eruption wasn't even supposed to be on the album , it was just Edwards routine warm up jam before shows and Ted Templeman just happened to be walking by a room Edward was warming up in and thought it was amazing and insisted it be on the album . Eddie said he screwed up the beginning and got turned around but he was always one to never bother fixing his mistakes . I wish I was able to make mistakes like that .
@Mad-Bassist
3 ай бұрын
Interesting! All I knew was Eddie turned his back to the audience when performing that so everyone wouldn't imitate him. I think that changed around 1984. 🤘
@evanthegreat2332
3 ай бұрын
Who gives a flying fuck...
@BillMentzer
3 ай бұрын
I always wondered about the song riff being turned around! One of my favorite parts about the piece....
@BillMentzer
3 ай бұрын
This is one of the best interps I've encountered. Tsak was a diety in the DMV. kzread.info/dash/bejne/e2GNqLqpiMLAnpc.htmlsi=6kSSeJnGPAx3HB8D
@jellycream1964
3 ай бұрын
What does turned around in guitar speak mean?
And her outfit is an homage to the paint job on Eddie’s guitar at the time. How freaking cool.
@NinaDiGregorio
2 ай бұрын
Yeah, someone who gets it!
In 1978 I stood right in front of Eddie when he played Eruption. Will never forget it till the day I'm gone.
@NinaDiGregorio
Ай бұрын
🤘
Finally an electric violin used as an electric violin
Wasn’t going to watch it but am I glad I did, think even eddie would have been blown away by that.
This performance has the best tone of any ERRUPTION cover I've ever heard.
I think EVH would have loved the dedication it took to learn this on an instrument tuned in 5ths that was created on an instrument tuned in 4ths. This was FREAKING amazing! Well Done!
@NinaDiGregorio
2 ай бұрын
Congrats, you're one of the few people here who knows how it is tuned!
Holy shnizzles.....Im an old, crusty, stone-hearted bitter man, and nothing impresses me anymore. But that was AWESOME!!! 😮😮😮
I saw the thumbnail and thought "This is going to suck"... I was very, very wrong.
@cygnus6623
3 ай бұрын
I thought the opposite...she's gonna kill it...and she did!
@alanhicks3361
2 ай бұрын
Love the honesty
@mikedold9900
2 ай бұрын
Jawdropping!
Phenomenal. Eddie would be impressed.
Eddie is up in Heaven smiling at what you did. He would be thrilled to hear this.
"I wanted to sound like Eddie." I had that problem for most of my teenage years. In this case, your hard work paid off! You absolutely succeeded. Insane project.
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@142horizon
3 ай бұрын
Wow❤... And whenever someone does Eddie - he lives again🥲💥... He is Alive🎸in your notes.🙏✝️
@fukenbiker
3 ай бұрын
@@NinaDiGregorio yes but let me thank you also, this gets a subscribe!! FknA
Absolutely perfect!! The tone is beyond sick. Love the entire production! Ed’s legacy lives on..
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
WOW!! Incredibly done.. and it really didn’t hurt the way she filled out that awesome outfit either.. that was a bonus ..🥰🥰
I think i just fell in love. This is seriously one of if not the best covers of Eruption Ive ever heard and its not even on the same instrument
Heck yeah.!! 59 years old, Van Halen 1 all time favorite album. Got goosebumps listening to her play this. Very cool...
Masterful, skillful, artistic, creative! and beautiful....Eddie would be proud, very proud.
I've got chills LISTENING to the finger tapping.
When it comes to musical performance, these days, I'm not easily impressed. Which is another way of saying "I've been around a while and I've seen it all." But this cover of Eddie V's 'Eruption' on a seven-string fretted violin is pretty damn cool. Thanx, Nina! Keep on bowin'! 👏
That's completely bad ass! It's a shame Eddie won't get to see you perform this....RIP Eddie
😳I have NEVER IN MY LIFE seen ANYTHING like this!!! AMAZING!!!👏👏👏
@panzerlieb
3 ай бұрын
A fretted seven string violin!!! I never knew anything like that existed
That's it! That is FRIGGIN IT!! This woman is AWESOME! Eddie is smiling down upon this violin player and bestowing her the lit concert lighter of Epicness!!
Wow, it's truly remarkable how close she got to it. Probably the best Eruption cover ive heard
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Somewhere in heaven Eddie Van Halen is smiling from ear to ear and as a musician is genuinely intrigued and fascinated by this rendition of his classic song... Of course I can't actually see him but I can only imagine... It's still an impressive display of virtuosity...
That was just f*****g insane!!
OHH MY GOD!! I just fell in love at first listen!!! This is the best version since the original! 🤩🤩😍😍😍
Eddie Van Halen would've been very proud! Absolutely amazing! 😮
Jesus Effin' Christ --- this woman blew me away! 🔥🎻🌋
Eddie would be proud!
Somewhere up above us Eddie is smiling while banging his head and playing Frankenstein in time with her 🎸 🎻
This is the closest to the actual studio version I’ve ever heard!!!!! She f_ckin NAILED It!!! Holy Sh!t!!!!
Eddie VanHalen would have been flabbergasted... BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She literally brings tears to my eyes - for all the right reasons - every time I listen to this. Bravo!!!
Incredible! Can't say I've ever seen a violin with frets 😮Bravo Nina!
@user-ir5gw9qq5w
3 ай бұрын
More like a guitar with a bow.
DAMN!!!🫢😮 THAT WAS FKN INSANE!!🫢🥰👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Okay, guys.... do the same thing as she did, but on a guitar using a bow and post it... let's see how close you come to that sound..... Man... Sooo many haters out there. Great job, young lady ! 👏 👍 🙌 💪 👌
@alanhicks3361
2 ай бұрын
100%
I saw Eddie do this from second row. He would be smiling and no doubt jamming right along...our generation rocked
@davidkirby-jx9xp
2 ай бұрын
From what little I remember,, And THEN Some!
This is the new definitive cover of Eruption in my opinion. Great job, Nina D!
AMAZING! - You deserve nothing but a standing ovation for this. Technique, interpretation & performance. Just outstanding!
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Now, that's a REAL guit-fiddle! Excellent rendition.
Je**s Ch**st !!! That never gets old ! I hit replay twice before leaving this comment. Nice job ! Thank you !
@NinaDiGregorio
23 күн бұрын
Thank you!
HOLY ERUPTION BATGIRL!!! I'M SENDING THIS TO MY FRIENDS. MMMYEAH❤
The road less traveled … Eddie goes from pianist to drummer to guitarist and now his monumental solo is replicated, beautifully played on violin by this virtuoso … let that TRIUMPHANT journey sink in.
@Aaron-fl2iv
3 ай бұрын
Is it really a violin though? It has 6 strings, frets, and pickups.
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
@@Aaron-fl2iv Just go to electricviolinshop.com and peruse their inventory. It’s a whole new world out there for strings (for quite a few decades now).
When your parents want you to take violin lessons, but you want to rock. Outstanding!!
If this doesn’t get Nina to super stardom, what else will? The outfit, the performance, the whole package : perfection!
@robbyramone6920
3 ай бұрын
Super stardom ? Haha , I doubt it
I also like the tip of the hat to Eddie on her outfit. Very nice touch! 👍
What the holy crap! That was freaking fantastic....
Beautiful tribute to a master guitarist!!!! Eddie would of enjoyed that violin version , Rock on Nina
Mastery. Sheer cosmic joy. To those who'd chide her for using effects/pedals, two things: Eddie used effects and pedals, too. Modern rock guitar wouldn't exist without these tools. The way she sustains notes with the bow is something a guitar cant do well (if at all) without effects. Yet she had to recreate a sound that was produced on a guitar. In this way, she's getting the job done with even less effects than the original while also performing a genius transition of mimicry across instruments. Next level achievement here.
awesome. it's great to see musicians to continue the legacy of a pioneer of music. I was lucky & able to see him play that live for the first time in 1980 6 rows directly in front of him. EVH R.I.P.
Frekin nailed it. DAMN!
That was amazing! Never in a million years did I think I would hear 'Eruption' played on violin and be so entertained watching, it was mesmerizing! Thank you!
Holy shit ! That was insane .
@hakaiderjuju9384
3 ай бұрын
That FKN INSANE!!🫢🥰👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
when you make an outfit out of Eddie Van Halen's guitar paint, lol love it.
Nothing to say other than that was amazing!!
That was incredible!!! NEVER have I seen that before..
can we just take a moment hear to reflect on what we just witnessed..it is one thing to play this solo on the guitar but to play that on a violin type instrument, with frets even..mind blown and that pedal board and how absolutely radiant this woman is and did you see the rock on that girls finger....dam!!!!
Not too many could pull that off on a violin. Pure Talent!
@Metaphyve
3 ай бұрын
It's kind of a stretch, calling a seven string fretted instrument a violin. Check out the unlucky morpheus version where she actually plays on a real violin.
@j4r193
3 ай бұрын
@@Metaphyve K... sure will check that out. I just called it a Violin since the headline states "Violin Cover by Nina D" ...but thanks tho for correcting... how bout a "Hybrid Violin then" !) Orrrr ya got a name for it. :)
Eddie lives🤘
This was actually one of the most correct and best interpretations of eruption I have heard. To the note! On Violin!!! Wow, this is a very skilled musician! Hats off!!!!!😯
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thank you!
The best cover of eruption I've ever heard and it was on violin! Awesome!
That's just freakin FABULOUS!
If I wasn't watching a video, I would have sworn it was EVH. You NAILED it!
now I'm waiting for YOU REALLY GOT ME to kick in
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 ROCKTASTIC! What an amazing tribute to Eddie ! Eddie is looking down and smiling wide ! ROCKTASTIC! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥🤘😎
👀👀👀🤯🤯🤯❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 EVH was my all-time guitar hero since I was 10. I suddenly find myself wanting a full size poster of her for my room... and I'm 49 now. Beautiful woman, fabulous outfit, spot on tone and a fierce, electrifying performance! Bravo! You are a certifiable bad-ass.
Eruption is my favorite of all time. Beautifully done!
Mind-blowing the tone was even spot on
First. Now you know how good Eddie was. Second. Outstanding. Third. You're talented. Fourth. You're beautiful. Brava!
Fantastic!! I didn't want it to end Nina.
I can still remember hearing this album on cassette in my buddies car when it was released. It was so unlike anything else at the time n I was hooked. Abosolute classic.
Got chills from this, thank you for your effort in learning this and letting us witness your amazing talent. 🥰
My favorite part is the fact that her outfit is paying homage to Eddie. Very cool.
@00penguin
3 ай бұрын
I thought it was paying homage to David Lee Roth's zebra red overalls
@kevinborecki6680
3 ай бұрын
Wow, awesome keep it erupting!
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
@@00penguin Homage to a bit of both!
That was such a smash video!!! 11/10!!! Wow!!!
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Mind blowing I was in awe of how great it sounded
Eddie would be proud saying she nailed it 🤘
This is beyond ordinary talent. This is superhuman talent. You're incredible. Thank you .
BRAVO! Right on!
Very cool! Great job, young lady! The King would be proud.
Fantastic, well played! That took her quite a few hours of relentless practice to perfect that piece! Indeed great talent and a nice outfit too!!! Bravo!
Gotta say I was not expecting the tapping! Kudos!👍🏽
Ok that was beyond incredible. I've never seen a 7 string violin especially with frets, that thing's like 1/2 violin 1/2 guitar,,,,, quite frankly I'm completely blown away.
Excellent 💯💯💯
There are sections of this that sound exactly like you're picking the notes! Incredible. Way to persevere. 👍👍
Girl! You really got me goin'!
Killed it ! 🎉 Bravo !
Absolutely stunning recreation of Eddie’s intention, attitude, sound and technique. That was the ultimate aim of the “Eruption”! Unbelievable performance! Really insane and “not of this earth” (same as when I heard J.S. for the first time)
Waiting for "You Really Got Me" to come on! 😂 Fantastic performance🎉
@kevinalexpeek4020
3 ай бұрын
Seriously, after so many years of classic rock radio, you can't unhear them not together.
The power of the human mind to even just think of doing something like this, then doing it. And custom building a violin like that. Totally amazing. Everything was spot on. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.👍🎼🎵🎶🎻
This chick is awesome!!! Eddie would be so proud.
It's the finale that gets me every time, that powerdive makes my breath shudder. 😳
MAGNIFICENT ! that had me in tears ,Also the out fit is so BADASS What a salute to EDDIE
@jamesshetterly4831
3 ай бұрын
Me too!!
@NinaDiGregorio
3 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Wow I’m blown away!
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!! So well done! I am in awe......
The next time it rains on you Nina, It May Be Eddie Crying For The Happiest You Brought To Him.
OMG, I LOVE HER . Her version sounds more accurate than any other version I've ever heard . Absolutely BRILLIANT . I especially liked what she said about Edward , so dead on . "Eddie Van Halen was in a class all of his own. His sound, technique, rhythm, and musicality changed the game for all guitarists (and this electric violinist) that followed. I am a far better performer, a far better violinist, with a much larger range of abilities, thanks to the months (or years) I put into dissecting his style and taking the time to do this on a violin as close to how he did it (so effortlessly) on a guitar as possible. Thank you, EVH, for making so many of us better musicians" ❤🤍🖤
Wish he was here to see this