Sammy Hagar has shared another memory about Eddie Van Halen, this time focusing on a side of the late musician that was sometimes overshadowed by his legendary guitar playing.
Responding to an Instagram post about Eddie’s abilities on piano, Hagar said he had always considered Van Halen just as impressive on keyboards as he was on guitar.
“I always said he was as good a piano player as he was a Guitar player obviously, his innovation and first love was Guitar but every time I sat down with Eddie at a keyboard to write a song it was always a whole different experience than jamming on guitars.”
Hagar’s comment fits with a part of Eddie Van Halen’s musical history that casual listeners may not always know. Before becoming one of the most influential guitarists in rock history, Eddie studied classical piano as a child. He and his brother Alex began learning the instrument when they were young, and Eddie later recalled that he had been trained as a classical pianist even though he never became comfortable reading music in a traditional way.
That background eventually became an important part of Van Halen’s sound.
Eddie played keyboards on several major songs throughout the band’s career. His keyboard work became especially visible with “Jump,” but it also appeared prominently on tracks including “I’ll Wait,” “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dreams,” “Love Walks In” and “Right Now.”
The use of keyboards sometimes created debate among Van Halen fans, especially as the band’s sound became more melodic during different periods. Hagar has previously pushed back against the idea that he was responsible for moving Van Halen toward keyboards, saying that Eddie himself wanted to explore that direction.
More recently, Hagar has continued to argue that Eddie’s abilities went far beyond guitar.
Speaking about musicians who now have to perform Van Halen’s keyboard parts, Hagar said that some players are surprised by how unusual and difficult Eddie’s approach was.
“People call him a rock god — he’s a music god, in my opinion,” Hagar said in a recent interview. “When I bring keyboard players into the band now and they have to learn ‘Right Now’ and some of his keyboard parts, they’re holding their heads in their hands.”
For Hagar, however, the difference was not only technical.
His latest comment suggests that Eddie approached songwriting differently depending on the instrument in front of him. Sitting together at a keyboard apparently created a different type of writing session from the guitar jams that defined much of Van Halen’s music.
That creative relationship became especially important after Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985.
During the Hagar era, keyboards became central to songs such as “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dreams” and “Love Walks In.” The four studio albums released during Hagar’s main run with the group — ‘5150,’ ‘OU812,’ ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ and ‘Balance’ — also showed Eddie expanding his writing beyond the guitar-heavy formula that had made the band famous.
