Wolfgang Van Halen Prioritizes Melody Over Technical Playing in Guitar Solos

Wolfgang Van Halen released his third album with Mammoth, The End. It showcases guitar solos built around melody instead of showy technique. He learned from his late father, Eddie Van Halen, who once said that the best solos are the ones people can sing.

"I tend to compose my solos," he told MusicRadar. "I like writing them almost as if they're these little songs or movements in themselves. ... It's fun to have shreddiness, but at the end of the day the melody has to come first," said Wolfgang Van Halen, according to MusicRadar. "Even my dad would say the best solos are the ones you can hum and sing."

"Same Old Song" holds what might be his finest solo yet. Wolfgang Van Halen crafts his solos by looping chord progressions for hours until he discovers the right notes. "Happy" draws from Alice In Chains with a solo that nods to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It tracks the vocal melody using a modulated effect that mirrors the 1991 hit.

Wolfgang praised Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains for conjuring what he describes as a magical dissonance in his writing. His influences show throughout the album.

The 2023 record, Mammoth II, contains "Take A Bow," which applied a similar method. That solo builds through different sections, creating momentum. Tracks like "I Really Wanna," "Better Off," and "The End" lean more toward spontaneous work.

Wolfgang Van Halen usually steers clear of the whammy bar to distinguish himself from his father's playing. He uses semi-hollow guitars and other methods that differ from Eddie Van Halen's approach. The album holds just one moment of whammy bar use, at the start of the solo in "Selfish." 

The title track features Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein guitar. Wolfgang has pulled out this instrument for several recordings, including the solo for "Take A Bow" from his second record. The End is available on streaming platforms, or you can buy a copy from Mammoth's website.