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Frequently Asked Questions

About Applying

Find out more about the short courses available in the upcoming semester at our Scotland centres. Our short courses focus on sound production, music business, hip-hop and rap and much, much more. This semester all short courses have been adapted for Online delivery rather than in-centre. For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Edinburgh[email protected]

Glasgow[email protected]

Sign up to attend a course here.

Our HNC in Music is the first year of our HND in Music, available as an independent qualification but designed to be followed-up with our HND. Partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), it is a 1-year course suitable for all musical disciplines and instruments. Curated and delivered by music professionals, it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state of the art teaching & rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional tutors. By the end of the HNC students will be qualified to start straight on our HND (+ 1 year).

Our HND is a full-time, pathway-specific course partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), suitable for all disciplines. A 2-year course encompassing our HNCas its first year. Curated and delivered by professionals and accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state-of-the-art teaching & rehearsal rooms, MAC suites, recording studios and a team of dedicated tutors. Our unique draw has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway and this year we are thrilled to be offering Hip-Hop for the first time.

Curated for, and by, modern musicians.

All our tutors work in music and the course is delivered by and written by professionals. With that comes community, common goals and an immediate industry focus you won’t get elsewhere. Get serious about your music with our HND.

Gain a full Honours Degree and consolidate your practice. Eligible for student finance, designed for musicians of all disciplines.

Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with relevant and recognised industry experience.

Validated by the University of West London, the course is developed to reflect developments the modern music industry, and allows students to take the next step up in the practice and study. Students will learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media and develop an awareness of the various careers available in the music industry. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills. The course is available at any of our regional centres or you can study it online

About Delivery

Find out more about the short courses available in the upcoming semester at our Scotland centres. Our short courses focus on sound production, music business, hip-hop and rap and much, much more. This semester all short courses have been adapted for Online delivery rather than in-centre. For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Edinburgh[email protected]

Glasgow[email protected]

Sign up to attend a course here.

Our HNC in Music is the first year of our HND in Music, available as an independent qualification but designed to be followed-up with our HND. Partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), it is a 1-year course suitable for all musical disciplines and instruments. Curated and delivered by music professionals, it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state of the art teaching & rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional tutors. By the end of the HNC students will be qualified to start straight on our HND (+ 1 year).

Our HND is a full-time, pathway-specific course partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), suitable for all disciplines. A 2-year course encompassing our HNCas its first year. Curated and delivered by professionals and accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state-of-the-art teaching & rehearsal rooms, MAC suites, recording studios and a team of dedicated tutors. Our unique draw has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway and this year we are thrilled to be offering Hip-Hop for the first time.

Curated for, and by, modern musicians.

All our tutors work in music and the course is delivered by and written by professionals. With that comes community, common goals and an immediate industry focus you won’t get elsewhere. Get serious about your music with our HND.

Gain a full Honours Degree and consolidate your practice. Eligible for student finance, designed for musicians of all disciplines.

Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with relevant and recognised industry experience.

Validated by the University of West London, the course is developed to reflect developments the modern music industry, and allows students to take the next step up in the practice and study. Students will learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media and develop an awareness of the various careers available in the music industry. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills. The course is available at any of our regional centres or you can study it online

About Finance

Find out more about the short courses available in the upcoming semester at our Scotland centres. Our short courses focus on sound production, music business, hip-hop and rap and much, much more. This semester all short courses have been adapted for Online delivery rather than in-centre. For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Edinburgh[email protected]

Glasgow[email protected]

Sign up to attend a course here.

Our HNC in Music is the first year of our HND in Music, available as an independent qualification but designed to be followed-up with our HND. Partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), it is a 1-year course suitable for all musical disciplines and instruments. Curated and delivered by music professionals, it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state of the art teaching & rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional tutors. By the end of the HNC students will be qualified to start straight on our HND (+ 1 year).

Our HND is a full-time, pathway-specific course partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), suitable for all disciplines. A 2-year course encompassing our HNCas its first year. Curated and delivered by professionals and accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state-of-the-art teaching & rehearsal rooms, MAC suites, recording studios and a team of dedicated tutors. Our unique draw has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway and this year we are thrilled to be offering Hip-Hop for the first time.

Curated for, and by, modern musicians.

All our tutors work in music and the course is delivered by and written by professionals. With that comes community, common goals and an immediate industry focus you won’t get elsewhere. Get serious about your music with our HND.

Gain a full Honours Degree and consolidate your practice. Eligible for student finance, designed for musicians of all disciplines.

Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with relevant and recognised industry experience.

Validated by the University of West London, the course is developed to reflect developments the modern music industry, and allows students to take the next step up in the practice and study. Students will learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media and develop an awareness of the various careers available in the music industry. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills. The course is available at any of our regional centres or you can study it online

About Fast Track

Find out more about the short courses available in the upcoming semester at our Scotland centres. Our short courses focus on sound production, music business, hip-hop and rap and much, much more. This semester all short courses have been adapted for Online delivery rather than in-centre. For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Edinburgh[email protected]

Glasgow[email protected]

Sign up to attend a course here.

Our HNC in Music is the first year of our HND in Music, available as an independent qualification but designed to be followed-up with our HND. Partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), it is a 1-year course suitable for all musical disciplines and instruments. Curated and delivered by music professionals, it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state of the art teaching & rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional tutors. By the end of the HNC students will be qualified to start straight on our HND (+ 1 year).

Our HND is a full-time, pathway-specific course partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), suitable for all disciplines. A 2-year course encompassing our HNCas its first year. Curated and delivered by professionals and accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state-of-the-art teaching & rehearsal rooms, MAC suites, recording studios and a team of dedicated tutors. Our unique draw has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway and this year we are thrilled to be offering Hip-Hop for the first time.

Curated for, and by, modern musicians.

All our tutors work in music and the course is delivered by and written by professionals. With that comes community, common goals and an immediate industry focus you won’t get elsewhere. Get serious about your music with our HND.

Gain a full Honours Degree and consolidate your practice. Eligible for student finance, designed for musicians of all disciplines.

Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with relevant and recognised industry experience.

Validated by the University of West London, the course is developed to reflect developments the modern music industry, and allows students to take the next step up in the practice and study. Students will learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media and develop an awareness of the various careers available in the music industry. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills. The course is available at any of our regional centres or you can study it online

About Certification

Find out more about the short courses available in the upcoming semester at our Scotland centres. Our short courses focus on sound production, music business, hip-hop and rap and much, much more. This semester all short courses have been adapted for Online delivery rather than in-centre. For more information please do not hesitate to get in touch with us!

Edinburgh[email protected]

Glasgow[email protected]

Sign up to attend a course here.

Our HNC in Music is the first year of our HND in Music, available as an independent qualification but designed to be followed-up with our HND. Partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), it is a 1-year course suitable for all musical disciplines and instruments. Curated and delivered by music professionals, it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state of the art teaching & rehearsal rooms, mac suites, recording studios and a team of professional tutors. By the end of the HNC students will be qualified to start straight on our HND (+ 1 year).

Our HND is a full-time, pathway-specific course partially funded by SAAS (Scotland), suitable for all disciplines. A 2-year course encompassing our HNCas its first year. Curated and delivered by professionals and accredited by Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) it is available in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Both centres boast state-of-the-art teaching & rehearsal rooms, MAC suites, recording studios and a team of dedicated tutors. Our unique draw has always been supporting students with their chosen pathway and this year we are thrilled to be offering Hip-Hop for the first time.

Curated for, and by, modern musicians.

All our tutors work in music and the course is delivered by and written by professionals. With that comes community, common goals and an immediate industry focus you won’t get elsewhere. Get serious about your music with our HND.

Gain a full Honours Degree and consolidate your practice. Eligible for student finance, designed for musicians of all disciplines.

Equivalent to the 3rd year of a degree, this flexible top-up year is designed to follow on from our Foundation Degree in Music & Sound, but would also suit any applicants studying a music related HND, Foundation Degree or indeed those with relevant and recognised industry experience.

Validated by the University of West London, the course is developed to reflect developments the modern music industry, and allows students to take the next step up in the practice and study. Students will learn the skills to become independent, multi-skilled music practitioners, fluent with various forms of multi-media and develop an awareness of the various careers available in the music industry. We provide the time, space and the opportunity to develop your own sound and work on your material alongside gaining valuable vocational skills. The course is available at any of our regional centres or you can study it online


Screenshot 2021-01-15 at 13.20.04

Our next intake of students will start on 15 February!

We're so excited to be welcoming a host of new students to AMSonline next month, who will be joining us to start on our online courses like the Foundation Degree, BA (Hons) and M.Mus in Popular Music Performance.

It comes after we saw record levels of students join AMSonline courses in September 2020. Despite Covid, we've been lucky enough to run our courses as usual, with all the regular content, seminars and tutorials, with little interruption!

Take your learning anywhere
Pre-Covid: Take your learning anywhere

 

Whilst most of standard university and college teaching in the UK and elsewhere had to adapt to online delivery in 2020, and is still going on, its perhaps unsurprising that musicians and those interested in studying music, might chose more established online learning platforms at this time.

“In a funny way I never thought my choice to study online in 2018 would eventually be the only choice most students have all around the country. In hard struck times of COVID, I barely felt it negatively impacted my course at all.”

“I would just like to say thank you more than anything for the help I had over my foundation degree!”

George Chambers, student

But that's not to say we've not been impacted by Covid-19 – everyone has felt the impact, and while we might be able to run courses as usual, the year has been a challenging one for us all. But we have good reason so hope that live musicianship can continue very soon! And we're planning on being ready when it does.

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More news from us here.
We just relaunched our Instagram!
Check it out.


Sound City x-ams

AMS online partner with Sound City

The Academy of Music and Sound and AMSonline will be partnering with Liverpool Sound City on a series of exclusive online masterclasses.

We’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be partnering with Liverpool based conference and music festival Sound City on a collaboration which includes a programme of exclusively curated masterclasses focused on employability, industry skills, and careers in the music sector, exclusively for AMS staff and students.

Sound City said of the partnership, “Sound City’s core aim is to help the very best in upcoming talent and with many university courses now competing for attention and so many graduates looking for work, its vital that students set themselves above the competition and make their mark in the industry!  Sound City has started a partnership with the Academy of Music and Sound with the primary aim of improving their students music industry skills and employability.”

The first of a series of Masterclass will take place Tuesday 1 December at 7pm via Guesthouse, and will be an interview Band Manager Alfie Skelly on ‘How To Build A Bands Music Profile’

Alfie Skelly has worked in the industry for over 15 years working with the likes of The Coral and Arctic Monkeys. He currently manages The Mysterines (Pretty Face Recordings) and The Lathums ( Island Records) who both had sold-out UK tours, among others including Abbie Ozard, through Modern Sky Record label. The talk will span all things managerial, including how Alfie has built up the profiles of both The Lathums and The Mysterines. Alife will discuss how he gets them gigs, how he lands artists record deals, publishing deals and tours, plus he will talk about how he markets and promotes the bands.

We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to offer this to our students and staff! And with a whole host of exciting masterclasses and talks coming up, we’re sure it’s going to be a thrilling time for online learning.

Sound City 2021 logo

About Sound City

Globally-recognised Sound City, the leading champion of emerging UK talent, is set to return bigger and better than ever in 2021 – With three full days of music discovery right across the city of Liverpool, Headline acts this year include Rejjie Snow, Red Rum Club and The Murder Capital.”


Music Creators

Report shows huge growth of UK Music Industry prior to COVID-19

The latest Music By Numbers economic study has shown that the UK music industry continued to grow in 2019 across every sector before the Covid-enforced shutdown hit in early 2020.

Music By Numbers is the flagship annual economic study by UK Music and its members. Recent numbers show that the UK music sector was facing significant growth, with employment at an all-time high, prior to the impact of COVID-19.

The new figures in the Music By Numbers 2020 report show the 12 months up to December 31 2019, and they do not reflect the devastating impact of the Covid-19 just weeks later in early 2020. “Despite the buoyant 2019 figures outlined in Music By Numbers, the industry now faces a marathon effort to get back on its feet as it strives to return to pre-Covid levels of success as swiftly as possible”, says UK Music.

The report measures the health of the music business by collating data about its contribution in goods and services to the economy. That economic contribution is known as Gross Value Added (GVA), to the UK’s national income (Gross Domestic Product/GDP). Exports are part of this contribution.

Music Creators

Some key facts from the Music By Numbers report 2020:

• The UK music industry contributed £5.8 billion to the UK economy in 2019 – up 11% from £5.2 billion in 2018.
• Employment in the industry hit an all-time high of 197,168 in 2019 – an increase of 3% from 190,935 in 2018.
• The total export revenue of the music industry was £2.9 billion in 2019 – up 9% from £2.7 billion in 2018.
• In addition to the industry’s direct economic contribution, music tourism alone contributed £4.7 billion in terms of spending to the UK economy in 2019 – up 6% from £4.5 billion in 2018.

Read the full report here.


ba hons music students ams online lewis

BA students double in 12 months as we welcome talented new students!

It’s been a great start to the new term here at AMSonline, with record intake of students and new specialist tutors, we’re really upping our online game and really looking forward to what the upcoming year has in store.

Firstly, our intake of BA online students have incredibly doubled in 12 months! The 2020 September starts was our highest ever – we enjoyed double the number of students starting the BA this September when compared to last September. Plus we’re absolutely thrilled to welcome all our new students who come from a range of different musical backgrounds and skills.

On the course this year we’re excited to welcome some great talent with a wealth of experience, including Toni Robinson. Toni is also a session singer/backing vocalist who has toured with Rita Ora and Jess Glynne, and has worked with the likes of Elton John, Bastille and Kano. You’ll have probably seen the slick new Just Eat Ad featuring Snoop Dogg recently too – Toni composed and performed the entire Just Eat 2019 Advert and then worked on the vocals for the recent Snoop Dogg rendition (again featuring as the vocalist)!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFPEedHvHqs&ab_channel=JustEat
AMSonline student Toni Robinson is part of the Just Eat campaign.


We also have Lewis (Lewie) Allen join us us this year. Lewie plays guitar for Sam Smith and Liam Payne, and has worked with a host of other big names including Jesse J, Tom Jones, Jesse Rowland, Ariane Grande, and Peter Andre! He’s also joined us for an AMS masterclass before – so we’re thrilled he’s back to study with us. And that’s only to name a few!


Lewis Allen
Lewis (Lewie) Allen – guitarist for Liam Payne and Sam Smith.


In other news….

This year, we’re also very excited to welcome Bass-player extraordinaire Ariane Cap to the AMSonline teaching team. Ariane is a popular online music personality with a successful Bass blog and a big following. Ariane is also a passionate educator, self-published bestselling author, eclectic performer (electric bassist), a busy blogger and habit coach!


“I am happy to announce my collaboration with AMSOnline under the validation of the London College of Music/University of West London. Receive your Foundation Degree after two years studying at AMS Online with me as one of your teachers.  On the Foundation degree students can choose to specialise in a certain instrument, and are entitled to an amount of support for that study by way of online video sessions. The curriculum is well rounded and practical.” – Ariane


Ariane Cap Guitars


She taught at the Berkeley Jazz Workshop, the Golden Gate Bass Camp, was 10 years artist-in-residence teacher at the Wyoming Rock Camp Experience in Jackson Hole, taught at the California Jazz Conservatory’s Women’s and Girl’s Jazz and Blues Camps for 10+ years, co-taught masterclasses with Paul Hanson at the University of the Redlands, Colorado State, Montana State University and others.


Like what you hear? Want to learn more?

Our next entry point is January 2020 – get in touch with our recruitment team now to find out more about our courses and find the option to suit you best. You can also explore all our courses here.



Eddie with AMS director Shaun Baxter

Eddie Van Halen in conversation with AMS director Shaun Baxter

Eddie Van Halen, who passed away last week (6 October 2020) was a pioneering and hugely influential rock guitarist. For many he re-invented the rock style and it was never same again. His career was eclectic and powerful, he played the solo on ‘Beat It’ by Michael Jackson and was notable for the techniques he brought to the masses like pinched harmonics, left and right hand tapping, legato (hammer-ons and pull-offs) and fast picking. His flamboyant and exciting style captivated the 80’s scene and his band Van Halen, reached immense heights.

Academy director Shaun Baxter was a teacher at the Guitar Institute in 1995, and had the opportunity to interview his guitar hero for his first ever interview as a journalist, at the Park Lane Hotel in London. What follows is that very conversation. The interview has been edited for this platform – you can download the complete, unabridged transcript here.

tapes and papers

On a train to our rendezvous at a hotel in Marble Arch, I couldn’t help wonder what it was going to be like to finally meet Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen are very powerful these days, having gone from strength to strength over their impressive 15-year career. With the last two albums going straight to the top of the American charts. I entered the foyer of the very impressive Park Lane hotel only to wonder how long it would take before I was being carried back out by one of Mr Van Halen’s burly minders after exception had been taken to one of my questions…

I was met by Amanda, Van Halen’s ultra-efficient personal assistant, who ushered me to the interview suite where the photographer and his assistant were setting up. I introduced myself and admitted to being a little nervous as the photographer returned my sweaty palm. I picked up a copy of Metal Hammer from the coffee table and my buttocks clenched tighter at the sight of the recently-bearded, short-haired and totally unrecognisable face of my interviewee staring menacingly out at me from the cover. It was my first ever interview and I couldn’t possibly start any higher up the ladder. Edward Van Halen, easily the most influential rock guitar player since Jimi Hendrix

Just as I was wondering how we were going to cram an interview, a lesson and a photo session with the great man into the space of an hour, he entered. He was dressed in black and looked quite tanned. I knew he’d be small, but he was a lot sturdier than I expected. The new beard, which was now trimmed to the chin, and short spiky hair were in direct contrast to the long-haired, clean-shaven and elfin-grinned look I’d always come to associate with the hero of my formative guitar years. 

Eddie Van Halen Guitar Solos

As we shook hands, I suddenly realised that although I’d probably read every interview that Eddie Van Halen had ever done, nothing could have prepared me for his voice. His penchant for cigarettes and alcohol are almost as legendary as his guitar playing and his broad West Coast accent has been fermented by well over a decade of indulgence to produce a heady brew somewhere between Dennis Leary, Leslie West and Edward G Robinson; however, the most remarkable thing of all was his total lack of pretention. Within minutes, I’d forgotten my earlier worries and, by the time that Eddie grabbed his guitar and joined me on the sofa, I completely relaxed.

I started telling Eddie how at the Guitar Institute, our Rock programme is split into two distinct areas – pre and post Van Halen. Such is the magnitude of his influence over the genre. I also told him, however, that a lot of young guitarists today are listening to third-generation Van Halen copyists and yet have never heard any of his earlier albums. Therefore, I wanted to devote the bulk of this interview to the origins and development of his unique style, the influence that he’s had on rock guitar and then bring things right up to date by talking about his new album ‘Balance’.

To resort to conventional punctuation when writing an interview with Halen would only betray the enormity of his personality. When I listen back to the tape, it’s as though I could be in conversation with a loveable cartoon character. The cadence of Eddie’s voice demands that certain words are written in CAPITALS if you are to get a proper sense, not only the rise and fall of the sentences, but the animated way he communicates. He does so with patience, enthusiasm and ALWAYS with good humour.

NATURAL ABILITY

One noticeable aspect of Van Halen’s style, when he first burst on the scene, was that it seemed geared towards catering for a low boredom threshold. Every solo was a balanced mixture of new and ear-catching techniques. I asked him how calculated he’d been in putting together a style that was so stunningly different from anyone else?

“It really wasn’t calculated at all. Meaning, I just stumbled onto this shit. I’m telling you man, it’s all a coupla beers and wingin’ it. I’m serious,” he laughed. I told him that most guitarists wanted to emulate their heroes and yet he sounded different. “Yes, ‘cause I grew up on [Eric] Clapton and ended up not playing like him at all, so it’s weird to me too.”

It seemed to me that one negative aspect to Van Halen’s influence was that a lot of players started producing horribly formulated solos in an effort to dish up the same wide range of musical ingredients. “They used the techniques that I used as a TRICK.”

I understood his use of the word ‘trick’ to mean using a technique more as a cosmetic effect, rather than a vehicle for expression. I agreed and pointed out that, suddenly, players started approaching a solo as though they were baking a cake: “a hand-full of whammy bar histrionics, a touch of tapping and a pinch of harmonics and ‘voila’ a successful solo.” To me, the results always sounded stiff and contrived.

Rock legend

“Exactly! Very stiff!” Whereas he never sounded like that? “No, because I played that way for YEARS before we even had a record out. So like, for ME, it wasn’t a trick. For me, it was just the way I played.”

Obviously, thinking that my use of the word ‘formulated’ was curiously at odds with my profession, Eddie continued, “Yeah, I think the main reason behind that is because [leaning forward he gives me a reassuring touch on the knee] and I don’t mean to say that you’re part of the problem, but YOU’RE TEACHING THESE PEOPLE.”

I felt like pointing out that actually I was also completely self-taught and I always stress to my students the need to be both expressive and different, but time was short and, besides, I was too busy laughing. “No-one taught me. I stumbled onto this shit.” He paused. “I guess my point is – and I don’t mean to say [he puts on an important-sounding voice]: ‘Hey, well I’m bitchin’ because I never took a lesson.’ What I mean is NOBODY I knew played guitar. I was very isolated.”

Eddie explained how his original style developed from trying to figure out how people played certain things and, because he didn’t know any better, he discovered his own way of doing them. “If I had something in my head, I would figure out some way to do it. I’d hear Segovia’s stuff and go [whispers]: “No…I can’t fingerpick, so I CHEATED… And it worked [demonstrates pseudo-flamenco beginning to ‘Little Guitars’ from the ‘Diver Down’ album]….and [what with] playing classical piano – you know, doing arpeggios – I’d go like: ‘How can I do that?’ [demonstrates right-hand tapping]… ’Cause I sure as hell couldn’t do it any other way so I had to cheat. You know. I’m actually a good cheater,” he laughed.

Eddie with his band

I assumed then that Eddie spent hours and hours experimenting just to explore the potential of each separate technique. Like harmonics for example? “Yes!…and they just CAME! I just stumbled across those….[he demonstrates fret-tapped harmonics] and I found out later what the ‘correct’ way to do it is. You see people [demonstrates the ‘orthodox’ method of creating artificial harmonics]… Picking them out like that. You know what I mean? I CAN’T DO THAT!”

He couldn’t.

“It’s a fuck! So I just cheat and go…[demonstrating the Intro to ‘Women in Love’ from Van Halen II]… And it works.” [laughs]

Not only that, but it sounds different. I put it to Eddie that his celebrated experimentations on guitar were more akin to Avant Garde ‘art’ guitarists, like Fred Frith, who hang paper clips from the strings of the guitar and then beat it with a hammer. “Actually, THAT I do more on piano. I don’t know if you’ve heard the new record?” 

I told him that I had and asked him to tell me the story behind the piece in question, ‘Strung Out’. “Back in 83/84, my wife and I ran into [Marvin Hamlisch]. We went to rent his beach house and he had this beautiful white Yamaha Baldwin and I, you know, proceeded to cop a buzz and destroyed his piano. For three days in a row, I used forks and knives on the strings and, I don’t know, if you asked me: ‘What possessed you to do that?’ [lowers voice] I’m fucked if I know. I just felt like playing around. I would hit notes and do harmonics on the strings and stuff and I’d just have a lot of fun doing it… And wasted his piano while doing it.”

Eddie with his music

Legend has it that an extremely irate Hamlisch presented Van Halen with a bill for $15,000 upon his return.

“….And then I found out that he was coming back home and I said: ‘Oh Shit! What am I going to do?’ There were cigarette burns on it and everything. You know, I had to buy him a new piano.”   I mischievously added that it was probably the piano on which he wrote ‘The Way We Were’ – the guilt became too exquisite and he threw his head back and laughed out loud.

I reminded Eddie that he’d also trashed a few guitars in his time while subjecting them to the same investigative torture. The fact is that Eddie Van Halen’s creativity and thirst for adventure go far beyond the average guitar player when left to their own devices. He’s always maintained that most of his ideas came as a result of practising while watching television. But I told him that I frequently had problems teaching his stuff to a classroom of unamplified guitarists as a lot of the techniques that he uses are inaudible when the guitar is not plugged into a distorted amp.

Eddie Van Halen Hit Parader Cover

“Yeah, for years, what I’d do is that I’d have a Marshall cabinet with an old Fender Bandmaster [like an old light tweed head] and, on a Fender, if you take the speaker output to the cabinet you get full volume. If you plug it into the external output [whispering] it’s really quiet. It’s no good for the amp. Yeah, you’ll fry the amp after a while, but I used to play for years, you know, we would live in a small house and my mom would go [imitating]: ‘Why do you have to make that high crying noise?” [laughs]. The distortion and the characteristics of the amp were EXACTLY like it would be if it was plugged in normally, except it was really quiet – like a Rockman or something –you know what I mean? It was great. All the harmonics and all the shit came out that way. I probably saved myself a lot of hearing by that too.”

“The left is kinda shot,” he said after I asked about his hearing. “When I had it checked to see…at 10k I have the hearing of a seventy year-old.”

The photographer and I looked at each other with a mixture of amusement and horror.

I started talking about his domination of rock guitar in the ’80s, but was cut off mid-stream. “That sounds so funny,” he retorted, “I just feel like I’m this punk kid. I don’t know what the fuck I’ve done. It’s almost like it’s not me. I really don’t feel like I’ve done Jack shit, because I would love to be someone like Steve Lukather who is a TOP studio musician who can play you anything you ask him to play, whatever you ask him to play. I CAN’T DO THAT. It used to drive me crazy when we used to play clubs and we’d have to learn other people’s songs and it would NEVER sound the way it was supposed to.”

methode times prod

I told him that I’d always been curious as to how somebody with such an inquisitive mind and strong creative drive should still claim to be in the dark when it comes to music theory: especially as he’s so enamoured by the playing of people like Allan Holdsworth. Doesn’t he find it restrictive as to what progressions he can function over?’

“Yeah, I CAN’T DO THAT. It’s very confusing to me. I mean, I’ve tried, believe it or not. I took piano lessons from the age of six to twelve and I fooled my teacher. I would play something and it was my EARS… I would REMEMBER. Granted, it was simple stuff, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to fool him, but I never learned to read.”

I told Eddie that I was referring more to the way that harmony functions rather than knowing how to read; after all, Allan Holdsworth can’t read. I suggested that the reason that he had never actually got round to learning theory was because he never has to play outside Van Halen. Most musicians, who learn theory, do so in order to be able to function over any chord progression that may be thrown their way when playing with somebody else; whereas, in his case, he only ever has to play over Van Halen’s stuff, so he’d have time to work something out beforehand if he found a passage difficult.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gYIthSGGIQ

“EXACTLY! I’ve always been in, kinda like, my own little world, so I can do whatever I want.” [laughs] 

So that doesn’t leave him feeling restricted? “WELL, what I’m saying is I wish I COULD DO. I guess I do feel… limited… as a musician. That’s why it’s hard for me to get up on stage and play like say… uh… Branford Marsalis, the sax guy on ‘The Tonight Show’, you know, he’s playing for Sting. He calls me all the time. He wants to JAM! I feel like an IDIOT! I’m scared to death because I CAN’T KEEP UP WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT.”


“It was obvious that Eddie found it farcical to talk about music in these terms. Where I used a scale name, he would use an adjective. He doesn’t recognise a note as a word or number, it’s an intention or an emotion. As with most passions, where the magic seems to be directly proportional to the mystery, Edward Van Halen seems to have sustained his enduring romance with the instrument by refusing to demystify it. To him, music is a purely spiritual thing and so any attempts to quantify or label a ‘feeling’ are seen as both clinically and comically academic.”

Part of the interview was dedicated to a lesson. Click here to read more from Eddie on improvisation, and his relationship to the world of guitar theory.


BALANCE

Recently I’d read Eddie saying that he was becoming “more bluesy and traditional” in his guitar playing. In fact, he’d gone as far as to confess to feeling slightly embarrassed for being associated with techniques such as right-hand tapping. I was curious as to why he would want to move away from the very thing(s) that had set him aside from the competition in the first place and made him a star?

“I guess because there isn’t a whole lotta sillier shit you can do with the guitar. What else can you DO? At the same time, I guess I don’t want to have to keep coming up with tricks in order to be respected as a player.” He continued, “I pull out the tricks – if you want to call them that – all the time.”

I wondered how much Eddie was interested in keeping up with new developments and trends in guitar playing. I remarked that I’d noticed that he doesn’t seem to sweep pick much. What did he think of it as a technique? “What does THAT sound like? Like Country?” Reluctantly, I quickly showed him how some players use it with arpeggios. “That sounds more like an Yngwie thing.” I agreed and said that it was also associated with players like Frank Gambale.

“Who?” I told Eddie that he was a fusion player and showed how he applied the technique to scales. “So THAT’S how they do it so fucking fast!” The photographer and his assistant started laughing– so does Eddie.

“WELL, I DON’T KNOW! I’ve heard stuff where people are kinda just goin’ [gestures with his hands on the guitar in time with his voice], “RAAGROO! RAAGROO!… and I’m going, ‘What the fuck?… I ain’t playing like that’. See, to me, I’m TOO OLD to start taking lessons and figure that shit out. It’s just for years that I’ve been doin’ my own thing, you know, and I’m quite happy doing it.”

It was another testimony to Eddie’s modesty and TOTAL lack of pretention that we were able to talk like this without him getting the least bit defensive. He doesn’t seem to entertain ANY competitive thoughts, but then why should he? He’s got nothing to prove.

“Yeah! I was NEVER out to prove anything in the first place. You know? To me music isn’t a competitive thing. It’s very personal, It’s ME, it’s MY emotions, MY vibe and NOBODY can copy that.”

Eddie with AMS director Shaun Baxter

Eddie Van Halen is an incredible paradox. I’ve never met a player who’s less competitive and, yet, no one is more responsible for making guitar playing more competitive than him. The legacy, it seems, is completely at odds with the man. 

“But it’s ALWAYS guitarists! What’s the fuckin’ deal? I don’t get it.”

I told him that it was because they are all influenced by him. He changed it. “Yeah, but I’M not like that,” he laughed. “See that’s the WHOLE POINT. They missed the WHOLE DAMN POINT. It’s not about who’s FASTER or BETTER or whatever. It’s what’s INSIDE of you. What makes YOU want to play guitar, you know? Do you want GIRLS? What do you WANT? I did it because I’ve got nothing better to do, you know, and I LOVE DOING IT. It’s something that nobody can take away. It’s a way to express myself ‘cause I’m actually kind of a SHY, QUIET GUY, believe it or not, and it was a way for me to express myself.”

The photographer asked Eddie to get into position for the main cover shot. I started opening another cassette. In the background I can hear Eddie practising his sweeps (Raagroo, Raagroo), he calls over to me: “I couldn’t THINK that fast!”

He had me laughing again. I found it amazing to think that Eddie seemed to have remained so cocooned from other guitarists. For some reason I’d imagined that he would have his ear to the ground as to new developments in guitar. Instead, I learned that he’s very content to continue as he is. In fact, being around somebody of Eddie’s stature and modesty was starting to make me feel guilty for ever having entertained any competitive thoughts as a guitarist, but the truth is that most guitarists have to be competitive in order to get anywhere near the standard that Eddie has set, furthermore, the music business is fiercely competitive for any young guitarist and only a few survive. If we were all as free and easy as Eddie, we’d probably still be in our bedrooms strumming a few open chords.

Amanda reappeared. She stood there and pointed at her watch as the cameraman took the final few shots. Eddie talked to me throughout (unwittingly frustrating the photographer by not looking into the camera).

Just before he left, I handed Eddie a copy of my CD [Jazz Metal] and assured him that I sounded as much like him as he did to his hero, Eric Clapton. “Yeah, Cool! I might have to steal some chops,” he laughed.

I told him how I’d felt a bit nervous before meeting him, but now realised that I needn’t have been. “Oh shit no! I’m just an old fuckin’ Joe, you know. Yeah, I find it really amusing, it’s like you find some guys are just COMPLETE pricks and it’s like, ‘Hey buddy! All you do is play the GUITAR’, you know what I mean?” he laughed, “I mean Jesus Christ!”

As I was leaving, I met bassist Mike Anthony in the doorway. We chatted and, like Eddie, I couldn’t help but think what a friendly and unaffected guy he was. In producing two successful players who seem so at ease with themselves, the close-knit environment of Van Halen seems to have produced a true rarity.

If you play rock guitar, you are influenced by Edward Van Halen. If you are influenced directly, Eddie’s earlier works will need no introduction; however, if you’ve only ever listened to guys playing pale imitations of what Edward Van Halen was doing 16 years ago, why settle for second best when you can listen to the real thing? 

The king is Ed. Long live the king.

––

Words: Shaun Baxter, 1995

Read the full interview on the main AMS blog here, or download the original interview transcript.

More from the AMSonline blog.


BA student ams online virtual online festival

BA student plays virtual festival to support out of work musicians

Skilled guitar player Rene, one of our BA Music & Sound students - now starting on our MMus in Popular Music Performance - was involved with this exciting live stream project the other day. Playing at WZZUP Festival in Boreno, Rene played to raise money for out of work musicians suffering at the moment due to the impact of COVID.

Check it out in the player below! His performance starts at 3hrs 34mins.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEeY12_sG4F/

 


Students in a Conference Hall

Our partner UWL reaches top 40 in The Guardian’s official guide!

Some excellent news has come in recently! Our partner university, UWL (University of West London) has climbed an impressive 23 places to become one of the top 40 universities in the UK according to the influential Guardian University Guide.

The university is now ranked 34th in the UK – their highest position of any league table ever! They were also the top university in England for teaching satisfaction and the ranking reaffirms their position as the top modern university in England.

“We are so proud to be working with this progressive and outstanding university,” says The Academy’s own Mel Baxter. UWL (which encompasses London College of Music) has validated several AMS courses, including some AMSonline courses, and we’re thrilled the university is getting recognised for its outstanding dedication to teaching and student experience.

Congratulations UWL!

Students in a Conference Hall

About the University of West London

The University of West London is ranked as the top modern university* in London, 8th modern university* in the UK and ranked as the 50th university nationally by the Guardian University Guide 2019. 

98% of our graduates are in employment or further study within six months of graduation**.

You can read more about UWL on their website, add check out our London College of Music validated courses here.


Arian Cap and her guitar

AMSonline team up with Ariane Cap

 

AMSonline are now working with international educator, bestselling author and online teaching personality Ariane Cap. We are looking for bass players that might like to study with Ariane from September 2020.

AMSonline

At the start of 2019, AMSonline had a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate music qualifications validated for supported distance-learning with the London College of Music (University of West London). This meant that courses could be accessed worldwide with no need for conventional college lectures. The courses are delivered 100% online, so anywhere with an internet connection is now a workspace.

Ariane Cap

Ariane Cap

Ariane Cap is a passionate educator, self-published bestselling author, eclectic performer (electric bassist), a busy blogger and habit coach. She is a prolific and eclectic educator with a large online following.

She taught at the Berkeley Jazz Workshop, the Golden Gate Bass Camp, was 10 years artist-in-residence teacher at the Wyoming Rock Camp Experience in Jackson Hole, taught at the California Jazz Conservatory’s Women’s and Girl’s Jazz and Blues Camps for 10+ years, co-taught masterclasses with Paul Hanson at the University of the Redlands, Colorado State, Montana State University and others. 

 

A Word from Ariane

I am happy to announce my collaboration with AMSOnline under the validation of the London College of Music/University of West London. Receive your Foundation Degree after two years studying at AMS Online with me as one of your teachers. 
On the Foundation degree students can choose to specialise in a certain instrument, and are entitled to an amount of support for that study by way of online video sessions. The curriculum is well rounded and practical. 

We are delighted that Ariane is joining AMSonline, and that we are able to offer her support for students that specialise in bass guitar and wish to study our Foundation Degree Music pathway.

Playing Base
Ariane Cap or Step Up Music Bassist Musician Photos by Tue Nam Ton - www.tntpictures.com June 2011

 

How do I find out more?

Applications are being taken now for the next start point, which is September 2020.

If you would like to find out more about your chance to learn with Ariane, please complete the form by clicking the link below.