Van Halen, E :: Eruption

Publisher: Honeyheart Music

Editor: Keeling, Melissa

Honeyheart Music presents 'Eruption' by Edward Van Halen, arranged for C flute or glissando flute by Melissa Keeling in 2014 and revised in 2023. 

Keeling writes about this piece, 'This arrangement is what I imagine 'Eruption' would've sounded like if Eddie played flute instead of guitar. It's a close transcription of the original, with some additional material added (A). Some notes were changed to allow for easier technical facilitation on the flute, such as the tremolo arpeggios in the last section. In the spirit of Van Halen, feel free to add additional improvised sections if desired! There are also two cadence (marked by brackets) that may be improvised, instead of playing what's written.

'This piece can be performed a variety of ways. Included here are two versions: one for the glissando flute, and the other for C flute with a traditional headjoint. This glissando headjoint allows you to play some of the dramatic pitch bends that Eddie would do via string bending and the whammy bar, and helps convey the rock and roll spirit. 

'When I perform this life, I usually use effects pedals (delay, distortion, flanger, and reverb). Sometimes I omit sections (A,B, C, and/or D) to shorten the piece.

''Eruption' should be performed with a great sense of freedom, ease, and power.'