Hey everyone,
There seems to be a lot of hype around Jump by Van Halen. Since Eddie's death many students have shown interest in this song in particular. I've learned a lot throughout the process of learning this song. Here are some fun facts to review. It does seem to be the case that Eddie played this solo. It was spliced together from several takes. Initially my research suggested that someone else played it in the studio, but I learned that Alan Fitzgerald was an off-stage keyboard player throughout the later tours. Either way, this is a great exercise in triads and inversions. The whole solo is essentially versions of G, F, C and Gsus. Everything else is merely rhythmic variations. Check out the end of the solo where three notes (G, C, and D) are suspended over Bb, A and Ab chords.
The rhythms are fast and intimidating. I find more value in how the arpeggios are moving across chords.
I hope you enjoy it. Slow down the recording (approx. %60) and see if you can follow along with the rhythmic articulations. Practice the inversions and use it as a reading exercise.
You can download the sheet music here.
As always, take your time, enjoy the process and keep playing.
Progress, not perfection.
Christopher
Tried downloading the file, yet, seems to no longer exist at google drive location. Can it be shared again? Thank you!
Hey - Thanks for posting this! I was just asked to play this for a gig and was surprised at the rhythmic complexity! Also surprised that Eddie would have played it. It seems like more of a keyboard player - driven work. Question: how would you suggest thinking about approaching it? The triads are very simple but they don't fall on obvious beats. Is there a trick?