Creator Area
Sign in Creator Area

Practice Studio

Van Halen - Amsterdam - Guitar Lesson

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

Not in tune?

Select a Loop

Start of your loop
End of your loop

Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key A minor
Van Halen - Amsterdam guitar lesson video
Guitar 365
Guitar 365 Top Contributor
YouTube: 1.6Msubs 76Kviews
Creator Page →
·
–50¢ 0 +50¢
· Tap to start

Your browser will ask for microphone permission.

Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Listen on Spotify
Van Halen Hard Rock A minor
Capo Advisor 0 A minor · Original key

About Amsterdam

Few tracks from the Van Halen catalog sit quite as comfortably under the fingers as "Amsterdam," yet there is still real work to do here. The song lives in A minor and sits in E Standard tuning, which keeps everything familiar while letting Eddie's riff breathe with its characteristic mix of open-string pull and fretted chord fragments. The rhythm part deserves close attention: the groove depends on right-hand muting and precise timing, and any sloppiness there will flatten the feel immediately. If the riff shape is giving you trouble at full pace, use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the pick attack and muting are locked in together. Van Halen built a catalog full of parts that sound deceptively loose but are actually tightly controlled, and this track is a solid example of that. Hard Rock rhythm playing often comes down to exactly this balance of aggression and control.

  • The song is in A minor in E Standard tuning, so no retuning is needed and open A and E strings ring naturally against the riff.
  • Right-hand palm muting is central to the rhythm guitar feel, and keeping that mute consistent across position shifts is the main technical challenge.
  • Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down and focus on synchronising your fret hand and pick attack before bringing it up to tempo.

How to Play Amsterdam

Tuning: E Standard · Key: A minor

Use the section loop to isolate a passage and drop the speed to build each section up to tempo.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Eddie Van Halen pulled a Gibson PAF humbucker from a ES-335 to load his original Frankenstrat, giving him a low-output pickup that maintained clarity during lightning-fast tapping and legato runs despite heavy gain.

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)
Amp

Marshall Plexi (1959 Super Lead)

Eddie's 1968 Marshall Plexi Super Lead, run through a variac at 90 volts, created his legendary 'brown sound' by pushing power tubes into sweet, spongy saturation at gig volumes, defining his harmonic sustain and responsiveness.

Soldano SLO-100
Amp

Soldano SLO-100

Eddie adopted the Soldano SLO-100 as a tonal alternative to Marshalls, delivering the high-headroom, articulate gain he needed for his finger-tapping technique while maintaining clarity in complex legato passages.

Peavey 5150
Amp

Peavey 5150

Eddie co-designed the Peavey 5150 to capture his signature tone in a modern platform, offering three channels from clean sparkle to crushing high-gain with EL34 power tubes for dynamic responsiveness across his entire playing vocabulary.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Eddie employed the Dunlop Cry Baby wah strategically on select solos, using it to add vocal-like expression and sweep to his lead lines without relying heavily on effect-driven tones.

MXR Phase 90
Pedal

MXR Phase 90

Eddie's MXR Phase 90 script-logo version created his signature swirling, vocal sweep on 'Eruption' and 'Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love,' becoming one of rock's most identifiable effect tones through minimal, tasteful use.

Recommended for You