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Van Halen - Panama - Guitar Tab

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Key E major
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Van Halen Hard Rock E major
Capo Advisor 0 E major · Original key

About Panama

Few riffs in rock guitar sit as comfortably in E major as the one that opens "Panama." Eddie Van Halen builds the main figure around a driving, palm-muted low-E riff that locks in tight with the kick drum, and getting that chugging, aggressive attack right takes deliberate practice. The riff itself is not technically complex, but the timing and the muted-string feel are easy to fumble if you rush. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the intro riff slowed down until your right hand is landing every mute cleanly before you bring the tempo back up. The song also features one of Eddie's fluid lead breaks, where his legato phrasing and wide vibrato come to the front. Van Halen recorded this at a time when Eddie's tone, driven hard through his signature setup, was at its most recognisable, so dialing in a bright, hot-humbucker crunch will get you much closer to the feel of the original.

  • The main riff is built on a palm-muted low-E groove, so right-hand muting consistency is the primary technique to nail before moving on.
  • The song is in E major, which keeps the open low-E string available as a natural anchor throughout the rhythm part.
  • Eddie's lead break relies heavily on legato phrasing and vibrato rather than sheer speed, making it a good study for expressive soloing.

How to Play Panama

The song moves through: Intro, Interlude, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Solo, Bridge, Outro chorus.

Key: E major · Tempo: 96 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The song is played in Eb standard tuning at 96 bpm, and the main riff centers on a driving, palm-muted power-chord figure where tight right-hand muting is the real skill to develop. Many players get the notes right but lose the percussive, punchy attack that defines the riff, so isolate that intro riff with the loop tool and focus on consistent pick attack before moving to the verse. The solo is moderate in difficulty but includes some of Eddie's characteristic whammy bar use and quick pull-offs, so approach it in sections rather than as one continuous run. Letting the palm mutes get too loose is the most common pitfall, which turns the riff from tight and aggressive into a muddy chug.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 96 BPM to build it 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.

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