Back in August, we questioned whether you even need keyboards to play Van Halen‘s 1984 classic “Jump,” by sharing four synth-less covers. (The millennial edition is my personal favorite.)
Now, we’ve discovered another jaw-dropping rendition to add to the list.
Japanese rock band Asterism shared this instrumental trio version of the song back in 2020, just a week after guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen died of a stroke. Their performance serves as a fitting homage to the master with creative, innovative, and playful musicianship.
Asterism consists of guitarist Hal-ca, bassist Miyu, and drummer Mio. They formed in 2014, after the sibling rhythm section duo was introduced to the guitarist at Yamaha’s 8th Music Revolution competition. The trio joined forces when they were in their early teens, and even at the time of their “Jump” recording, they were 17, 18, and 20, respectively.
Even without a keyboardist, it’s necessary to cover the song’s iconic intro. Hal-ca covers the line with overdriven guitar chords and a delay pedal, adding an extra rhythmic element to the otherwise sparse opening.
As the verse section kicks in, Hal-ca switches her approach to cover the vocals. She mimics David Lee Roth’s signature style with single-line phrases while sprinkling in Eddie Van Halen-isms like slides, bends, and artificial harmonics. She also utilizes the whammy bar on her guitar to create a vibrato at the end of certain phrases. This is similar to how a singer might phrase their line, but Hal-ca makes the vibrato more dramatic to lean into the instrument’s abilities.
As fabulous as Hal-ca’s playing is, it’s important to note Miyu’s equally imaginative style. Rather than just playing root notes under the verse, he fills the arrangement out by using two-handed tapping. The technique, which Eddie Van Halen pioneered in the ’80s, uses both hands to tap notes rather than having a fretting hand and a plucking hand. He taps the regular bass root notes with his left hand and reaches across with his right hand to tap the syncopated rhythm and harmony accompaniment.
Hal-ca remains faithful to EVH’s guitar solo, only giving the phrasing some of her own spin. She then trades off to let Miyu cover the first half of the keyboard solo with more insane tapping. Hal-ca finishes it off before leading them back into the groove with the intro lick.
While anything Van Halen is often guitar-focused, drummer Mio holds everything together with authority and attitude behind the kit.
Big Wreck guitarist Ian Thornley recently told guitar.com that you can learn all of Eddie Van Halen’s licks and riffs, but it will never be the same as when he played them. “It’s just an innate feel; it sounds like he’s smiling,” he said. “It sounds like he’s having the best time.”
That may be true, and there may ever only be one Eddie Van Halen, but even attempting to play his music puts a smile on any musician’s face.
Get the sheet music for “Jump” and give it a try for yourself:
