If you’re a rock guitarist who loves Van Halen—or just wants to study Eddie’s playing in detail—a good tab book can save you a ton of time and guesswork.
The Best of Both Worlds tab book (on Amazon) is one of those rare collections that actually does the band justice, both in accuracy and presentation.
This isn’t just a casual fan’s souvenir. It’s a serious resource for guitar players who want to dig into classic Van Halen riffs, rhythms, and solos with reliable transcriptions.
Overview / First Impressions
This is a thick, comprehensive tab book covering Van Halen’s major songs—the ones you’d actually want to learn. Think greatest-hits territory: the big riffs, the iconic solos, the crowd-pleasers.
Even if you’re not a hardcore Van Halen superfan, this collection makes sense if you:
- Want to learn a handful of classic rock staples
- Study Eddie Van Halen’s style, phrasing, and harmony
- Have a long-term reference for accurate Van Halen transcriptions
In terms of quality and usefulness, it’s easily one of the better tab books on my shelf.
Features (And More Of What I Think)
The real strength of this book is in the transcriptions themselves:
- Accurate solos – the solos are “bang on” for the most part. You get the bends, slides, and phrasing details that make Eddie’s playing sound like Eddie.
- Tab + standard notation – everything is written in both formats, but the book never leans so heavily into “classical” notation that it becomes impractical. Tab is always there and always clear.
- No clutter – you don’t get bogged down in excessive theoretical markings or unnecessary symbols. It’s practical, not academic.
For guitarists who rely primarily on tab but still appreciate standard notation, this strikes a nice balance.
Song Selection: What’s Included
The song list is a major selling point. You’re not getting deep-cut filler; you’re getting:
- All the major hits
- The big signature riffs
- The iconic solos that made people pick up a guitar in the first place
If you think “classic Van Halen,” chances are the song is in here. It’s essentially a greatest-hits guitar book in terms of content. It has most of the major songs that you’re thinking of.
I may be wrong on one or two of these.
- Disc 1
- Eruption
- It’s About Time
- Up for Breakfast
- Learning to See
- Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
- Finish What Ya Started
- You Really Got Me
- Dreams
- Hot for Teacher
- Poundcake
- And the Cradle Will Rock…
- Black and Blue
- Jump
- Top of the World
- (Oh) Pretty Woman
- Love Walks In
- Beautiful Girls
- Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
- Unchained
- Disc 2
- Panama
- Best of Both Worlds
- Jamie’s Cryin’
- Runaround
- I’ll Wait (Single Edit)
- Why Can’t This Be Love
- Runnin’ with the Devil
- When It’s Love
- Dancing in the Street
- Not Enough
- Feels So Good
- Right Now
- Everybody Wants Some!!
- Dance the Night Away
How It Plays & Use Cases
From a player’s perspective, this book is ideal if you want to:
- Nail classic riffs – songs like “Unchained” are represented really well. You can learn them with confidence that you’re playing the right thing.
- Study Eddie’s vocabulary – licks, tapping ideas, chord voicings, and rhythmic tricks are all there to mine and repurpose in your own playing.
- Build rock technique – alternate picking, legato, wide vibrato, dive bombs, and tight rhythm work are all baked into these tunes.
Even if you only learn a few songs, the technical and musical value you get out of them is huge.
Limitations / Things to Know
A few honest points to keep in mind:
- It’s a big commitment – this is a thick book. If you’re not a big Van Halen fan, you might only seriously work through a handful of songs.
- Not a “method” book – there’s no step-by-step instruction on technique, theory, or style. It’s a songbook, not a course.
- Best for intermediate to advanced players – if you’re still new to the instrument, the material might be overwhelming. The transcriptions are accurate, but the playing itself is demanding.
That said, even if you only mine it for riffs, fills, and a couple of solos, it’s still a worthwhile investment.
Final Thoughts
As far as artist-specific tab collections go, Van Halen’s Best of Both Worlds is one of the better ones available:
- Accurate, detailed transcriptions
- All the major songs you’d expect
- Clean, practical layout with both tab and notation
Even if you’re not a die-hard Van Halen fan, this book is a strong addition to your library if you want to understand classic rock guitar at a high level and study one of the most influential players of all time.
If you’re looking for a reliable, long-term reference for Van Halen’s catalog, this is absolutely worth picking up.
Resources & Further Study
If you want to go deeper than just learning songs and actually understand the fretboard and harmony behind what you’re playing, it’s worth checking out a couple of extra resources:
Fretboard Memorization Cheat Sheet (TravelingGuitarist.com)
A handy guide that lays out major and minor triads in every key, using approaches like octave mapping to help you:
- Memorize the notes on the fretboard
- Visualize triads all over the neck
- Start improvising in multiple keys by understanding the harmonic foundation behind chords and riffs
Traveling Guitarist Forum (forum.travelingguitarist.com)
An online community where you can:
- Talk guitar, music, and gear
- Share progress and practice tips
- Ask questions and connect with other players
Pairing a high-quality tab book like Best of Both Worlds with solid fretboard and theory resources is a powerful way to turn “learning songs” into real, long-term musical growth.