I Tried Learning Cliffs of Dover in 1 DAY. Here's What Happened...
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
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You good buddy Uncle Ben Eller here tried learning the legendary intro solo to Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson in just ONE DAY.... here's what happened!
In this video, I'm bringing you along for a mega challenge as I try my best to master this insane solo. I'll take you through my transcription process, details about Eric's signature downwards pickslanting technique, tips on how to practice this stuff, and SO much more! I'm also gonna show you something about this song that may potentially ruin it for you forever (you can thank my wife for this one)!!!
Using my amazing Fender American Ultra Stratocaster into the Fractal Audio AXE FX 3. Grab the patch I made on my Patreon page now!
What song should I attempt to learn at hyper speed next? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for watching my attempt to learn Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson in one day!!! Watch the super extended ad-free cut here, plus get my Ben Dover AXE FX 3 patch and super accurate transcription here: www.patreon.com/posts/103157404?
Love it uncle Ben!
ruclips.net/video/2BijTkVGAQU/видео.html
Excellent choice of instrument, if I do say so myself ;)
I always run into the exact same problems that you ran into. so many things that Eric does on the guitar sprains the brain. Haha
Sounds geat! Yes!! HAHAHA! Best way to ruin this song for me as well! 1 year before I got this song down to "pretty acceptable". Wish I found Troy Grady before that journey began.
“This shit is hard, really fucking hard” too right man. I finally managed to nail the first few bars at tempo then was fist pumping for the next 10 minutes. Small wins felt god like honestly
You rock uncle Ben! You didn't just attempt to play it, you had to Create your Ben Dover tone, Learn it, Tab it, Film it, Then play it! Insane! Thank you for taking the time!
uhuhuhhu you said bend over uhuhuhuh
Please do more of these vids of you learning songs/riffs/solos!! They’re great inspiration for us step dads. Seeing a fantastic guitar player learning, really puts into perspective the amount of work and persistence it takes to become fantastic.
really great and the self-deprecating humor is a winner (reminiscent of Joe Bonamassa)
I learned this from tab back in the 1800’s when it first came out…I never could get that beginning part up to speed…well done Uncle Ben 👍
Wow. You’re really old. Like…REALLY old.
I was totally a thresher back in 1887.
@@zenlandzipline ….hahaha…but it feels like yesterday 🤣
Did Mozart help you?
Been learning basically this song and nothing else for 3-4 months. Have the intro 95%down, the first 2 verses and choruses 95% and half the solo. It's a beast, I can't believe you learned so much of the intro in 1 day
“Did he just say making f**k?” Love the shirt.
Ben, your Cliffs sound awesome!! Thanks for sharing this with us! We love EJ!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for watching!
70th anniversary of the Strat.... and this August, the 70th anniversary of EJ being on this planet. :) (And by the way, he can still tear it up on guitar!)
I've been working on this for....ever. To the point of thinking "do I just suck?"
".....trying to you ruin this song for yourself...." /crying with laughter
Hearing you whine and cuss about pretty much exactly the same things I struggle with? Well.....warms my heart because now...I'm not alone. :)
You're in the E.J. ball park but as you mentioned that he doesn't even play it the same way twice but it sounds pretty close, enjoyed the video.
Nice brother!
Thanks!
Cliffs of Dover was recorded on a 335, the solo in the middle was a Stratocaster.
I can play it. Took me 3 years. I still can’t play it like EJ. That last part where he is “chicken picking” holy 💩
Would love to see this with the classic Dime solo Floods!
That’s a great idea!!!
good stuff, well done
Ben… I’m a long time shredi knight pupil and I love your stuff.
Tourette’s Guy.
If you know, you know. 🤣 Fashion bug.
Hahaha yessssss BOB SAGAT!!!
FUCK SALT
Ben, I love your videos! I'm a musician - as to the guitar, I'm a frustrated guitarist. I've played guitar since I was a teenager - many years ago. I have a request - if you could. Please listen to Judas Priest, the album, Screaming for Vengeance, the song "Fever". Its intro and guitar solo are some of the best (IMHO) guitar work I've ever heard. Could you please cover how those guitar parts were performed? Thank you, in advance. JU.
For much less money than logic, I use Transcribe for these functions. Works great!
guitar world tab is almost perfect
Me watching this: Wait, what do you mean K.C. & JoOOOOOH NOOOOOO!! 😆🤣
Awesome video as always, Unc. Hope everything's going well for you and your family.
Thanks Uncle Bun, I had fun, washing and licking the video
I'm thinkin he pre-bends from G5 to G5 1/2, then hits the low E, then plucks the G5 1/2, and slowly bends up to A5...
Ok, so I'm a dufus. The point is is that it's a slow 1/4 (quarter) step bend up to A5. So, all of the above should be G#5 & G#5 1/2 respectively.
Ben Dover. Took me a minute to get it...well played😂
Yes 😊
I've always thought most of that intro was improvised by Eric.
damn you play well.
great video .. makes this level of play seem less intimidating :)
cheers
If it's difficult for you, then there is no hope for me! 😂😂😂
Eric Johnson is just built different.
shoutout the berserker shirt
The Berserker shirt
Great video. Do you have a video on how to play Way Cool Jr by Ratt? I been trying to find a good video on that one and It has been rough. If you do not have on can you make one?
Not yet! Love that tune.
@@BenEller I really hope you would do one. That song lives up to its name!
Berserker!!! Let’s see your metal face 😂
That's not Cliffs of Dover that's just TIT DIRT
Hahahaha
anyone know the song playing in the background at 1:42 or is it a backing track?
Segment of one of my original tunes, The Departure! Record coming soon!
@@BenEllervery cool looking forward to hearing ben 👍
00:17 that was me in 1990, I’m now 52 and still haven’t tried it since 😂😂 EDIT especially when I came from the Paul Gilbert alternate picking is king era.. I play a few different instruments drums being at the top, RUclips came along & made me realize how fucking lazy I had become
EJ is the goat. I love how he is like “oh yeah, I know that lick”
You nailed it when u said he never plays it the same way twice. He has “those licks” all over the fretboard in every key in every position.
Nicely done amigo!
Put er there amigo! 🤚 thanks for the phone a friend option haha
And just think, for 10 minutes before the song actually starts, he sits there and runs through about 487,271 variations and combos of this whole passage.
Yea just knows what to do in every key to exactly replicate the licks already found in the song. He’s different
You done better in 1 day than I will in a 100 years
I haven’t even watched it yet and I will say the same for myself!
2-0.
I will never be able to play it at all. And I am okay with that. 😪
Or more than Everton ever will 😂
@@peerzy_mark_iv Yes, because Everton are a well know guitar playing team...... You must be one of those Man Utd fans.
I’ve been trying to learn this off an on since quarantine. One hour after watching this I’m already playing it faster and cleaner than ever. Thanks uncle Ben!
So glad to hear that!
You forgot the most important part of being Eric Johnson, you actually use the Tone Knob on the bridge pickup.
Nice 👍
Always wondered what that knob did
@@eggnog52It's a low pass filter. Turning it down removes the high end (treble) frequencies. At 10 it let's all the frequencies through.
I dont feel the need to pick it just like EJ or Yngwie or anyone else. If it sounds right, it's right. Now if I struggle with a part I'll look into how the original artist did it, and that often helps but not always. We all have our own tendencies and strengths as players. If I happen to be good at inside picking or upwards economy picking and I can use them to my advantage to play the part in such a way that essentially no one will tell a difference, I'm going to do it that way.
“Look at that dog!” -Uncle Ben
That thing looked wild!!!
@@BenEller Are you sure wild? Or was it…..WYLDE?
His name was Eric Dogson
@@BenElleryou know what’s funny…there is a video somewhere on the tube of EJ playing a show, and out of nowhere a dog runs onto the stage. Eric looks surprised, but keeps playing.
That dog shit on his lawn?
I've watched that Austin City Limits video of him playing this song about eleventy-seven times. His hand looks like a spider running across that fretboard!
Unrelated question but I'm a big fan of your horror movie podcast. Have you done a video on the movie 1408? If not that's something I'd really love to hear
Hey thanks! Nah we haven’t.
@@BenEllerreally cool movie. It has a similar vibe to in the mouth of madness
I once watched guitarist Alex Hutchings learn Cliffs Of Dover in basically a day, and was ready to play the entire song for a press filled product launch party! It was for the Roland Eric Johnson Blues Cube Tone Capsule. Crazy how good Alex is. 👍
Yes but Alex Hutchings is a jazz genius ! I do love Alex and he is not only one of the most magnificent guitarists he’s also really lovely to chat to as I follow his channel . But anyway he’s a magical guitarist that’s for sure ! Not many people could learn this in a day! 😮
Not trying to stir up trouble here, but I heard ol' Douglas Bubbletrousers knocked this solo out just before lunch.
I’m no Bubbletrousers, that’s for sure!
Douglas Bubbletrousers is a cowardly drunk!
Great video, edutainment supreme (with sour cream) gotta ask though, been wracking my brain for months and Bubbletrousers is still going over my head.
I saw EJ test-drive this in a club in the mid-80s before A Via Musicom came out and I remember he had a much longer intro for it, kind of like a whole guitar solo passage for about a minute or two, then noticed when the record came out that it became much more condensed and economical. I had no idea at the time how legendary that intro would be, although it has always seemed blisteringly impressive (I still struggle with just the chorus!). Nice job working it up Ben, and great job with the tone on that patch. It’s phenomenal.
His intro on Austin City limits in the 80's is legendary.
@@Lance37aI remember that performance on ACL. My teenage mind was blown. 🤯
I had the pleasure of seeing him play this as his encore. Absolutely incredible tone and technique. So glad you're going after this one!
Would also like to add using your ears and a DAW is the way to go. I try to only use tabs when I'm REALLY stuck. You retain so much more when you learn it on your own
Still remember being blown away by this song after hearing it for the first time on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and I'm still baffled every time I hear it, Eric Johnson is a fucking beast and I still love it
I still remember being blown away hearing it when it was first released.
I am going to go take my Geritol and have spot of tea and a nap now.
This is one of those timeless pieces of music.
I thought the intro was played on a ES-335 through an Maestro Echoplex, Chandler Tube Driver and 100w Marshall Half Stack?
I mean, yeah, but, uh…. Well it sounds like EJ playing a Strat hahahaha
I believe the intro was played on a Stratocaster. The rest of the song on a 335. Also, the end of the solo in the song, I think he punched in part of the solo on a Stratocaster.
I know it’s quite irrelevant. I really just wanted to hear what Uncle Ben had to say. As usual, it was perfect! Just like his playing.
KC and JoJo😂😂😂. Thanks Uncle Ben, I can’t un-hear it now either 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
The last note of the final b-a-g-e-d descending lick is likely a hammer-on from nowhere, followed by a downstroke on the 6th string. He does this at 1:50 and 2:13 of the ACL '88 performance. ruclips.net/video/5Nd7EZ3k39s/видео.html (On the one at 2:13 he didn't quite get the fingertip up to the 5th string and ends up hammering a G at d17, but that's not too important.)
Hey Ben, GREAT JOB! I was lucky enough to watch Eric play this from about 5 feet away a few times back in 1987 when he played small clubs and bars. Truly mind blowing! To this day I still can't wrap my head around that level of talent. Although completely different playing styles, Eric reminds me of EVH in that many times I have to ask just how did they dream this stuff up in the first place?
He's been playing it live in one form or another since 1984. I first heard of him thru a guitar magazine that had the breakdown of his song Zap.
Would you like to make some funk, berzerker! That’s beautiful, man!
Nice! I could play the whole song note for note 20 years ago. Can’t remember any of it now unfortunately.
When Ah Via Musicom dropped (1990ish?) I remember spending months trying to learn Cliffs (along with every other guitarist in the universe I imagine). What's crazy is back then, in the late days of shred, alternate picking *was* the answer to everything. So I woodshedded it the only way i knew how. Alternate it all! So of course it never sounded right, but goddamn if it didn't help my alternate string-skipping chops, mangling the hell out of Cliffs for hours.
So what you are saying is use your pinky to bend the G string, but don't touch the A unless your step mom says it's OK? I mean that's what I heard. If you had more "stuff Mastodon does" videos, you would magically be able to play anything else. 💪👍🤘👽
I am a huge Tourets guy fan as well, 😂
This is one of those times when you're learning something and you listen to and play it so many times it loses all meaning. You begin by questioning whether your fingers are even real, then yourself... and then the universe. Before you know it you're in a Tool song.
You're a really dope teacher Ben, thank you. I'm going to learn the triad and pedal tone parts, it will help with the Polyphia stuff 😭😂
When I tried to learn this from tabs years ago, I had no idea hybrid picking even existed 😂
Nothing about Eric Johnson says "stunning shredder and guitar legend".... until the man starts playing. My first ever music DVD was the G3 with Eric, Joe and Steve (back in mid 90's). I bought it to listen to Joe and Steve but ended loving it for the Eric parts.
I've worked on it on and off for decades, managed to get it close at one point. So many great lines to bring into your own. Then there is his iconic tone, I gave up trying to get that right lol!
This brings some warmth to my heart, not in a schadenfreude sort of way.. but in that my learning process, down to every shit/fuck/assbite/hey, pretty bird mimics your learning process precisely. Perhaps with the exception of the continual eye roll of my wife in the background, of which additional lamentations occur.
Although you do seem to get better results from your effort, so there is that I suppose.. ;)
To that end - I have guaranteed myself a corner penthouse in hell for the *extended* process to learn Jason Becker's interpretation of Paganini. I would advise avoiding if your soul is important to you.
This is a fun one, Ben. I recently thought about how long I could get lost in this song. 2 months? 3 months? More? Hard stuff, shart-ton of memorization. This might be a post-retirement project.
LOVE your videos and channel so much, Ben! You rock. -- Bro, it is time to upgrade your camera! 😉
Dude, major props for laying it all out there for the world to see. That last lick coming right on the heels of the hybrid w/pedal tone is a first class B#@* for sure! And then the pure harmonic to top the whole thing off... Definitely well done Sir! 🤘
There's been many a meer man who have gone crazy trying to learn this shit 🤯🤘😎
lol every guitar player in the 90s who tried to learn this song knew it was all my life if you slow it down.
I love those tall triads and that flag pole thingy. What an amazing composition and well done for tackling and teaching it.
Thank you very much!
Maybe if Sweetwater had of given you a tobacco burst Strat, it would have been easier! 😅
Beyond all of the goof you put on, you're really a fantastic player. I think maybe 1% of your audience could do this, but you make people want to try. Well played (pun intended).
I need to see you break down some Schenker stuff. Some of his phrasing is so melodic and unique and i just have no fucking idea how he does it.
Gimme some suggestions please! Would love to.
@@BenEller There is too much but UFO's lights out album is a good place to start. Or strangers in the night which is a fantastic live album. For MSG I would say stuff like armed and ready, looking for love, on and on or something like Save yourself which is a bit more neoclassical and has a dope intro and solo.
Uggh oh I get it a lot of F bombs 😅😅. Eric Johnson is Awesome 😎👋👋 Take care buddy ✌️✌️🎸🎸. Note. I myself am sticking to Uncle Ben's minute rice 🙈🙊🙉🤣🤣
Amazing video as usual uncle Ben. I have a video idea.. push comes to shove by VH. I think it’s time you do some ragae ;)
I can play Cliffs of Dover on guitar hero but not guitar, and i can play One by Metallica on guitar and not GH... Le sigh.
It's the Transformers 40th Anniversary this year. Perfect timing for Ben's guide to the guitar parts for "The Transformers Theme" by Lion on the original 1986 TFTM soundtrack!
Oooooh
@@BenEller yes please. That song rules.
Incredibly accurate lesson. :)
This intro has always been hell for me as a natural upward pickslanter...
I don't think I've ever seen anyone play songs from Trevor Rabin's solo album Can't Look Away. That'd be nice, though.
Ben jammin, you should do a part two, How Would jKing Edward play it? some of those licks have repeating notes, like you could turn a delay on and off...
I’ve seen him several times LIVE, and honestly he has never hit the performance he nailed for the original recording. There may be a note here or note there that he leaves off or doesn’t nail the passages 100% - but I think that says a lot in terms of “the moment” when a song is recorded , the level focus , the level of technique at the time etc. plus he was younger then - age is a factor believe it or not. Still , it’s Eric Johnson and nobody plays like him so …….
Troy Grady is awesome.
The surgeon of playing guitar...😮
ny friend im sure you can play just about anything Ive seen you play
Tried and failed to break the COD many times...this will help.
PS...nice to bump into you at the the Beacon a few weeks ago ...cheers!
Hey man, cheers! And good luck!
Very nice work Uncle Ben! Thank you for this classic broken down into digestible parts! Rock on
First of all: MY LOVE FOR YOU IS LIKE A TRUCK. BERSERKER!!! Secondly, I've been kicking around an idea for a similar video, but it would be more like "Old Man Works on Cliffs of Dover for 4 Years. Still Fucks It Up Every Single Time."...
Top notch as usual! .... Now I'll try and ruin it (again) for myself.
It took me 6 months to know every note in the song while I slowly play through it
Awesome. Please do this for Glasgow Kiss by JP!
"Men's asses" boy, I laughed way harder than I should have
If you know, you know.
Esta cancion es una de las mas dificiles de aprender en guitarra por que todos los covers que se ven en internet no estan tocados a tempo como lo hace eric en su iconico video la velocidad que el alcanza ahi es increible
If I’m not mistaken, it was recorded on a ES-335. 🤷🏽♂️
I have a 40th anniversary strat still got it in 1996..fuck I feel old lol
I can shred for sure, but that Eric Johnson style is impossible for me. Either my fingers are too long or dumb
It's a super challenging part. Took me 3 months to get it up to speed. You did extremely well for 1 day! I like to use the intro now as a test to see how 'match fit' I am! 🙂
I've been playing more doom metal lately, which has become my favorite genre...it's much slower so I don't have to worry about driving myself crazy with the really difficult stuff anymore; I'll let the others sweat it out 😆🤘
If only you'd been using an ES-335 and a red Jazz III... :)
In honor of Ben’s undertaking I played Cliffs as well:
ruclips.net/user/liveX_fL8_Q7MMw?si=vjcoehaBQCJ-m7JW
Ben, Maybe try Zap, Righteous, or CAMEL’s NIGHT OUT (the ultimate EJ) next. Remember as with any great artist the technical difficulty is not increasing merely for the SAKE OF IT, the overall awesomeness of the music increases exponentially as well.
Small bites / small bits steady is the way to go- eventually you’ll learn it
That’s what I tell myself 😂
being able to play it is one thing. but writing something like this is amazing. that whole album made me realize how shitty a player i am.