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?

@eyeofefil

20 күн бұрын

Love it uncle Ben!

@baduktiger7661

20 күн бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZHadzLakhqqngbg.html

@StratOCasterMIJ90

20 күн бұрын

Excellent choice of instrument, if I do say so myself ;)

@Hollowbethynam-vz6ug

20 күн бұрын

Why do it ? we need original songs from people.

@reaganbrowneofficialyoutube

20 күн бұрын

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

“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

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!

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Put er there amigo! 🤚 thanks for the phone a friend option haha

You done better in 1 day than I will in a 100 years

@adamschronk3620

20 күн бұрын

I haven’t even watched it yet and I will say the same for myself!

@terrydactylspontaneous2596

19 күн бұрын

2-0.

@Joe-mz6dc

15 күн бұрын

I will never be able to play it at all. And I am okay with that. 😪

@peerzy_mark_iv

8 күн бұрын

Or more than Everton ever will 😂

You forgot the most important part of being Eric Johnson, you actually use the Tone Knob on the bridge pickup.

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!

@DanJayMusic

16 күн бұрын

uhuhuhhu you said bend over uhuhuhuh

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!

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

So glad to hear that!

Just know that not only did Eric use his Gibson ES-335 for a lot of his recordings, he used it to record Cliffs of Dover. That's where his airy, mid rangey tone comes from.

@michaelmaier7262

15 күн бұрын

OR split the difference and get the semi-hollow EJ Strat!

@TCMx3

13 күн бұрын

Both the 335 and the 54 were used on this track.

@bleepblabloop

13 күн бұрын

@@TCMx3 the 54 for only part of the solo mid way through.

@D-Day-fb3pw

13 сағат бұрын

Ahhh, but what speaker and cab? That also affects the tone 💯

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.

@michaeleaster1815

20 күн бұрын

really great and the self-deprecating humor is a winner (reminiscent of Joe Bonamassa)

“Look at that dog!” -Uncle Ben

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

That thing looked wild!!!

@SamBarvels

20 күн бұрын

@@BenEller Are you sure wild? Or was it…..WYLDE?

@infinidominion

20 күн бұрын

His name was Eric Dogson

@zenlandzipline

20 күн бұрын

@@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.

@DannyHood-j

18 күн бұрын

That dog shit on his lawn?

“Did he just say making f**k?” Love the shirt.

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!

@silvertear87

20 күн бұрын

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

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. 👍

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.

@Lance37a

20 күн бұрын

His intro on Austin City limits in the 80's is legendary.

@metalheadrelic9873

15 күн бұрын

​@@Lance37aI remember that performance on ACL. My teenage mind was blown. 🤯

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.

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!

KC and JoJo😂😂😂. Thanks Uncle Ben, I can’t un-hear it now either 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

EJ is one of the very few guitarists that have masterful precision and speed but still maintain the raw emotion in everything he plays. That guitar sings.

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

@mikesurel5040

20 күн бұрын

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 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 👍

@zenlandzipline

20 күн бұрын

Wow. You’re really old. Like…REALLY old.

@vorpalblades

20 күн бұрын

I was totally a thresher back in 1887.

@eddiejr540

20 күн бұрын

@@zenlandzipline ….hahaha…but it feels like yesterday 🤣

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

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?

@gneric85

19 күн бұрын

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.

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! 🤘

Dude, i encountered this song first as a transcription in a magazine, back when i had been playing for about a year and the record was new, and tried to learn it from there... then bought the album and realized i had a looooooooong way to go. Bravo to you!

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!

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Oooooh

@Hexus13th

19 күн бұрын

@@BenEller yes please. That song rules.

Not trying to stir up trouble here, but I heard ol' Douglas Bubbletrousers knocked this solo out just before lunch.

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

I’m no Bubbletrousers, that’s for sure!

@Punchy361

20 күн бұрын

Douglas Bubbletrousers is a cowardly drunk!

@scsreaper

17 күн бұрын

Great video, edutainment supreme (with sour cream) gotta ask though, been wracking my brain for months and Bubbletrousers is still going over my head.

The last part, where he loops those 5 notes 3 times, at first i learned exactly the way u did in the video, but after analysing him playing on that famous performance in austin city limits, i felt like he does hammer ons from knowhere on the last note of each loop(5th string) to avoid this weird picking movement. Damn dude, impressive how far u got in just one day, u rock

This is such a joy to watch. His melodic vocabulary is dreamy and cosmic, with tasteful bluesy parenthesis and seeing you work through it quickly but respectfully is so impressive.

This was me learning tornado of souls a little while ago. Luckily, I had your incredibly well made video to assist my shred pilgrimage. Thanks, uncle Ben.

Very nice work Uncle Ben! Thank you for this classic broken down into digestible parts! Rock on

I put this song on the Bluetooth at work and several people that I NEVER would have expected to know it recognized it. They knew it from Guitar Hero. I thought that was pretty cool

You're killin it, man. I got goosebumps when you played it straight through at the end - very inspiring effort! 👊😎

I’ve played for, a lot more years than I care to admit, and what you did in a day would take me a year or more to do. Excellent job!

I still think this is the best guitar instrumental ever recorded. Was super excited to see you post this, ive seen dozens of videos on how to best play this but this is easily the best. Loved seeing you break this down in the classic Uncle Ben way, you've just got such a relatable way of teaching. Great job as always!

I LOVE these types of vids Ben… you should do more like this.

I have been following you since forever. Great content!

Great job on this. Appreciate your transcription skills, your playing skills, your explanation skills, and your humility skills as you approached this holy grail of guitar licks.

One of the best lessons I've seen on KZread. Thanks Ben!

Awesome job bro !!! Seriously great video

I am a huge Tourets guy fan as well, 😂

I admire your willingness to show the process of learning a difficult piece. I especially like that you are willing to show the failures, and the work you did to understand and overcome them. I see a lot of videos of perfectly performed feats (not just musical ones mind you) that would make you think that advanced skills are just something that happen, or that you are born with, when they are usually the result of a whole lot of analysis, thinking, trial and error, patience, hard work. Great video, thanks so much for sharing it!

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!

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Hey man, cheers! And good luck!

I can't unhear Kci & Jojo now!

Love it Ben ❤ getting that mix between being a "touch" player and the faster stuff is such a tricky thing to nail and you smashed it brother ❤

It was fun seeing a bit of the process, Thanks for that.

That Strat is noice!

Fantastic video and cover of that intro, Ben. Eric's playing always reminds me of that warning on a firecracker, "Light Fuse and Get Away"

As guitarists, Why do we subject ourselves to such torcher. I laughed when you were dropping f-bombs in that intro. Reminds me of someone else. 😂

Holy crap! Great job!!!

Thanks Ben

Loved this lesson, saves time for us busy dads! Thank you Ben!

Epic song. Great job uncle Ben!

lol every guitar player in the 90s who tried to learn this song knew it was all my life if you slow it down.

Thanks for showing the process and all that . Its always nice to see even amazing players like uncle ben are just as human and have to practice just as much as anybody else. Its easy to forget how much work and time gets put in when we're so used to seeing the perfect final product recordings.

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Thanks a lot for watching! It’s really a goal of mine to bring some more REALITY to the online guitar scene. Perfection is boring and discouraging to watch all the time.

I appreciate the tips on getting the hard parts down.

Great video, and I love how you show the progress ups and downs and potential ways to overcome certain areas. That's a brutal intro to tackle for sure. One of the tunes I'd love to see you cover is Technical Difficulties by Paul Gilbert. That's a hard one for me. Thanks, Uncle Ben! :)

Great lesson Ben..

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.

Nice job Ben🤘🤘🤘

Love your channel man! Keep on keepin on!

@BenEller

18 күн бұрын

Appreciate it!

Ben, your lessons and videos make the world a little more betterer.

As always .... you are the Master Jedi.... and I am just a pawn in the game of life....Oo0rah

Well my weekend will now be spent in frustration trying to learn this for the 70th time 😂 thanks Ben

If I’m not mistaken, it was recorded on a ES-335. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Lovely. The colors on that strat are like hot cinnamon roll icing to my eyes. Delicious. And this was exactly the video I needed. I was just about to tackle CoD myself.

Thank you brother!!!!

Thanks Uncle Ben Long-time EJ fan

That was really cool. Takes me back to trying to learn this a few years ago. Almost had it. Some of your insights are making want to give it another go. Fun fact - this song regularly appears in lists like "top 50 fender strat songs of all time" and everyone who learns it reaches for their nearest strat. Understandable given how synonymous Eric is with his vintage strats...and of course there is THAT performance from Austin Texas...however, the studio version on Ah Via Musicom featured a strat recording the intro and the rest of the piece was actually recorded with a Gibson 335 :)

Awesome playing!

@BenEller

15 күн бұрын

Thanks a lot!

And then there's a whole song after that!

Great vid sir

Ben, your Cliffs sound awesome!! Thanks for sharing this with us! We love EJ!!!!!!!!!!!!

@BenEller

19 күн бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Thx again Uncle Ben🎉✨

@BenEller

15 күн бұрын

My pleasure!

I learned this intro when I was in high school, and it was about the coolest thing I could play at the time. I sorta forgot how to play it over the years, but recently went back and tried to play it from memory....man, this song is HARD. I forgot how much work is required to actually play it well, it's no joke because it requires you to basically get every pick stroke in the right direction or else it stands out like a sore thumb

Love Strats. Love EJ. Love Troy Grady. Love downward pick slanting. LOVE that "Berserker" shirt!

Thanks Uncle Ben !

Amazing work

@BenEller

18 күн бұрын

Thank you! Cheers!

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).

Great playing as always. Thank you for the look into your process, and tips on how to get more better.

Nice job! Subscribed!

I always like to watch other people's learning process. This was really insightful and I nabbed a trick or two to help me learn more better. Can't believe I never thought to use flex time!

I think this is my favorite video. You've made so far. I've never tried to learn that song. Now. You make me wanna try to learn a sound

@BenEller

17 күн бұрын

That means a lot! Thanks!

Excellent video as always! Would love to see the same "dissection" of Eugen's trick bag...

@BenEller

19 күн бұрын

Great suggestion!

good stuff, well done

Hoping the main riff vamp will be hashed out too. One of my favorite guitar parts ever! Lifts me out of any depression, more than any ssri could ever do!

All My Life was my favorite song when it came out and i was in 5th grade! When i started playing guitar a few years later and finally heard Cliffs of Dover i immediately noticed that it was the All my Life arpeggios (theirs are in Eb instead of G though)

Incredibly accurate lesson. :) This intro has always been hell for me as a natural upward pickslanter...

Not too shabby at all Ben! I'll grab your transcription and start pounding my head against the wall!!!

At 9:27 your tab is correct. I had an old Wild Stringdom article written by EJ himself where he tabbed that out. Nice job.

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Oh nice!!!

Great video!

@BenEller

19 күн бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Well done, young man. Super challenging piece.

@BenEller

20 күн бұрын

Thank you kindly!

There's been many a meer man who have gone crazy trying to learn this shit 🤯🤘😎

0:27: * Reaper walks by * "Look at that DAW :o"

You're my peer hero! This is fantastic.

3:41 "From what I can make out I think it starts here" Lmao. You're fucking hilarious, Uncle Ben ❤

'Ain't nobody got time fuh dat!" Thanks, Uncy Bang!

Dude! I love it!!

@BenEller

19 күн бұрын

I'm glad!

Ben, that is impressive.

Didn't really care about learning the song but when I heard your way of looking at the shapes and techniques I have to learn it! Genious insight man, thanks:)

Cracking the Code is what brought me to you. I love CtC but I find that you have been able to break down the concepts in a way that makes a lot more sense to my lizard brain