Top 5 Best Frank Zappa Riffs of All Time! Weekend Wankshop 211 with Uncle Ben
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Hey kids! Today would have been the 78th birthday or Frank Zappa, one of the most important figures in 20th century music! Whether you know him as a humorist and satirist, a political activist, or a brilliant composer, one thing is inarguable: Frank knew how to write some MONSTER riffs, and influenced TONS of bands like Clutch, Mastodon, Rage Against the Machine, and many more. So as a tribute, on today's episode of Weekend Wankshop, i'm going to be showing you all how to play the top 5 BEST Frank Zappa riffs of all time!
Lots of cool stuff to work on here to improve your phrasing, riff writing, and picking skills. We are also gonna be talking scales, intervals, and time signature counting tricks!
I got into Frank's music many years ago after first seeing Dweezil Zappa's incredible Zappa Plays Zappa band, so hopefully hearing these will get you inspired to check out his music, too!
Contents:
Bamboozled by Love: 1:20
Magic Fingers: 3:40
Five Five FIVE: 7:09
Eat That Question: 11:50
Muffin Man: 15:20
Gear: Les Paul with Suhr SSH/SSV pickup set. MojoTone wiring and switching.
Kemper Profiler, Top Jimi Brown Sound profiles
Suhr J Classic bass with Neural DSP B7K plugin
Superior Drummer 3
Whats you favorite Frank riff?! Let me know in the comments!
Пікірлер: 519
Being a Zappa fan actually makes you a better musician by both proximity and osmosis.
@simonlambeth666
5 жыл бұрын
First time I have watched you nice style!!
@NolalanD
5 жыл бұрын
also by attitude and sense of humor
@mikenethery9418
Жыл бұрын
I beg to differ...nothing remarkable with zappa...unless u like that sort thing (less the melody)
@lexo30
2 ай бұрын
Not if you don't practice...
Zappa! He doesn't get the recognition he deserves. His sense of humor overshadowed the true bad ass innovator he was.
@arnieslab
5 жыл бұрын
AeolianReflex you’re so right. He’s known more for his off the wall lyrics, which are great but his talent as a musician is huge.
@davedecker1725
5 жыл бұрын
If you set the humor aside, ( St. Alphonzo, father O' blivion, Montana, etc.etc etc etc.etc) Frank has his band KILLING IT!!!
@nesseq
5 жыл бұрын
AeolianReflex, I don't really agree with you. Zappa gets more and more recognized by classical and jazz musicians. All I can say is thank God for little favors.
@GorgeousRoddyChrome
5 жыл бұрын
AeolianReflex He gets the recognition, all right. By othe musicians. Always has.
@dohoeijmans2432
5 жыл бұрын
this is true for the mainstream radio listening public. Not true in the world of music.
Nobody ever talks about "Eat that Question". That whole album is a masterpiece.
In '77 I had 2nd row center tickets in L.A. I was...partaking heavily...and kept screaming "Muffin Man" while standing on my seat, after every song. A little way in he walked over, leaned over, and motioned with his hand down, saying "O.K., we've had our fun, now calm down". When he finally started the song he came over with a big smile and pointed at me.
Good night Austin Texas ! Wherever you are !
@Marcells44
5 жыл бұрын
So much charisma. All of Frank's elegant disdain is caught in this sentence. Sometimes I listen to Muffin Man just to hear it.
Frank Zappa was the only artist with his own category in the record shop when I grew up. Truly unique👍
So many great Zappa riffs! Cant name just one!
What’s New in Baltimore? has a badass riff.
"Jazz is Not Dead, it just smells funny!" ___Frank Zappa
I’m the slime! Spotted it on the intro. Also, Muffin man is so simple, yet so badass. I love noodling over a loop of that riff
@jamesthe-doctor8981
5 жыл бұрын
Capt'n Shred Dweezil was just here with his Choice Cuts Tour and let a young kid from the audience play drums on Muffin Man. I'm not sure if that was actually planned, but he also had a guest singer from the local School of Rock sing Valley Girl. Probably my least favorite FZ song, but it was very cool to see a young teenager performing even that FZ song. After all, Dweezil has said from the beginning that his main purpose is to bring his dad's music to a generation that would never otherwise hear it.
Some of my favorites: -Almost anything off of One Size Fits All (especially Florentine Pogen) -Watermelon In Easter Hay -TinselTown Rebellion But with Zappa there's no wrong answer Haha
Frank Zappa's one of those players who really transcend music genres -- the guy was so ahead of his time. Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us some tasty riffs for Christmas, Uncle Ben.
@JDBodine
5 жыл бұрын
TheGuitar Person Frank Zappa pretty much was a genre all his own. Hilarious, a little sarcastic, and didn’t exactly write lyrics like the usual stuff you’d hear. A little bizarre even, some probably thought he was out there on drugs or something, as I understand it he never touched the stuff. But the music, his guitar work were second to none ahead of his time and still none quite like him now.
@SpaceCattttt
5 жыл бұрын
He was not ahead of his time. If he was, we'd all be listening to his style of music today. But instead, music peaked with Zappa, and then it deteriorated to the point that it died. And today, it's completely gone. There's nothing left but the shit that would've never gotten signed during the golden age.
@mabusestestament
4 жыл бұрын
@Bad Axe It depends on your definition of drugs 😋 He didn't use what people generally 'count' as drugs, but he was a chain smoker and drank coffee constantly and both nicotine and caffeine, especially by large intake, can be qualified as drugs ☕️
@SalamaSond
4 жыл бұрын
Contextual factoid for those still experiencing Early Zappa Exposure Whiplash: Nicolas Slonimsky, the preeminent lexicographer of 20th century classical music, once described Frank as "THE pioneer of the next millennia of music."
We agree on #1 ... I saw FZ play live, quite close, 3 time in the early 70's . Including the Bongo Fury tour with Beefheart... Before he had added any other guitarists to his live shows. Phenomenal!
So glad you did this Ben. It’s a great thing to introduce people to the incredible works of Frank. There really is something for everyone in his catalogue. Every generation needs to have the opportunity to hear his work, truly one of the greatest musicians ever.
I met him on the Broadway The Hard Way tour. He signed a guitar and an Apostrophe album for me. Tremendously nice person.
You made Frank's painful boiling hell blisters sizzle with delightful agony with your tribute. Being super cool is the best :)
Frank will always be my favorite guitar player, composer and atheist! Please do more Zappa stuff... Thanks a lot!
@reidwhitton6248
7 ай бұрын
"God is alive and the church is dead." - Frank Zappa
Could not agree more! Heard One size fits all album when I was a teenager and it made an huge impact on me. Been a huge Zappa fan since.
The riff behind the solo in Packard Goose!
I was hoping Muffin Man made the cut. There is a live version of this track that is just so cool. Adrian Belew on his Strat and Frank on his SG was just so friggin' tight...and the little licks and fills he throws in just amp up the riff to God level. Frank is the man.
Thank you so much Ben for showing some frank Zappa riffs , good to know he is not forgotten , I myself have covered muffin man so many times , but franks playing was one of a kind , I only tried to do it justice , thank you dude !
Frank was a true Artist, rock's closest thing to a true renaissance man. He has been acclaimed as a genius for his versatility. He was a brilliant guitarist, a superb composer, a matchless bandleader, a movie producer, a record company executive, a human rights activist and an incomparable social satirist. He started out in the 60's as the leader of the zany avant-rock pioneers the Mothers. His subsequent solo work encompassed everything from jazz-rock to orchestral pieces, always delivered with Zappa's trademark humor. He succumbed to cancer in 1993, but the mind-boggling prolific workaholic left behind a staggering body of work. Genius is an overused word in pop, but it applies to Zappa in spades. I had the opportunity of speaking to Frank in the cafeteria when he was doing a show in Coral Gables at the University of Miami back in '76 ..... a great pleasure to talk to.
THE MUFFIN MAN IS MY FAVORITE SONG FOR RIFFS!!! SEEN DWEEZLE ABOUT 6 TIMES!!!🎸🥁🎹🎶🎼🎵🎸 IM BLOWN AWAY EVERY TIME I SEE HIM!!!
More Zappa lessons please!
Hey! “Magic Fingers”!!! Such an appropriately named tune! Man, it took me weeks to work out that riff from the record, back in the mid 70’s! And even longer to be able to play it at the right tempo! I learnt more from that riff in a fortnight than the previous 5 years practicing scales. And the same goes for “five, Five, FIVE”! The time signature on that tune is wicked. The use of unusual time signatures reminds me of the “What’s New In Baltimore” riff.
The melody in uncle meat is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard
"Black Napkins" from "Zoot Allures" is also a really really cool simple riff... And one of the Best solos ever imho!
@jakefry6919
3 жыл бұрын
Simple.......lol
@peturoliver9695
2 жыл бұрын
@@jakefry6919 the riff yeah
the most AWESOME lesson I have seen to date!!!! LOVE IT!!!
Glad you gave Muffin Man a shout out at the end. It's not a complex riff but it is heavy as hell and the guitar solos over it are one of the things that inspired me to switch from bass to 6-string guitar. Great video.
Very cool... you did such a good job breaking these riffs down man. Here's to you, will be watching more.
Ben: Thank you so very much for this incredible lesson! Great selections, and very well taught!
St. Etienne from the Jazz From Hell album is such a great instrumental. Also Joe's Garage and Sheik Yerbouti are great rock albums by Zappa. My favorite Frank era.
Fantastic video Uncle Ben! I'm also obsessed with Frank Zappa and his music. I've listened to about 30 of his albums. He's such a phenomenal guitarist and composer!
Not really a big ol' dirty Zappa riff but "Watermelon in easter hay" is too emotional and too good
@TheCentral.Scrutinizer
3 жыл бұрын
Yes it's my favorite, just hits different
@Borganov20
3 жыл бұрын
Good song to die to
@ericskinner7355
Жыл бұрын
The last time I saw Dweezil, tears rolled down his face when he played it.
@dougvolinski5824
2 ай бұрын
Go to Kelly Dean Allen guitar he does a nice video of it
This is awesome. Frank was unlike any other modern musician and perhaps actually even any musician in human history. The dude was just a fountain of musical information and ideas. Nice tribute, unc!
Absolute kudos for including the five five FIVE riff. Been wanting to play that one for ages, so intrigued by how unusual it sounds but could never really figure it out. Thanks!
That was fun! And of course Muffin Man is one of the greatest riffs ever - Goodnight Austin, Texas, wherever you are!
Ben! Just starting to watch this eppy. Thank you SO MUCH for the attention to Frank. ❤️❤️❤️
@Arfshesaid457
5 жыл бұрын
I get that you get Mr. Z. Massive props.
This is awesome! Thanks for this. You are a great teacher
Sometimes I wished Frank were my real dad Sadly they have both left this earth. My real dad bought me the Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar box set when it came out. That was really cool
I love Zappa! Thank you. 👍✨
Great Googley Moogley! Awesome video. Thank you!
Hey Ben! great video! I was at the Zappa plays Zappa concert where they filmed the DVD, it was crazy! We got there and there were signs everywhere say if you don't want to be on camera to leave. It was such an amazing show, Terry Bozzio and Steve vai, my head just about exploded. After it was over Dweezil comes out and says they need to redo several songs because mistakes, ended up being a 3 1/2 hour show. Just went and saw them again on November 26th, even though he band was stripped down a bit it was a great show.
My dad was a massive Zappa fan, but always managed to miss out on the shows he did in Sweden. He hates himself for it. Given this, I heard a lot of Frank's music growing up, but it didn't really stick for me. Took me about 10 years of playing guitar and rediscovering his discography for it to click. The dude was an absolute genius, both musically, lyrically and as a social commentator. Absolute madman.
This was enjoyable to watch. Frank was always bringing more to the music...
Thanks Ben Zappa is amazing and props to you for spreading the love!!!
Played Frank's music for years....in all of his different time signatures. Long live the music of Frank Zappa.
Absolutely love the five-five-five riff, one of my favourites of all time too.
This is 4 years old. I’ve been listening to Frank for 28 years. I’ve enjoyed this song and understood it viscerally for 26 years. You laid 555 out absolutely clearly here Ben and I thank you for that profusely. One samurai to another. Thank you indeed!
Splendid. Well done and demonstated.
As always, most excellent video. Thanks Ben....
Thanks for breaking down the riff on Five-Five-Five! I love that tune!
thanks a lot man! and boy do we need a part 2 or what!
This is awesome. Thanks for doing this, Ben. Looks like I'll be diving into a Zappa rabbit hole for the weekend.
Saw Frank in Australia in the Seventies , big band with folks like Ponty Underwood Duke .............awesome , thanks for the video
Happy birthday Frank! Great to see you keeping his music current.
Frank Zappa is way ahead of his time great job Uncle Ben.
FANTASTIC !!! Thanks a lot !!! 😍😍😍🤗🤗🤗👍👍👍
Appreciate this vid and all your many other lessons ben. Might as well say you're one of my guitar teachers
I love Zappa's guitar playing. In my book, it's always been 1. Page 2. Hendrix 3. Zappa. After that, it don't matter to me. Thanks, your good. Frank was such an innovator. Five Five Five is one of my favorite tunes on Shut Up and Play Your Guitar. LedHed Pb 207.20 🎶 🎸 🎹
More Zappa please
this is one off the greatest video about that huge artist ,Frank Zappa,thank u man for sharing .
who the hell disliked this? this is one of your best videos. really nice introduction to zappa and explained very clearly. the 5/8-5/4 counting stuff is incredibly useful.
I’m super late to this party, but daaaamn… these are some really great selections! Especially Five-Five-Five🔥 Thank you Ben!
Nice job dude!! Good choices and interesting video! I have been a Frank Zappa fan since about 1973 I think! I had the privilege of attending many of the legendary Halloween concerts that he would do every year at the Palladium Theater in New York City! I don't think I've ever seen a performer and a band and music anything like Frank Zappa! A live Zappa show is an experience like nothing else.... you never know what to expect!!!
Sleep dirt- a must have for Zappa fans. Great post and thanks for all you do!!
By far the biggest influence musically on my life, two songs come to mind, Zombi Woof, and Florentine Pogen from the Dub room special, but the songs you picked are all great!
This is fun! Having listened to a lot of Zappa in the past ("a lot" being roughly "verything"), I thought to myself when I started watching your video "what's the first riff coming to mind from Zappa's rather large opus?" Turns our the first one that came to my mind was your #1 pick.
late to the video but, black napkins, sinister footwear II, apostrophe, zoot allures, & watermelon in easter hay are some of my favorites of his. thanks for breaking some of these down so i can learn them! not many zappa lessons on youtube
Wow this is a great list. 4 out of 5 of these are super under appreciated (muffin man is the fifth, everyone loves that song) and even if it’s not my top 5 they would probably all be in my top 20 somewhere
The whole Zappa family is amazing to me! Great listen. I love the fact that your 5150 is keeping your Kemper from floating away 😄
Well done. I've been waiting for this for a long time. This deserves a part II.
@BenEller
5 жыл бұрын
Greggery Peccary a comment by Greggery Peccary himself?!?!
@greggerypeccary7491
5 жыл бұрын
The Peccary of destiny, adventure and romance himself. I really dig your channel and I hope you ad more FZ lessons. As you might have notice there are just a few. I guess not many dare to to do it. Thank you.
@podxtv
5 жыл бұрын
+1 on a part2
@arthurfremminger1680
5 жыл бұрын
@@greggerypeccary7491 I wonder if 'Big Swifty' himself will be the next one to comment in this thread?
Enjoyed your video. Frank was my first concert in 1974.
My favourite Riff Frank Zappa-Son of Orange county,Love the guitar Man! 👍
Sick! Great choices of riffs! Thanks for honoring the Zapp.
The riff from Muffin Man always makes me cry. It's just..... Frank.
Love this!
Dear Uncle Ben, Frank is great and your lessons are great too greets a Zappa/Uncle Ben fan
Finally somebody is honoring the greatest composer ever
Nice one! Love a bit of zappa
Great video....one of the first riffs I wanted my guitar instructor to teach me was Dumb all Over by Zappa!
Awesome lesson bro! Frank was a freaking genius!!!
Great video lad! Have a good holiday.
OMG an Uncle Ben Zappa lesson i love it
I've been listening to Frank for 30 years now and I will be listening to him till the end!!!! YES and Emerson Lake and Palmer of are my other 2 mains stays!!!
Uncle Ben man after I got way older I started to really listen to Frank's Music and found that he was great player and better composer!. As a youth all we every played was don't eat the yellow snow how sad we were now that I look back on it.
As always, Mr Eller, you are a scholar and gent... FZ was/is an icon.
Great selections!
Yesterday just watched Frank's Torture never stops. Guitar solo so off in some places which makes it great. And Steve Vai background screaming. Great live improvised solo with LesPaul.
Love Magic Fingers! Very fun to play.
Oh man! I hadnt seen this video yet. Love zappa. Inca Roads off "One Size Fits All" is totes! Also, Pajama People. All those solos are crazy. Its like he's playing thru his neck pic up with a wah!
Just Awesome man!
My friend you have a New sub. Not many guitar players tackle zappa joints. Excellent work!
Japp japp Thanks a lot.. verry funny playing time! Cause i still miss zappa ...
Great vid, love Zappa 👍
great exlanation of five-five-five, kind of similar to the way Frank explained "Thirteen" live
I never thought I was allowed to Play a Zappa Riff. That's like trying to Play God
FIVE!FIVE!FIVE!!! thanks,fantastic!!
Love it, Ben! Bit late now, but I would also add Zomby Woof. It’s a veritable cornucopia of slum-demolishing mammoth riffs.
Been a fan of Frank since as a young lad I secretly listened to my brothers record and tape collection, strictly out of bounds, and found that he had one tape of Zappa, Apostrophe. Loved it and was singing by heart all the way through high school. Then grew up and bought all the rest. Frank was and still is the best.