I Tried Learning Cliffs of Dover in 1 DAY. Here's What Happened...

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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!

[@BenEller]

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]

Love it uncle Ben!

[@baduktiger7661]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHPMm4ehi6x0h7c

[@StratOCasterMIJ90]

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

[@Hollowbethynam-vz6ug]

Why do it ? we need original songs from people.

[@reaganbrowneofficialyoutube]

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

[@tomgsk]

“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

[@RayzaEFC]

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

[@adamschronk3620]

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

[@terrydactylspontaneous2596]

2-0.

[@Joe-mz6dc]

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

[@peerzy_mark_iv]

Or more than Everton ever will 😂

[@mobsiesixsixsix9785]

@@peerzy_mark_iv Yes, because Everton are a well know guitar playing team...... You must be one of those Man Utd fans.

[@andywoodmusic]

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]

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

[@hexpaul1714]

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]

So glad to hear that!

[@axepraise]

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]

uhuhuhhu you said bend over uhuhuhuh

[@sepiarain]

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.

[@chuckcunningham8618]

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

[@christophorhill2320]

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

[@BrianH020]

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! 🤘

[@CruedEP]

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.

[@ChanceSteward]

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!

[@uneartheros]

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]

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

[@richtoomsen9100]

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.

[@silvertear87]

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]

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

[@marksr12]

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"

[@halfhourpowerhour]

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

[@michaeljulius5895]

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

[@Double_0_7_Strings]

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.

[@oooMELTONooo]

Ben! I'd almost lost hope in learning this song. I love the perspective of how both picking angle, and pattern change the playability of it. *mind blown*. Thank you, and nice job man!!

[@Unibabble]

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!

[@SamBarvels]

“Look at that dog!” -Uncle Ben

[@BenEller]

That thing looked wild!!!

[@SamBarvels]

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

[@infinidominion]

His name was Eric Dogson

[@zenlandzipline]

@@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]

That dog shit on his lawn?

[@hotblackdesiato3451]

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

[@captaincanada8872]

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

[@jamesgoddard2321]

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]

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

[@metalheadrelic9873]

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

[@justsomeguy727]

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]

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.

[@aaronkaaimarino]

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. 👍

[@hwmbo727]

I like that you give good value in your videos with appropriate humility. I would never have gleaned enough to learn the right technique from just trying to play along with Cliffs of Dover.

[@FernandoOliveira1979]

I have been following you since forever. Great content!

[@GnRmike]

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

[@jimforce2690]

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

[@GuillermoSmyser]

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.

[@jimmyowenmusic]

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 ❤

[@GregsGarage]

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

[@han1075]

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]

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.

[@Feverdream7777]

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

[@maximumguitarage]

Nice 👍

[@eggnog52]

Always wondered what that knob did

[@leaharrington4472]

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!

[@DisruptedSinner]

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! :)

[@michaelwade379]

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!

[@SimonEichingerGuitarist]

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

[@carltonecho3]

Fun!!! Really enjoyed your lesson. Great insights into Sir.Johnson’s technique.

[@TheEwingTube]

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!

[@jamwayofaiken-augustarockb7643]

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]

That means a lot! Thanks!

[@io3010]

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

[@BenEller]

Thanks for watching!

[@guitaristinterrupted3558]

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

[@JohnWalker262]

I have been trying to figure this out since it was released. Nice job Ben!

[@patandmacmusic]

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

[@tonyferguson9315]

Haha just yesterday I was trying to learn the famous live version of the song so funny timing this came out! Thanks Ben!

[@eddiejr540]

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]

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

[@vorpalblades]

I was totally a thresher back in 1887.

[@eddiejr540]

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

[@GusMitchell-mh7pl]

Did Mozart help you?

[@TreatzTMA]

Super video! I remember back in the day working on those 5’s thinking (as you mention) “must be alternate picked”, zombie like, til I finally said “fuck it” and did the double down stroke thing. Nice day’s work and gorgeous Strat!!

[@rustyshackleford288]

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

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

I appreciate the tips on getting the hard parts down.

[@andrewwasson6153]

14:24 As soon as you played that at a speed my brain could follow, I was like dammit! 5’s! EJ and his dang 5’s again. No wonder I can never follow that part (or any of the rest of the intro). Thanks for the lesson Uncle Ben. I’m going to figure this one out. Saw Eric about 10-15 years ago in a small club. It was pretty amazing to see love for sure.

[@actualturtle2421]

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!

[@timothystorm9576]

Fun video, Ben! I do the same sort of freeze frame approach to when trying to nail riffs too. Think it's just sort of something our brain does naturally.

[@JeffMathews1713]

Man this videos is amazing. Where was this a year ago? Very well done. Time to play it now.

[@13lake]

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]

Oooooh

[@Hexus13th]

@@BenEller yes please. That song rules.

[@kristjan1338]

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:)

[@Dajuro]

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

[@iuffjfu]

Awesome job bro !!! Seriously great video

[@Dan-zq5wt]

I love this guy! We all need humor when hacking through the most challenging licks of the great masters.

[@BenEller]

❤️🍕❤️

[@GJ-ct4ru]

Hi Ben just wanted to say I learned this back around the same time 04/05 and found it a nightmare took ages let alone in a day 👏 been watching your videos for a long time and have found you are the number 1 authority if you want to learn something properly just wanted to say you are a fantastic player and an inspiration to many of us who are trying to get to your level 👍

[@JC_Walker]

Great video man. Loved it! I think he is hammering on from nowhere on the last note of the scary 5 note flurry at the end. I remembering seeing it somewhere on a live version and that’s the only way I could ever get close to having any sort of fluidity with it. Skipping over that D string is impossible lol

[@Rickkelley365]

Ben thank you so much for this video. The humility of it is refreshing. Excellent job on the tone too. I fell into guitar with Enter Sandman in 1991 before the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Not long after I found The Extremist and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Then a buddy of mine and I were talking one day and he was like, "Dude you have to listen to Eric Johnson." I bought that purple CD and it blew me away. I And still have it. EJ is one of the most gifted and graceful to ever do it.

[@OverpoweredByMonk]

Love your channel man! Keep on keepin on!

[@BenEller]

Appreciate it!

[@andrewpappas9311]

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]

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.

[@yurkshirelad]

I love those tall triads and that flag pole thingy. What an amazing composition and well done for tackling and teaching it.

[@BenEller]

Thank you very much!

[@TechMetalRules]

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

[@PostalPaulyShredz]

Well done, young man. Super challenging piece.

[@BenEller]

Thank you kindly!

[@fabiotarcisio2269]

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

[@hexn00b52]

Epic song. Great job uncle Ben!

[@keenanwhitham4920]

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.

[@jy285]

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]

Oh nice!!!

[@algill71]

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]

Hey man, cheers! And good luck!

[@heathdavidsonmusic]

You're my peer hero! This is fantastic.

[@Krullmatic]

Thanks for breaking this down Uncle Ben! If I ever get brave enough to try it, I know where to come back to on getting it right.

[@BenEller]

You can do it!

[@karlwiebe3806]

Most excellent!!! Impeccable timing as well. I'BRAVELY decided to tackle this as a project, and all of a sudden, like the Lord himself heard my prayers, HERE IT IS!!! It's coming from Ben, so you know its accurate as it could possibly be, and in bite sized pieces as not to overwhelm. Goes along well with Crystal Planet, so when I'm having an emotional meltdown over one, I can amplify my burden with the other, lol. Eric opened for Joe in a 1,000 seater, Vancouver, 1989 I believe. Life changing. Keep up the most excellent of excellence. It's so apparent it's for the Love of the game.

[@TheMirrorify]

I really enjoyed this. That particular Austin City Limits version of that song is one of the only things that pulls me away from more metal focused stuff. People like to rip on overly pentatonic leads but man I find it really challenging to play at speed, way harder than 3nps. EJ will always be my pick for fast but still melodic with a tonne of feel. You really got this thing under control in a day man, well done.

[@Rico__B]

Awesome playing!

[@BenEller]

Thanks a lot!

[@drewdunn2066]

Nice Strat and playing, Uncle Beast. The lesson was nice too.

[@BenEller]

Glad you liked it!

[@Spider._.dust_music]

Nice job Ben🤘🤘🤘

[@phil12323]

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 :)

[@musicbypetegonzales4814]

Great video!

[@BenEller]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@tylerlawson9247]

The fact that you can play this song as well as you do with just 1 day-ish of practice is frigin amazing! Hope to hear you play it through as good as the OG with a little more practice.

[@aandc2005]

Ben your such a good guitar player and really it didn't take you that long to learn that.. us mortals like myself it would have taken a lot longer.. well done!!! Very well done in fact! Love those triads!!👍😃🤘🎸

[@hearpalhere]

Fried gold indeed, that's hot Ben! Nice job and thanks for another great lesson.

[@stx4905]

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

[@BenEller]

Great suggestion!

[@Petes-Vintage]

This is an awesome lesson. Funny... I've been playing it the exact same way you play it around 9:13. A little different but very close -- and I got that idea from that exact same video. But it's the one lick that I can't seem to get quite right. Great tips - hoping this will help me finally nail it.

[@joker57]

Thanks Ben

[@Godmil]

Impressive! Can't believe you transcribed it that quickly too.

[@michaelgiordano6490]

Holy crap! Great job!!!

[@zaphods2ndhead193]

I used to work at a great jazz bar called Caravan of Dreams. They had more than just jazz. Every year Eric would come through and play 2 shows a night for 3 nights. I NEVER saw or heard him miss a note. I wish I was exaggerating. It was awe inspiring and humbling at the same time. On top of that, he is a super nice guy.

[@BobFJr]

12:57 "More Smoothlier" Another classic Ben-Ism (Benglish). Sounds great!!

[@robbaultman2447]

Ben - you are the best. Love watching your vids.

[@BenEller]

Glad you like them!

[@JimDewdGuitars]

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

[@StuPedassol]

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

[@mrcurtis73]

Fun video! I might have to take a crack at this, too.

[@BenEller]

Go for it!

[@mf9309]

Nice job! Subscribed!

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

You’re one bad hombre, Uncle Ben. 🤙🏼🔥

[@TheZynMan]

good stuff, well done