Eric Johnson - Cliffs of Dover - The Bald Guitarist - Guitar Cover

[@edununez4710]

Great job!

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

@edununez4710 thanks! Best of luck to you working through those licks. Look forward to seeing your video in the future! 🤘💪

[@mikelai9897]

Brilliant cover! Underated guy here

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thank you!

[@RTDURAZO]

Very well done, tone is great and I can tell you are having a lot of fun. Awesome work.

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thanks man! Definitely had a blast playing this one.

[@Axiomatus]

I didn't realize how much I missed listening to you practice this song until this very moment. Well done sir - past Chris is very jealous of present Chris. Incredible stuff!

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Haha you did hear it ALOT back in the day. Present Chris is mindblown at how good past Chris thought he was (freaking dunning-Kruger man), and hopefully will be further surpassed by future Chris. Lol Thanks bro!

[@chrishirsch2958]

You don’t suck now.

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Haha, thanks dad!

[@ryanwalker3015]

Mr. Hirsch, let me personally thank you for shaming your son into a great guitarist/teacher. That snide comment of yours is the gift that keeps on giving. Ha. Thanks. And if you want to keep it going, tell him, "Ok good. Now lets hear the acoustic version you were working on." Boom.

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

@@ryanwalker3015 oh man, don't do me like that. Hahaha

[@ryanwalker3015]

I love being able to brag on my guitar teacher and have videos like this to show someone his actual chops. Killer cover man. Look, if this new hybrid school schedule is anything like your hybrid picking, my kids will do great!

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thanks man, appreciate all your support! Hopefully the hybrid school schedule will start working faster than my hybrid picking did back in the day. 😂

[@damianmmx]

Nice man

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thanks!

[@rachelsmithmusic20]

Epic playing, man!

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thanks, I'm you enjoyed it!

[@trecool9336]

wish i can play this

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Took me like 10 years of working on it before I recorded this video, hah!

[@EricBourassa]

Oh my god you did THE WHOLE SONG

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

For sure! Had that picking breakthrough earlier this year, so I thought it was finally time to go for it!

[@EricBourassa]

It’s all about earning our father’s approval- that’s what REALLY motivates us, isn’t it???

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Hahaha, definitely a large contributing factor

[@TheBrunocamposdasilv]

Can you make a vídeo explaining how you made this tone? I would like so much to know, your set up for this song, and parameters. Nice very nice cover, play this song is my objective in the guitar, and learn how to get Eric Johnson tone would help a lot, thanks since now

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

I definitely can add a tone rundown to my list of potential videos! Getting his tone is super tricky, and I think I could even still make several improvements to what I recorded.

[@TheBrunocamposdasilv]

It would be nice ^^

[@michaelrollins5299]

Still love the opening to this song and your touches on it. Your tone preferred over the original actually👍🏼👍🏼

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Whoa now, lets not get blasphemous. Hahaha thanks dude! 😆

[@trecool9336]

yeah the metal tone feel

[@TheJackFlash]

Shreds over Dover?

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Haha, maybe a little. 🤘😂

[@thepolocuber655]

You prooved your dad wrong

[@WingmanStudios]

You have excellent technical abilities, and this was a great cover. However, there were some minor errors in your setup and playing that you could improve upon: 1) Eric Johnson sets his pickups at Bridge + Middle (#4 position), not Neck (#1) position, as you had yours. The result is a different tone, though your pickups may be voiced differently. Still a decent tone though. More on your tone later. 2) For notes, you definitely hit 99% of them. However, in the intro, you skipped a set of three notes at about 0:10 during the descending pattern of 15-12-14. You did hit the set twice, however in the original song, Eric Johnson plays it three times. Also, a moment later you used pulloffs on the 5-7-6-5 section of the high E string at about 0:12 in. These are supposed to be picked, as the attack is very distinct in the original song, which is quite noticeable. These are relatively minor errors though, and I only mention them as notes and advice for you if you wanted to redo and improve upon this cover, since you clearly have the skill set to do so. 3) On tone, my only serious criticism would be your overuse of pinch harmonics. While you are clearly very skilled at making them, to be blunt they are used sparingly in the original song, and for good reason. Pinch harmonics, if used tastefully, accentuate the best parts of a song. They are the proverbial "cherry on top", if you will. However, when used in excess, like alcohol, they can make you drunk (and crash into things in your song). If you use them only occasionally it will make a better end-product for the listener. 4) Your embellishments are the only thing that detract from your cover of this song. The descending scale pattern at 0:18 is out of place in the song. The ascending broken chords (triads) that Eric Johnson uses in that section follow a special pattern that a listener can pick up on, drawing their interest, and your scale breaks/disrupts that pattern. An old and wise saying: Don't fix what isn't broken. Look at the Rick Graham cover of this song, it is wildly popular, with a like/dislike ratio beyond most covers of this song. Clearly a faithful note-for-note reproduction of the song trends better than a "shred" version of this song. 5) Lastly, and most importantly, don't misconstrue my intent in writing this comment as a criticism. I like your style, and your backstory on this song is touching. I can tell it inspired you to spend years practicing an art that likely has not yielded a return beyond your own satisfaction. However, that is all a hobby really is about, is finding what makes you happy. For me, that's what this song is about: being happy. And I have listened to countless covers of it, both from amateurs and skilled guitarists, and rarely (perhaps less than 1% of the time) do I find a cover that I consider a faithful reproduction, or even slightly improved (which is even more rare). Mostly I find the "shred" versions, like Cole Rolland's version, to be distasteful, not because he lacks technical ability (something which he bears in excess), but moreover because he gets the "feel" of the song wrong. His cover (unlike yours) has an even worse tone (it sounds something like metal) and he fails to sustain certain key notes in the song, or use vibrato, and the result is that his cover suffers from a severe case of "shredderitis", which afflicts most covers of this song by skilled guitarists. This song it supposed to be upbeat, lifted up by the little things, like the section between 1:45 and 1:50. That's melodic (in the original song). The solos in the song are definitely impressive, but are actually not what most people listen to it for. They listen to it for the main chorus and verses (which are 'head-bopping' goodness), and the clever interludes/transitional pieces that Eric Johnson uses to weave them together (which is the only true purpose the solos serve: as interludes of technical mastery). This song earned Eric Johnson a Grammy for a reason: Because it is compositionally genius, and harmonically balanced. The ending matches the beginning, bringing the listener full circle to a "complete" song. The only version better than the studio version is perhaps his 1988 Austin City Limits performance, which manages to utilize even more creative harmony than the studio version! There are fundamentally two types of skilled guitarists: "Shredders" (like Herman Li, Cole Rolland, Yngwie Malmsteen, etc) who can play a million notes per second, but lack the "feel" for a good upbeat melody, versus "Composers" like Eric Johnson, whose primary goal is to make enjoyable music that people will actually listen to (not just other guitarists listening), and he simply uses the guitar as a tool to implement that goal. But playing the guitar alone is not his goal. Listen to some of Eric Johnsons' interviews on here, he essentially says the same thing himself. You definitely have the ability to play. The only question is, do you want to "shred", or do you want to make music? I hope you find my advice constructive, and I hope to have given you food for thought. I only write a long comment when I think there is something worth considering in my words. Ciao for now.

[@killz323]

Okayyy bro who gives a f***

[@marcoantoniosalinasdeudor3969]

I am intermediate. I just hope i can olay the guitar like that . that was awesome man

[@TheBaldGuitarist]

Thanks man! Just keep practicing and you'll get it eventually. Took me 8 years from getting a tab and posting this video, so don't give up!