How to play The Hunter by Mastodon | Weekend Wankshop 232 with Uncle Ben

Downloadable TABS, bonus lessons, backing tracks, and MORE available on my Patreon page! / benellerguitars
instagram: BenEllerGuitars #weekendwankshop232
unclebeneller
Hey kids! Its your good buddy Uncle Ben with another Mastodon guitar lesson!
You all have been asking me to cover some of the more recent Mastodon material, so i chose the amazingly sick intro to The Hunter from their album of the same name! Its in drop C tuning and features some awesome chord playing centered around a minor/Maj7 tonality. Dig it.
Be sure to let that 1st string ring open and clean through these chords, it can be tricky, but its worth it! Muster up a slightly broken up clean tone, and use your bridge pickup.
What other Mastodon songs or riffs do you want to see featured on future WW episodes? Let me know in the comments!
Ibanez RG520
Dimarzio evolution bridge
Kemper Profiler

[@jasina556]

YEAAAH! MASTODON EPISODE! YOU GOTTA GIVE US THE CZAR LESSON!

[@HALman1973]

Ben gets allergies: tunes his voice to drop C.

[@tfriesen3866]

🤣

[@SamBarvels]

No excuses. Neither cold or allergies will stop Uncle Ben.

[@250count]

I clicked because I was hoping to see the chorus with the heavy phaser on it. I think I've got something pretty close, but it never hurts to check. Great video, though!

[@MrMetalhorse]

I hate fucking hate season changes. My throat is killing me right now. I feel your pain Ben.

[@scriptosaurusrex]

Mastodog snoring away. Too cute.

[@MFKR696]

This is one of my favorite Mastodon tracks. So much feels lol.

[@GillRigged]

TOTALLY worth a video demonstration. Fucking love this one 😍

[@Goose21]

Can you plz try Joseph Merrick none of the tabs make sense for that

[@ATthemusician]

Please try bedazzled fingernails too (: I think I understand the main riff and I'm pretty sure it switches between 6/8 to 7/8, don't know about the pre chorus though.

[@peterball2855]

Sick Ben. Please please do the solo

[@williamkimball3782]

Absolutely amazing as always !!! Thanks Ben what a great way to start the weekend :0) **HEARTS ALIVE**

[@fullwaverecked]

That riff is deeply melodic... like your voice :) great video!

[@BenEller]

Full Wave Recked pretty sexy and phlegm, right?

[@fullwaverecked]

@@BenEller think of it as phlegmboyant...

[@fullwaverecked]

@@BenEller haunting, to say the least.

[@innerdawn]

the sequence of solos in The Hunter are ones of the most amazing in rock history, and I couldn't find not even one video in entire youtube! so underated! still looking for it!

[@cesarbeltran6583]

New Millennium Cyanide Christ would be awesome man! \m/ gotta love Meshuggah

[@tarkenton3895]

Thrashy 7 string Meshuggah riff comp from ben

[@MetridiumMoose]

You’re an absolute beast uncle Ben! The gods of guitar smile fondly on your work 🔥🙏 I had the opportunity to meet the guys in Toronto before a show last year. Shook Brents right hand 🤯 nice to have these tutorials to aid my lacking left hand that was not blessed nor touched by divinity lol

[@deadvegas208]

YES my favorite album and song.

[@aek4018]

more "how to play" series! ;) lov yo work, bro. take care, Ben!

[@monceber945]

Thank you, Uncle Ben! Pursue happiness with diligence

[@griffinpierce7691]

Such a great song

[@markod442]

Your one hell of a musician Ben!!!! Dayuuuuuum

[@nimanikpoor2135]

Yum yum yum really missed the hard riff band weekend wankshops, hell yeah brotha

[@Obsequie]

Makes it look easy.

[@feno8983]

I see I was the only one who guessed the song on facebook right! Glad to see some appreciation for this song since in my opinion its not only my fav song off the hunter but also one of their best! I was actually playing a couple of notes wrongly here cuz ya know theres so many different tabz but now i can play it the right way so much love ! Whenever summer starts im suffering to allergy so I feel you, we need to stay strong ;)

[@yonikup2865]

Thought it would be for Dokken's the hunter riffs 😅 great video either way! (Tho i would love it if you could consider doing a lesson on dokkens the hunter as well)

[@dirtrocker2000]

Oh man a bladecatcher episode would rule

[@shane2613]

Ben Eller forever!

[@justinstrickland446]

what about "Toe to Toes" theres a couple cool riffs in there

[@jessedundon7078]

Neverending story?! Damn what a guy

[@matthesson5618]

DUDE?!?!? THE NEVER ENDING STORY INTRO?!?!? AMAZING MAN!!! Have you done a video for that?!!?

[@Axe_Slinger]

I would LOVE to find out how to properly play the intro to Triumph's song FIGHT THE GOID FIGHT. I learned an improper way to play it. Rik Emmett is a guitar GOD! Thanks for your consideration Uncle Ben.

[@Ledface117]

I see mastodon, i like the video

[@expatriate-life4431]

More than I can chew! Please

[@Noah_Jefferson]

Hey ben it would be super helpful if you could share some tips and tricks on how to write good metal riffs. I know lots of it is just playing around with power chords but is there any method to the madness? Love ur vids man🤘

[@EvilDeeDlivE]

Good tut, as always! Question on the tuning: when I try to tune to the low low, my strings get too flopsy. I have a set of "Not Even Slinky (12-56)," but I'm a little loathe to put them on, since I've heard that, with strings at that gauge, you risk neck distortion if you try a standard tuning, and I only have one crappy guitar. I love my metal, but I also enjoy playing blues-y and, idk melodic I guess. So... should I just go balls to the wall and suck it up for a while? Is there a happy medium, or a way I can tune around without having to change strings?

[@seanmeehan1437]

Uncle Ben x Mastodon 🤘💀

[@mr.peppercorn119]

I would love to see a hold the line tutorial

[@elonlovesyou]

Tasty!

[@guitargeek1984]

next up , Evile - "Man Against Machine" intro please?? 🙏🏽🤘🏽

[@metallica66625]

You should do some between the buried and me, or queens of the Stone Age

[@MK4vDubbin]

Damn that Ibby is something dudical.

[@PawelSiczek]

Is that the never-ending story theme in the intro?

[@jasonmentink2276]

Do Crack the Skye full song

[@gabe_dollr4125]

Great lesson tym Ben now go have hot tea.

[@guaxinicius]

belzebubs - cathedral of mourning

[@bestboy897]

Spooky

[@nicolasmorgan7068]

Can you make a lesson the intro to forests of legend by vektor?

[@BenEller]

that band rocks!

[@nicolasmorgan7068]

@@BenEller even though most of the band members left the vocalist is still writing music and I can't wait for the next album. I hope he can find some new musicians that are just as skilled

[@juklop]

They use a First Act custom shop 9 or 12 string sometimes , I’m thinking that’s what this one is played on

[@Ivegotwormsinme]

Chimaira was such a good band, and it's really too bad they called it quits. Chimaira is one of only 2 bands that I've met, drank beer with, and can say that they were great guys to hang out with. The other band is Fear Factory.

[@maldpotato497]

Uncle Ben, can you do a lesson on the acoustic solo of the song "Trust" by Megadeth?

[@pratik798]

A tutorial video on The Sparrow by Mastodon

[@jaycobmercado1409]

Is there distortion on that ?

[@fullwaverecked]

Bingo! First!

[@justinduncan5383]

Do you live in Knoxville?

[@kadeprice4464]

Is that The Never Ending Story theme song in the background?

[@jacktrevaskis7716]

what did you think of mastodons cover of stairway to heaven?

[@geetarzzzz]

Ben, do you like amon amarth???

[@nathanwebster9851]

Megadeth symphony of destruction would be awesome

[@BenEller]

there's a full solo lesson on my channel already!

[@nathanwebster9851]

Crazy train

[@amineldj683]

Hi i love your Channel but pleas can you.doing the lesson of ouverture 1928 pleas i love your channel

[@ademh3745]

You know Ben, I think it’s quite a shame that you haven’t done any Dokken songs on your channel despite playing in an 80s metal cover band (not to mention George Lynch is one of the best of all time) Seeing this video made me think, how about a lesson on “The Hunter” by Dokken

[@skidjs]

Where in E tenn?

[@Balltongue84]

How 'bout some Opeth?

[@BenEller]

VHS Decimator love em. Any suggestions?

[@Balltongue84]

@@BenEller Well everyone seems to play the main Blackwater Park riff wrong, so maybe that or the beginning of April Ethereal.

[@DiabeticCupcakeMW3]

My finger literally cannot stretch that far from the 5th to the 3rd high e without keeping my ring finger down and it's pissing me off

[@fullwaverecked]

Glad that's your dog snoring and not ehhrr... something else...

[@Hiljainenvesi]

Hmm. The intro of the hunter is also in this song kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5arh2qYoLqngrc

[@squiddle5193]

I erased every memory of this album from my consciousness, except "Spectrelight". That was pretty metal.

[@Damaged262]

Hey, isn't that one of those "pussy" songs as referenced in the movie The Stoned Age? Kidding, I'm just kidding, just kidding! I wish I could play it, thanks for the lesson, I'll do my best. (I just wanted to reference The Stoned Age, a great flick that often goes unnoticed, especially since it has that chick who looks like the chick from the Virgin Killer album in it!, lol). It also stars the daughter of the Mommas and Poppas named China Kantner, I just watched it a few days ago and this simply gave me the chance. At the end, it has the two members of Blue Oyster Cult who are still in the band selling Tee shirts, which is funny as hell, since I plan on adding a few concert tees left from the 70's that I plan on putting on the back (maybe the front) of a few of my guitars. I wish I still had the Black and Blue tee that I'd bought at a BOC/Black Sabbath Show. Too bad it had to be cut off me because of a nearly fatal car accident. I'd have loved to put both sides on some guitars, I might still have it, but I'll have to dig through some serious 1980's stuff if my mother still has it.

[@RobbieFitzgerald]

He definitely uses a 12 string, watch them play it live.

[@martinlander3906]

Marry me, Ben Eller.

[@luisownerbr]

Dokken plays it much better

[@ignaciohdz1491]

Mastodon sucks.