The REAL way to play I'm The One by Van Halen! Weekend Wankshop 209 with Uncle Ben

instagram @BenEllerGuitars
backing track by @JARupert
unclebeneller
skype lessons: mail [e-mail]
Hey kids! Uncle Ben back again with another classic riff DECODED! You guys have been asking for a full accurate transcription and lesson of I'm The One by Van Halen (from their legendary debut self-titled album) for a long time now, so i figured i should oblige and share these epic licks with you!
This is one of the sickest guitar songs of all time. Eddie was absolutely insane on this track. The swing, the guitar tone, the attitude... its perfection!
This lesson will take you through the intro of the song, including the crazy pull-off lick that nobody can seem to figure out. Its actually easier than what you've seen on other tabs and lessons after you learn the simple pattern!
Be sure to tune down 1/2 step to play along with this video. I'm using my Suhr Modern White Tiger, Top Jimi Brown Sound VH1 profile, and a Levi's Jean jacket to achieve my tone.
What classic Van Halen songs do you want to learn next? Let me know in the comments!!

[@BenEller]

Thank you all for learning the real way to play I’m the One by Van Halen! What other classic Eddie tunes do you want to learn on Weekend Wankshop?!

[@slaiv]

Summer Nights has got a rippin' intro that is just begging for one of your deep dives

[@arjunbali3194]

Tutorial on You're No Good needed Uncle Ben

[@nira]

Agreed! Summer Nights or "5150"!

[@mrmustard4478]

Spanish Fly!! Any parts you can manage. If any mortal can manage it, that is.

[@nicocascardo422]

Without a doubt, Top Jimmy!!!

[@basementrocker2764]

I cant remember who said this, but i believe its true: If Eruption was not on the record, this tune would have stole the show completely. What a masterpiece it is.

[@gregorymacdonnell7914]

@ basement rocker, I saw that video. It was another I`m the One lesson.

[@fatworksfoods]

I think if no Eruption, not this tune but the Ice Cream Man solo would have stolen the show. Just my thoughts...

[@mrbill6724]

@@fatworksfoods This!

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

I can see that. It’s just SO blisteringly (sure) badass, wicked and shockingly evil!

[@toddkalbfeld4602]

On Fire is the song that stole the record

[@MrChuckd6]

Uncle Ben, your service to slaying bad tabs and shifty transcriptions will go down in history

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

I Love You there I said it!!!!!!!

[@BenEller]

Robert Baker oh you!!! ❤️❤️❤️😘

[@canyoncarver]

@@BenEller Bromance!

[@marks8437]

Hard not to love what Uncle Ben does for guitarists; he gets my vote for coolest guitar teacher ever. Damn I wish he was my first instructor 40 years ago. I'll have to hire Uncle Ben for a year and use the Wayback machine to go back so he can teach my younger self. And then while my younger self is practicing my older self and Uncle Ben will hit all concerts I couldn't afford when I was a teenager (although I did see the VH 1984 tour).

[@geofre44]

5:37 it’s such a jumbled mess but so badass. Love it

[@chrissoares23]

Kinda criminal how easy you make it look Ben. And the look you give the camera when the drums are comin' in on the opening play through -Hold on to your boots boys here it comes. Priceless.

[@ironz18]

This song is a lot harder to play accurately than people think it is. It's all in the fast swing feel and to be in the pocket.

[@charlesdjones1]

No one thinks it's easy Holmes 🤣.

[@jonasirwin2409]

Thought this would be easy but the swing kicked my ass for the first 30 mins. Once I applied your advice on the upstroke, I dropped right into the pocket and it all came together. This tune is a blast to play. Thank you, Ben.

[@horuslupercal5437]

I was hoping for more Van Halen. I haven’t been able to stop playing drop dead legs since you did the lesson on it. Please do Floods by Pantera, uncle Ben.

[@sundigest1121]

The solo?

[@danstromness5165]

Best and purest VH song ever. Really kept it loose back in the day,

[@RJRonquillo]

Tone is spot on. Is the denim jacket modified?

[@BenEller]

R.J. Ronquillo I have a variac in my pocket boosting voltage.

[@chrisangela]

I agree, I nearly was so distracted by the perfect nailing of that tone, I forgot I was watching it for the riff!

[@cantyouhearmeknocking1961]

@@BenEller EVH used a variac to lower the voltage..

[@freshyz2963]

@@BenEller is it safe to have it in your pocket like that lmao

[@dusty3913]

Nails the pinch harmonic...gives a knowing glance. Nice!

[@js6220]

Ben I've seen a few tutorials on this song and I think yours is the best. Do you plan on continuing with the rest of the song? There are a number of challenging, but cool leads coming up! Thanks man

[@scottmcnaughton4143]

Thanks again, Ben for being such a stickler meseeks. A thorough analysis, Bro.

[@davereith54]

I played this on my Yamaha acoustic. That fast lick 12 frets lower. Blew people’s minds around the campfire!!

[@johnnypatterson77]

I've always wondered if Eddie ever saw videos like this one just to see if you got it right, lol, nicely done my good man.

[@user-pq1rc8yp9s]

Best Teacher on the Guitar World Hello from Germany Hamburg 🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@AnnieBagels]

never expected this connection but that first shredding lick reminds me so much of the way brent hinds plays now. this is gonna take me months thanks for this super accurate breakdown!

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

You know the song is badass when it still sounds great at step-dad speed. 👍🏻 Love the feel of the groove at half speed.

[@duncanmathers76]

Oh man! That was spectacular execution, Ben. Thanks for this lesson, too - this tune has always eluded me.

[@rs-xr3ty]

Step Dad speed actually sounded really cool. Just shows the incredible swing and pocket that Eddie had. Satch boogie sounds really cool at step dad speed too.

[@canyoncarver]

Christmas came early!!!! Thank you for publishing this lesson! You are my hero.

[@Ruudis9er]

Its hard to get that one to swing isn't it Ben? Thanks so much for doing what you do. Your a good man and the humor is much appreciated.

[@sparklerdynamo2164]

@Richard Brock Exactly, and the only way to do that is to play an extra really short up stroke in the very beginning of the sequence. Uncle Ben's great but he's not playing it right.

[@sparklerdynamo2164]

@Richard Brock The other thing is the bouncy / swinging way Eddie applies palm muting on some of the notes.

[@prsfanatic74]

Richard Brock wow ! Thanks for the insight . You just unlocked this song for me . That’s what I’ve been doing wrong , holding the A and G too long

[@donald-parker]

Just started (re) watching a lot of your old VH analysis vids. Your attention to detail and accuracy is unmatched. There are so many garbage tutorials on the interweb, but you always deliver the real deal. Thanks!

[@martinyip65]

I've been trying to play this for years. This is the best tutorial on this riff...I finally get it! Brilliant breakdown, Ben. Thank you so much.

[@luapsel77]

I just found your videos yesterday because of Eddie passing away from cancer this week, I've wanted to make a kind of tribute to him, by rebooting all my EVH playing, that I learned when I was younger... and of COURSE, I was thinking about playing Eruption again which at one point I had almost a whole THING down and I always liked Jamies Cryin and I always thought "I'm the One" was an AWESOME Guitar song just like you do.... but I wanted you to KNOW, I wanted to TELL you, from a fellow guitarist that's been playing for like 40 years- Even BEFORE I was a senior in high school, 1978, when Van Halen 1 came out!! I wanted you to know that you REALLY know how to give a GUITAR LESSON!! IN the Start of the video, you play at LEAST the intro or the beginning of the song at FULL speed- THEN, after your website information that everyone of course has to give on their Channel you start breaking down the song, and one of the BEST THINGS you DO IS, you referred to it as stepdad speed or Grandad speed, haha- the PLAYING of the INTRO AGAIN at a SLOW SPEED but in what seems to be perfectly scaled TIMING is one of the GREATEST, MOST IMPORTANT THINGS that ANYBODY can do when giving a guitar lesson to a fast song like this or actually any EVH song! You are a great teacher and you have an awesome handle on Eddie songs from what I can see!! Thank you!! thank you !! thank you!! thank you!!

[@BenEller]

Haha thank you so much, man!

[@quintinmcclearen7640]

@@BenEller what city and state are you located in? Do you still give private lessons

[@bobf1683]

Best version yet. Dang, this is such a cool riff/song. My favorite VH guitar song by a mile.

[@heyjoetofu]

Eddie is such an animal. And you're too for figuring this monstrosity out, that I'll never be able to play, but always be impressed by 🙌

[@Leo_Safko]

Fantastic breakdown...thank you!

[@stephenchow5161]

by far the most accurate as always. forever a fan

[@blainethemono19]

You are my freaking hero! I recently took my Mexi-Strat and went with a Screaming Demon bridge, Air Norton Neck, Hipshot tuners, Super Vee Bladerunner tremolo , and then re did my neck finish based on your vids to be my own Frankenstrat. VH1 stuff sounds killer on it and I never found a good tab for this. You rule!

[@rickolds7248]

The shuffle picking has had me flustered for years! Very nice!

[@MattCoddington]

I'm so glad I happened upon your channel! You do an outstanding job of instructing! I look forward to exploring all of your videos and continue watching future ones!

[@lucasberglund2620]

Now I know what I will do this weekend, great job!

[@GrrumpDaddo56]

thank you so much for this, im a 55 year old hack that loved this album from when it first came out and just delighted to be able to fumble thru some of this with your help, kindest regards , bob

[@chrisangela]

From start to finish, "Mean Streets" has been pretty much off limits for me...the crazy percussive slapping/tapping intro to the incredible solo, pretty tuff stuff! Or "Source of Infection"...the odd grouped tapped intro, even though I have what appears to be accurate tab, is difficult to nail at tempo. And the rhythm riff at times goes swing-ish like "I'm the One". Great work on this song though Ben, that high speed, low drag swing move has perplexed generations! Cheers

[@JH-jo9vi]

Thanks for all you do teaching us all the cool licks n tricks. Atomic punk was nice ! Love you uncle ben !

[@jimyounger9490]

Man that’s so awesome !! Loved this lick since it came out , decades ago !! Now to see it broke down and accurately is awesome , thanks Ben !!

[@minkorrh]

You nailed it when you said 'swing'. That's what set them apart from every other band out there, and why DLR worked so well in the early albums. IMHO nothing compares to the VH before Dave left. (even though his voice isn't really that great) You can even hear the swing in his (DLR) solo music and the era that the music followed. It worked so well, it was fleeting, and we're left with an iconic sound. I was in grade 11 when Diver Down came out, and I remember saying to my buddy "Uh oh. They're on the way down". 1984 wasn't a total disappointment but you could hear something had changed. P.S. ........my mom said she did Eddie and I'm their lovechild. She wants to know when you're coming back over for more lessons. She still has a picture of Valerie Bertinelli that she throws darts at.

[@Fretfeeler]

A lot of the stuff Eddie Van Halen played was oddly groovy (Eddie for ya), but actually not that difficult once you learn it, it's his attitude and feel when he was playing Guitar, you can hear and feel his smile!!! One of the hardest working and touring Musicians for sure and of course a legend and huge influence of mine as well... Whether or not Steve Vai says he was or wasn't trying to initiate EVH of course he was, that was his job, and I think he did it extremely well while still putting his own spin on it, but he has to thank Eddie for popularizing that style of Guitar and creating a bridge between Fusion Jazz and Cream lovers and regular People 😍

[@drrockkso8882]

Yeah what made Eddie such an amazing guitarist wasn't just his speed and technical ability. He also had such a groovy bounce in the way he played that added a ton of swagger to the songs.

[@guitargeek1984]

Yes!! Finally 🤘🏽🤘🏽🍺🍺

[@chrisf6216]

3:48 "Really essential to play these as up-strokes.... don't do these as down-strokes... through your swing off on your right hand" yet Ben nails it nonetheless. Thank you Mr. Eller!

[@robschannel8536]

First thanks Edward and secondly thanks Uncle Ben you MADMAN!!!!

[@ZedChuva]

20 dislikes are people who have been playing it wrong for years, and don't wanna hear the truth. #RIPEddie

[@GooseGumlizzard]

@MIND 20 Justin Beiber fans LOL LMAO XD (professional comedian)

[@jeffreymonroe153]

I feel so lucky to a sub of yours man. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

Best lyric: We came here to entertain you Leaving here we aggravate you Don’t you know it means the same to me. 🎉

[@davedecker2056]

Ben, bad ass job of dissecting a totally bad ass tune!! One of my favorite Van Halen songs!! I appreciate your commitment to teaching with honesty and accuracy!! Rock On, brother!!

[@mrkrowley1]

Thanks for this Shredderman! 🤘🎅🎸🎶

[@francoisfavreau769]

@5:31"I believe what he's playing is this" and i think you're right.The way you teach or explain the"how to" is very clear to me.i'm sure it wouldn't had been clear 2 years ago when i started but now i can finally practice the right way.There's nothing more boring and time consuming than learning the wrong way because after 44 years listening to Van-halen it never made sense to my ears and i sometimes toughted that i was the problem but i want to take the time to thank you tonight for sharing your knowledge and make my apprenticeship easier.

[@sparkomatic]

Listened to this song the other night for first time in many years and was blown away by the swing. So great.

[@Craig_Fussell]

I think you were dead on man when you said this reminds you of ZZ Top. Kinda sounds like a lot of Billy Gibbons-flavored techniques (pentatonic hammer-ones/pull-offs, pinch harmonics, ghost notes, etc. )with a shot of nitrous oxide and a tremolo! Great stuff...one of my favorites!🤙🏻😎🎸

[@pcbullets8726]

This is pretty badass! I butchered this intro for years, thanks for sharing Ben!

[@guitarfreak1970]

Awesome, thanks Ben!

[@jordanlucasthemusician]

that up stroke tip changed everything for me on this one. thx!

[@richiet6381]

Always awesome and on point, Brother!!! Mahalo!!!

[@jimmyjennings4089]

It's good to know that I've been playing it the right way for all these years.

[@bearblackhawk9362]

Ben, You make it look so easy!

[@bestboy897]

sick denim jacket. Sick playing.

[@danmick8645]

absolutely awesome. Thanks as always Ben, this is flawless and mindblowing about the simplicity of that last riff.

[@mattrosenboom4810]

That is spot on! Eddie was my hero since I was 14 and I'm 50 now. What an amazing person. Lol was a gift from god!

[@JohnnyGuitarRocks]

Well done Uncle Ben. Better than my stepdad could ever play it.

[@thepoozer]

Great work as usual

[@HEADBANGRR]

Cool. Thanks for the upload.

[@guitagious9464]

Ben, thanks so much for the work you put into breaking these riffs down for us! You're doin' it like a boss, sir!!

[@ollekassman6301]

YOU ARE A VERY GOOD GUITAR TEACHER AND I BELIVE YOUR GUITAR WORK IS VERY GOOD.!! THANKYOU 🎸.

[@JustinSk8erForLife]

Hi Uncle Ben - love this lesson. I'm old enough to have seen VH in the late 70s and love that you cover this stuff. Big Thanks!

[@supernatural9r406]

Thanks Uncle Ben. Youre my Favorite Uncle 🐦

[@francescolavilla271]

Thanks for taking the time to upload the video . And great lesson .

[@wj3438]

Perfect format. No extra jib jab. Kudos

[@leonidasi3590]

YOU! Sir are the best of the best! Thank you so much for teaching this masterpiece, blessings👍🏻

[@michaelnelson7418]

dude i discovered your videos a couple of weeks ago. I have to say that you have an amazing way to conveying your knowledge! Best tutorial videos out there by far! Keep it up!

[@bambam-ks9459]

Rock Guitar Holy Grail for me .. thanks Uncle Ben that jumbled mess has kept me up at night .. what's the next step below step dad cause that's where I'm at haha. Thanks for making the impossible possible for us closet guitar nerds out here. Cheers & Merry Christmas!

[@alonsoguardia]

What a great lesson Ben! Very detailed, to the point. I always learn a lot with your videos. Thanks!

[@tridner1]

100,000 points to you for the KZbin award on the wall!

[@GuitarZombie222]

Amazing, great lesson. It’s all about the swing.

[@jillneitzke2033]

Ben - you're amazing - love the precision !

[@oscarlamas9947]

Finally!!!!!!!!!!! awesome,,, the right way..Thank you.

[@dorianfrank5024]

Holy smokes Ben ,thank you so much for this

[@mattrosenboom4810]

Oh and Ben your amazing!

[@rocknuts]

Thanks for this Ben. I'm fairly new to your channel so just checking your videos out but definitely THE best "I'll show you how" dude on here. Awesome lesson mate.

[@scott917]

Uncle Ben you are the best-est!

[@marktokachrealtorassociate1951]

Love your style and personality!

[@CalvinEdmonson]

Killer lesson. Your opening jam nailed it.

[@frenchthrasher]

Awesome as always

[@peterball2855]

Yeah Ben!!!!

[@Fretfeeler]

I figured out a lot of these licks pre-internet, what a pain in the ass that was. Having lessons like this is incredible for the newer generations of Musicians.

[@andyracksthecams]

You are my best buddy!

[@fitepitsnbonfires]

So far so good man keep going .

[@loveguitars]

Hey Ben Awesome!! Thanks!!

[@RichTones]

Great video, I was always stumped on that fast pull off lick in the intro, thanks dude.

[@IamtheActionman]

Killer tone dude!

[@joe_plays_music]

the best lesson about this song. Thank you vvery much for sharing this bro! 💯💯💫💫👌👌👍👍👍

[@rhugh02]

So great but still harder than it looks... Best lesson of I'm the one!!!

[@mowieboy]

Dude...that was a great lesson. Really helpful. EVH....we'll miss you.

[@shane2613]

Gah dude, fn nailed it as always!

[@Obnacho]

Love your channel, Ben. I think you may need to do a full lesson of Master of Puppets. I can't find a single lesson that gets it right. There's so much fake news out there and I'm pretty sure you're the cure. Either way, I'm still watching you do your thing. Best teacher on the 'tube!

[@jasonfuqua148]

Good lesson man. Very informative. Thanks

[@DavidLewis-kd9td]

Thanks for breaking this one down! Important take away from this one, sometimes you can break all the rules, as long as you sell it! Great video!

[@eddiejr540]

EXCELLENT!!!.....job well done UB !!!!!

[@melanieguerrero1590]

now thats a lesson!