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

[@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

[@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).

[@MrChuckd6]

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

[@danstromness5165]

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

[@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.

[@geofre44]

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

[@bobf1683]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@Leo_Safko]

Fantastic breakdown...thank you!

[@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

[@canyoncarver]

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

[@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?

[@duncanmathers76]

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

[@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!

[@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!

[@scottmcnaughton4143]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Franko-t2w]

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!

[@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!!

[@wj3438]

Perfect format. No extra jib jab. Kudos

[@stephenchow5161]

by far the most accurate as always. forever a fan

[@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 !!

[@JH-jo9vi]

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

[@RichTones]

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

[@davereith54]

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

[@francescolavilla271]

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

[@GuitarZombie222]

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

[@rickolds7248]

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

[@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 🤣.

[@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.

[@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!

[@sparkomatic]

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

[@jillneitzke2033]

Ben - you're amazing - love the precision !

[@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

[@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!

[@lucasberglund2620]

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

[@robschannel8536]

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

[@eddiejr540]

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

[@marktokachrealtorassociate1951]

Love your style and personality!

[@jeffreymonroe153]

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

[@guitarfreak1970]

Awesome, thanks Ben!

[@richiet6381]

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

[@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!

[@thepoozer]

Great work as usual

[@HEADBANGRR]

Cool. Thanks for the upload.

[@danmick8645]

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

[@Harmonic14]

At 12:19 I think he picks every other group of 3 notes instead of hammering them on, so the ones on the D string, the second 3 on the G string, and the ones on the E string. It sounds like he does that for the same lick at 11-12-14 in the first chorus and a couple other 3 note 2 string licks in the song, and that's just a characteristic EVH thing. It's a bit trickier to do than all hammer-ons, but I feel like it gives it that extra bit of articulation that makes it sound so awesome.

[@pcbullets8726]

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

[@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 🙌

[@CalvinEdmonson]

Killer lesson. Your opening jam nailed it.

[@bestboy897]

sick denim jacket. Sick playing.

[@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!

[@jasonfuqua148]

Good lesson man. Very informative. Thanks

[@kerihuss1453]

Absolutely fantastic. Thank you

[@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

[@bearblackhawk9362]

Ben, You make it look so easy!

[@leonidasi3590]

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

[@curtvogue5720]

Excellent lesson! You nail the swing feel, a lot of lessons get close but not quite there. I've got a lot of practicing to do! Yeah generally EvH used a phaser for solo runs and flanger for other riff effects.

[@tim3766686]

EVH is a freak!!!!, lol.just wow. And you sir are the best instructor on you tube, bravo.

[@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.

[@billyhughes9776]

Beautiful Ben.

[@alonsoguardia]

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

[@leedress2187]

Nicely done.

[@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!!

[@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.

[@weslester5150]

Great lesson.

[@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.

[@dogsguffaw1]

Ben, you're awesome. Thanks so much, pal. I got homework this weekend

[@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!

[@HHSTuning]

Really like your lessons Ben!

[@ollekassman6301]

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

[@tommartling2473]

Great stuff, continue with the solos. Both

[@AmericanGuitarWorksInc]

Awsome Ben! Can you do a video for light up the sky???? You have a natural gift, and a great way of teaching!!!!!

[@bobf1683]

Such a badass tune.

[@oscarlamas9947]

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

[@jordanlucasthemusician]

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

[@cantyouhearmeknocking1961]

Great lesson by UB. Greatly composed by EVH. Win Win!!!

[@Dave_Sacca]

GREAT swing Ben

[@mattrosenboom4810]

Oh and Ben your amazing!

[@joe_plays_music]

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

[@JohnnyGuitarRocks]

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

[@sollyharr]

Great teacher...thanks

[@loveguitars]

Hey Ben Awesome!! Thanks!!

[@mowieboy]

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

[@guitargeek1984]

Yes!! Finally 🤘🏽🤘🏽🍺🍺

[@62falconizer]

This is great

[@mabbatic]

Great Lesson ! Thanks !

[@jiggle85]

Like your style! May have to send you a video of my attempt.

[@RickHavok]

I can always count on your accuracy to use for analysis. Great work. Thank you.

[@Conkee1711]

Ben after I watched this I pulled up the isolated track and all I can say is sweet mother of God.

[@tridner1]

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

[@ForcesInMotion]

Absolutely tremendous, man. Mad respect...

[@lylebarker324]

Awesome!

[@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