How Van Halen REALLY plays Drop Dead Legs (no whammy bar)! - Weekend Wankshop 199
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
- instagram @BenEllerGuitars
unclebeneller
skype lessons? BenEllerGuitars@gmail.com
hey kids! On weekend wankshop 199, you're gonna sit down with Uncle Ben here and get yourself a complete lesson on how Eddie Van Halen REALLY plays the intro to Drop Dead Legs off of Van Halen's classic 1984 record!
You'll possibly be as shocked as i was to learn there is NO tremolo bar trickery to be found in this riff! I thought forever he was using the whammy on those bends. Tune your guitar to drop D tuning and play along!
In this lesson you'll get some tone tips, and a complete note for note lesson on how to play this dope riff. At the end we will also talk about where the heck the downbeat is in that intro. It might sound free time, but its not!
Using the Top Jimi Brown Sound profile pack on my Kemper, with my Les Paul featuring Bare Knuckle Brute Force pickups. - เพลง
![[Live สด] การออกรางวัลสลากกินแบ่งรัฐบาล งวดวันที่ 1 มิถุนายน 2567](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3canzHC_d0k/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for learning the right way to play Drop Dead Legs by Van Halen! Whatcha want to learn next on Weekend Wankshop?!
Everything!
Gojira!
I am confused by the opening lick to Purple Haze. Could you clear it up for me. When I see or hear someone play it with a slide and it sounds right. But when I play it like other people it doesn't sound or feel right. I learned to play it without the slide (arpeggiated or plucked)it sounds and feels more natural. But how does Jimi play it?
The Conjuring intro solo!! And the riffs of Black Friday. You're doing the work of the gods, Uncle Ben!! Can't wait to dive into this video with the ol' guitar tomorrow.
The intro to "Nothing to it" by Brent Mason.
Eddie had such great taste when it came to chord choice, single note accents, muffles and rests. His flair was as important as his genius.
This is the most underrated riff in history nobody ever brings this up! It’s so slick
They had this as a B side on our Pizza Inn jukebox back in the 80's and I always played it whenever we ate there. Love this riff!
my fav
Nicked kind of off Angus and ACDC- don't get Me wrong obvs Ed was a genius.
Y'know I'm not a huge Halen fan, they had their moments but just didn't appeal to me until 1984 hit. The obvious tracks Panama, Hot for Teacher really are awesome tracks but when I heard Drop Dead Legs for the first time, possibly a B side of one of the singles, wow what an unbelievable riff that is, so catchy, I can't describe it very well but it's a fantastic piece of invention particularly when you see how it's actually played and not the expected whammy bar treatment. Very much an overlooked high point in the Van Halen catalogue
Easily one of the most beautiful riffs EVH has ever made.
Yes yes yes
It’s amazing how Eddie manages to keep coming up with completely original riffs that are still so signature that you know it’s Eddie as soon as you hear them without being told.
Agree... It's got that 80's California swag to it...
Agreed, it's so musical with such simple ingredients.
@@Chord_The_Seeker yeah he can take things people have played for 50 years, change a little and make them sound completely fresh. For example I use that 2nd A/D to B/E slide in my version of Dylan's Visions of Johanna, and I've heard it in a hundred different rootsy songs. (Also, Clapton definitely used it somewhere). Sounds totally countrified in that context.
This intro is funky, weird, smooth, and jammy all in one. Eddie’s mastery on full display and it still got such little airtime. I mean, Hot for Teacher and Panama are epic while Jump is totally pop-tastic, but Drop Dead Legs is just beautiful.
A lot of people don’t realize how awesome of a rhythm player Eddie truly is. Pure genius!
Hey Mr. Eller. Thanks for all the good Lessons. It would be amazing to learn " Owner of a lonely Heart " the Real Way. Theres this one Chord just when he goes " owner " in the hookpart. No body teach this right. Would be a Dream to Play the Song like the Record.
It's true. After all, he started out on drums. And all of the tapping stuff too came from being a drummer. I mean,
what do drummers do when they're away from their drums? They tap on shit. It's why he started tapping on his neck and thought, hey that sounds pretty cool.
EVH has SO MANY aspects about his playing that create an incredible force. His riffs AND many of his solos INSPIRE. That's where these other greats fall short. The inspiration thing is simply not even close and as consistent.
earache70 ......he did start out on drums true, but EVH gives a whole interview on finger tapping technique and it’s not from his drumming background. His family didn’t have much money so he was forced to make his ow unique sounds without all the peddles and effects that he couldn’t afford. Tapping was one of his inexpensive techniques he came up with in the absence of money to buy effects toys. Look it up.
PV5150II .........actually NO ONE doubts anything about EVH’s playing. EVERYONE knows how amazing of a rhythm player genius he is. Your comment couldn’t be more inaccurate.
EVH was the most brilliant hook master in popular music. Every EVH instrumental and rhythm was designed to hook you into listening to the song. All their songs bring energy, excitement, and intrigue with an explosion of emotions. Thanks for showing us this mysterious guitar lick it is one of my favorites.
Explosion of emotion. E major, C Major such a rainbow of emotion
@@edsnotgod I'm gonna guess by your username that you just hang around here being a giant, pulsating cockface. Brilliant use of your time... 👏
Happy guitars. Listen to 5150 on a hot summer night cruising with the windows down and you're perpetually jacked up in the best way. ❤ No matter what Eddie was into at the time, he always had a happy guitar sound. The Balance album has some stuff on it that just goes right up my spine every time I hear the notes.
A coincidence?? (DROP D) ead Legs.... 🎸🤘
Ha! Never thought of that! Drop D Ed.
Song is in Drop D featuring Eddie's Legattos. Drop D Ed Legs. If this is the case that sounds like somethjng David Lee Roth would of come up with when he heard the riff and came up with a name for the song. Makes sense since David would be writting the lyrics so he would of came up with the name for that song.
😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I wouldn't be surprised if that open G at 5:45 was intentional, because Ed liked to play things just a tad differently each time around to make it interesting. It sounds awesome and he knew that! These very subtle nuances were part of Ed's signature playing. He had all kinds of tricks in his technique!
I'd love a lesson on 5150. The rhythm and intro on that song are amazing.
I've always thought that 5150 was Eddie's best playing and it incorporates all the things that made him special as a rhythm/riff player.
Those nuances, fills and chord voicings are all enormously present in it.
That's where Eddie is so unique. No one has a feeling for beautiful melodies and at the same time puts riffs and solos with so much feeling that will turn in to rollercoaster of pullofs and tapping as it is breathing fire,, Eddie stands alone, way on top of the mountain.
I think you nailed it. One of Ed's most slippery riffs.
This dude is the best song teacher on TH-cam
Cain M awwww shucks
Yeah, Uncle Ben is living the dream and not being annoying about it. I kind of miss his more juvenile antics and comments when he was a little younger, but that happens to all of us, I guess. I'm going to learn this to play at my next jam session with my snooty jazz sax player buddy.
guitar lessons 365 my friend
@@je-2024_1 please, wash your mouth out.
Sounds so beautiful. I'm an old guy at 55 and I remember listening and loving this song, as well as a lot of Van Halen songs, back in the '80s and 90's. Still love them today. Roth or Hagar...great band! I don't play any instruments, I tried trombone back in 1976-1979, I was not good. I bought an acoustic guitar, a lessons book, and watched videos. Nothing took. I'm in awe of the skill involved in playing with both hands but it's just not for me. Thanks for the video.
Okay well as an ex road crew member for Van Halen and watching Eddie play DDL's night after night. I can tell you that he Used the Shark Destroyer on the recording, So there was no Whammy bar used. Good Question Robert Blake
Cliff you should open up and tell them about the back lot when VH headline the fair grounds. I was the kid you guys kicked in the azz when I got too close but let me hide back stage and drink sodas week after week. AND NO not the sex drugs and rock and roll, gossip crap that's half lies anyway, You know the good stuff, the love between the brothers, the crazy meals, If Eddie was the motor in the band, Alex was the transmission.
Ben, 2 things bro, Fantastic break down of the solo/intro, you caught 3 notes that everyone misses, the mistake was one of them. I can't tell you why but that 1 spot is where the guitars have to sync with the drums and not the other way around. Do you know why everyone loved Van Halen? Because it didn't matter if they were playing for 10 people or half a million. They were having fun doing exactly what they were meant to do, making music together.
In your whole video there's only one thing I would disagree with you about. IMO you under estimate Alex's drumming. Most people do this because he's not as flashy as the others but if you watch 1 or 2 of their concerts with the volume muted, yo'll see things everyone has missed for decades.
Y'all be safe.
Been a Valen Halen fan since 1978. This is some of the best cover playing I’ve ever heard on one of Eddie’s coolest riffs. 👍🏻😎
1978 is when first heard of and saw Van Halen. They opened for Black Sabbath in Wuerzburg, FRG.
Man, they were great.
7:58 EVH is a rhythm guitar MASTER - and this is another example of why that is!
I'm a bit late to the party, but of all the countless videos I've seen about this song, Ben delivers the most accurate sounding reproduction... technique notwithstanding, just listen to that TONE! It's perfect, with exactly the right amount of crunch (to my untrained but experienced ears anyway).
Agreed , he's seriously underrated as a guitar teacher. I watch another guy play the entire VH1 album but he missed so many nuances to Ed's style and what he's actually playing.
The entire concert it took me out of the groove.
Ed's sort of has the drunken master playing where everything has this sitting on the edge style. When players stick to just the notes it doesn't sound right.
This song is a perfect example of that fake whammy part if you don't play just like this guy did it just doesn't have that Ed feel.
Always my favorite from that album , that riff with DLR's voice is a match made in heaven . How many killer riffs has EVH given us ?? Then the bonus of all of his rhythm playing.
im still kicking myself for not going to see him play. this is the next best thing. thanks for all of your lessons Ben!
Go watch his son play
That is one of the most killer riffs of all time. I've always wondered how to play it. Thanks!
From a long-time guitarist: that was one of the best instructional videos I've seen - excellent structure and tutorial.
Very nicely done.
This riff is so damn nasty. The groove is killer as was Eddie.
As always, you nailed it so well. The tone, the notes, the little nuances. We mere mortals go through and dissect his music, but think about him sitting there with absolutely nothing and coming up with that riff and those sweet little licks and phrases....that's the real magic. That's what makes him so special. Like the opening to Mean Streets. Who can do that shit from thin air and make it iconic? EVH, that's who. And for you to get into his head and explain it so well, you get a gold star. I know, don't thank me, you earned it.
Eddie really is a genius riff master..
Duuuude... Ben, can't tell you how much I've loved this song since I was a kid! This album (cassette) was my 5th birthday present from my father and imo that is the coolest riff on the album. Thanks my man
One of the best riffs ever, thanks a lot for the lesson!
A masterpiece of a song from a masterpiece of an album by a masterpiece of a band.
Man - 2022 is just getting started, and I am just seeing this. This is a KILLER Van Halen song. Killer riff. Killer technique. Killer song-writing. And just a great song. Excellent tutorial - one of the best I have seen on TH-cam... and I've watched a lot. These licks and chords are unbelievable. There will NEVER be another Edward Van Halen. I miss him being with us in this crazy World.
Yeah! The Van Halen deep cuts are always amazing! Do more!
One of my favorite riffs of all time! I've always loved the timing and the bends and the cool arpeggiated arrangement. You are an amazing teacher. Thank you!
These riffs never get old. Well done.
So much swagger in this tune.
Thank you for doing all the hard work of dissecting this song for us. It’s amazing and it sounds spot on. Brilliant work figuring that out for us.
What can you say? Brilliant! Well done, Sir!
Can we just take a second to listen to your tone in that intro. Jesus it’s crisp
Great song AND excellent riff selection.Thanks for taking the time and breaking down the riffs. I appreciate it!
Who’s here now that eddy has passed :((((
Listened through every album today
Me. :(
Everything except VH3 and that train album with Dave.. what is it ? New kind of truth or some shit ?
His stuff hits different now
You should contact the band, see if they would wanna continue the band with you.
Nails it. Just watched video of live concert with closeup on Ed, NO whammy used in the riff. At all. Ben nails it.
Fargin' NAILED it dude
Just wanted to say thanks again Uncle Ben for taking the time for all of us so that we can learn properly. Very much appreciated. Your the best teacher ever
Drop Dead Legs, and the really the whole B side of this album was just amazing. Hands down the best version of this I have seen and your sound is nice 'n brown. Good work dude, love it!
Still one of the fattest sexiest riffs ever written .... take a hot summers day, driving down the highway ... crank that track loud as it gets and tell me you don't see the world in 6D ... ;-)
It's even better when your Steady Betty is rockin' a sundress and a smile! 7D livin'!
You mean 36DD
Yes indeed..Cranki it...LOUD! It makes your bones tingle..
Harry Newman This tune is on 1984.
@@Taylor-hu2no well he could've been talking about 5150 not 1984?
Great lesson Uncle Ben!! I love your playing, and the way that you explain each part of the song!! Thanks so much!!
Thank You for breaking this riff down, it’s one of my favorites. Your video was easy to follow and understand. Ric
Yay! I don't need a whammy bar for this lesson.
My favorite Ed riff ever. Dare I say THE quintessential brown sound song. Thank you for your playing & your kick ass teaching🤘🏻
Feel like, Where have all the good times gone, would be a fitting song for the future.
That is one of my favorite opening riffs ever. You, sir... are the best. Thank you!
God I love this tune...one of my favs on 1984...could listen to it for hours on end...
GREAT LESSON! Those kemper profiles really sound close too.
Nice one Ben.That funky bendy thing at 8:00 absolutely confounded me for years,I've seen so many tabs for this that are wrong.I am 'between jobs' at the mo.so I'll have plenty of time to woodshed on this..
Another great video! Thanks for the video Ben!
dude when you play that lick at the start of the vid I am just so happy. I can't help but say YES!!! You sound exactly like the record!!! I love this thanks for posting it.
Nice! You're tone sounds perfect on this one. One of my other favorite songs on 1984" girl gone bad" there is some crazy stuff going on in that song !
Yeah, perfect lesson Ben, thanks, I’ve been playing it wrong for over 20 years, can’t wait to go and try it.
Lovely Les Paul too.
Yeah boy!!!! Great tune thanks. Ive been playing it a bit different but yours sounds right.
Pre-liked! Just cause of the choice of song.
Great lesson, Eddie is the best. That will be my next Instagram video for sure! :-)
I love this song. You made it less scary to learn. Thank you!!!
Fabulous. I’ll begin working on this right away.
Super sick as always!
Can we get a lesson for the solo for “On Fire”?!
This is amazing. Like everyone else, I was watching for how you would do the “whammy” part and I said, “What?” out loud when I got to that part of the video. You nailed it. It sounds perfect.
Me too, I never ever would have guessed it was a bend. This guy is really good
Jason Phelps I knew it was a bend because I'd read an interview many moons ago where Eddie said he used a Flying V on this song (and Hot for Teacher). What Ben does here, which no one else seems to have caught on to, is the slide up to the D and back to C.
Absolutely spot on man.This has always been one of my favorites to listen and play but i always knew I was missing something. I will defiantly be checking out your other videos man !
Evh was and still is the king of swing and a master of the coolest unique riffs! I love that bend in this tune!
I swear Eddie never plays an idea exactly the same twice.
Heph333 ......That’s his charm, keep em’ guessing
Great lesson!!! I was trying forever to learn One Day Remains from Alter Bridge. Mark Tremonti is wicked on this track. Maybe some time you could do a lesson on that song. Fingers crossed : )
EXCELLENT! i love and appreciate your attention to detail, IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!
Thanks for the effort you put into this.
Eddie Van Halen leaves a lot of accidents on the records. He stated in interviews that he was often intoxicated during recordings because he felt that his playing was looser and more natural when he was drunk. I think that explains why “Ain’t talking bout love” has that little mistake in the intro. You hear it on other songs too like “Unchained”.
-well that and he was (is?) a high-functioning alcoholic. But yeah, feel over precision every time.
Alcoholism caused alot of problems in his life professionally and personally and saying it helped his playing are the words of a denying alcoholic.
Thats a pretty Les Paul your rocking.
Your a great instructor! Thanks for the lessons...
Thank you for the awesome lesson!
I'm wondering if Eddie is sitting somewhere watching this and thinking, "damn, that kid caught my screw up in the intro..."
Hendrix said , “I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.“
I think I hear that drop (high) g before a chord a lot in his other stuff, it def has a characteristic evh sound...
HAHAHA! Now thats funny!
We hope he did... RIP the greatest
I find it unimaginable that 'screw up' in the intro was a screw up. Those are the most basic of chord shapes possible. More likely an incredible rhythm player inserting a 'passing tone' in a riff of basic chords to make it more interesting and have more character. Those subtle touches, even if you don't 'hear' them, they still connect subconsciously and give it it's unique flavor.
I would love to see you and Pete Thorn get together and make some music Ben . you never fail to impress .
Pete is a great dude and a killer player! Love his new solo album.
The Van Halen teacher I had at music school couldn't even figure out what he was doing in that bendy bit, nice work man!
That's drop dead fkn awesome!! Thanx again Uncle Ben. just another great lesson!
The clue is that the original is played on a Flying V. He uses a similar idea at the beginning of Little Guitars. That's how I stumbled on how to play this without the whammy.
Yep, think he used Flying V on Drop Dead Legs as well as Girl Gone bad two of my favorite 1984 tracks. Think he also used on Hot For Teacher as well.
I already watch all your videos at half-speed.
FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC uncle ben....you sir, give meaning to my weekend!!!
Absolutely my favorite EVH intro. Great video weekend wankshop is my favorite
How about the other two killer deep cuts on 1984...House of Pain, and Girl Gone Bad....
dude House of Pain is my JAM!
Girl gone bad is rhythm and lead heaven
@@BenEller opening to "Hang 'em High" and "I'm the One" now there's some picken'!
House of pain one of my favorite Van Halen songs
GGB my fave!
Sexiest riff of all time. That whammy slag at the tail end gets me every damn time. Thanks Ben!
You Rock bro! Really great player an awesome teacher as well! Thanks for all your time you put into your vids and making them easy to follow and learn from. Cheers👍
GREAT Lesson...Thanks!! 🤘 Love this song!
Is there gonna be anything special for weekend wankshop ep. 200?
Killer!
I know it’s an old lesson but it is top class 👍
I am revisiting EVH riffs I didn’t learn when I was younger. Thanks again
Glad I found your channel @BenEllerGuitars ! I get so mad at the inaccuracies of so many videos for various songs. Finally someone as OCD as me on guitar!
Wow such detail! He must really love this song! Funny how EVH stuff is harder than it sounds
That's true. Even his rythm guitar is very playful and complex, so much stuff happening at the same time.
He's a prime example of a soulful player. He just feels it out and makes it all work...warts and all.
Though he does admit to liking this song, he actually puts this much effort into all of his instructional videos/uploads. If u like this, check out his other lessons. Amazing!!
Who doesnt??? Ed never disappoints 😎😎😎😎
It would be really cool if you did a lesson on the intro or the solo from I'm the one.
Awesome video as always.
Yeah intro of "I'm the One" and the intro to "Hang em High"!!!
I'm the one intro isn't that hard besides the rhythmic chugging on the a strings.
@@oPosiidon2800 i know it's easy but at the there's a lick in the intro that doesn't really make sense in the tabs I have found.
@@MrMetalhorse what part? The hammer on and pull off part after the first time going back to the 7th fret. Or the harmonic part?
@@oPosiidon2800 the very first lick
Thanks again uncle Ben! Great corrections!
Extremely well executed and explained. Cheers
Nice lesson as usual. You need 500k audio taper pots in the LP. That is one of the first things I do to my Gibson guitars. They continue to put 300k linear taper pots in the volume position. Those are useless if you use your volume knob. Which pick is this one now? You turned me on to the Dunlop Flow, and the BHL picks. What is that one?
I was wondering which ones I should put in Epiphone Bullseye and I think you answered my question
@@theophany1770 Yes, you should use (my preference) CTS 500k audio taper pots. Epiphone uses the smaller Asian pots. You would need to carefully bore the holes out to fit the CTS pots.
@@cy8919 sounds good, really appreciate the help man!
Please do Metal Militia verse riff.
Loving these videos Ben, definitely learning this one. Cheers
Thanks a bunch Mate. Great playing!!
Hey Unc, Thanks for all the wanks, I'm armpit deep over here. Not necessarily for #200 but could you help us understand what the FAQ is going on with the time signature of Me Wise Magic by the Van Halen corporation. That thing has driven me nuts since the first time I ever heard it. Muchos gracias.
DIng, the intro to Me Wise Magic is in 9/8 for the 1st 11 measures, then switches to 4/4.
You can think of it like this:
The first higher picking part can be counted 1 -2 -3 -4 -5
The first low note that he goes down to is right on 6, so continue from there with 6 -7 - 8 -9. You'll hear it start over again on the next 1.
I've only heard the 1st minute of the song, so it may change somewhere else.
Ok, now I heard the song all the way through. The outro is also in 9/8, of course.
There are also some odd/short measures thrown here and there to connect the different sections.
Cool tune. I like it.
Peace. JR
Thanks for that Jonny. I am pretty new at the guitar and do not have much experience with this yet. I have always been a big VH fan and have had a baptism by fire trying to figure out some of their time signatures and tunings. I really appreciate your taking the time to help out a newb like me. All the best,
Ding
Ding, no prob.
I hope I helped a little.
Going after Van Halen tunes is definitely a challenge & Ben is a very good teacher.
Did what I described make any sense to you?
I feel like I may have been a bit cryptic.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I'm about to launch my own channel soon.
It'll be guitar/music lessons mixed with stories & interviews from me & other rockers from the 80's Hollywood scene & beyond.
Peace. JR
Jonny,
Made perfect sense. Once you know where to start the count it makes a huge difference. Rest assured I am looking forward to your new channel. I was in my prime in the 80's and miss all the great bands and music of that era. With your first hand experience of that scene, your musical talent, and the people you know and worked with, I expect your channel will be wildly successful. I will be on the look out for it. Thanks again for your help.
Ding
Ding, I'm glad I could help.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
I see I'm talking to a fellow 80's rocker.
What a time for classic metal, eh?
Keep practicing.
Keep playing.
Keep the faith.
It's people like you that help make me want to share my experiences.
Peace. JR
Show us Cruise Control by The Dixie Dregs. Thanx
Yes please!
Rocknroll park!
Thanks for this vidéo, it will help me to play this riff better, you rule dude!👍
Awesome lesson Ben! Thanks.