Rick Graham has the best version I've seen (since Johnson never plays it the same way twice). I highly recommend watching his version. It's eerie how easy he makes it look.
I was about to say the same thing. Most importantly you captured the emotion of the tune. Well done. I can only imagine the quantum leap your playing took in the 4 years you worked with a tune like that…
for anyone who doesn't believe it's fake, he fucks it up pretty bad after 0:55. nothing makes sense about that fingering. also, it's super-obviously the original track, as someone who played it 1000 times on guitar hero
@@trevorlutz3992the obvious thing to me was the ridiculously exact same tone as EJ. I mean dude. If this kid reproduced this for real? This would be one of the most epic accomplishments for guitarists on UA-cam.
I started watching this, zoned out on my phone for a sec, and completely forgot I wasn't listening to the original song. This is the most impressive cover I think I've ever heard in my life. Almost indistinguishable. Incredible job.
It's been many years since I've heard this song, but it was certainly close enough to what I remember to transport me back to playing Guitar Hero 3 about 15 years ago. Memory is a crazy thing when it ties so strongly to your senses like that.
@@St3althytoast3rTV He does 1 or 2 tiny weeeeny little mistakes but you'd have to be Eric or superhero to probably not do those! Amazing amazing cover, sat here absolutely mesmerized
Ok dude. Im59 yo. I Lived in Austin during the 80s and 90s. I’ve met Eric, I’ve talked with him. Ive watched him tune his guitar up close. Seen his effects pedals. I’ve seen him live two dozen times. This was amazing. I had tears, throat clinched up. Some nostalgia and memories in there. But that was damn near perfect bro. Wow. 😮
I live in Austin where a good friend of mine is a guitar player and as he says “I’m a pretty good guitar player. But Austin doesn’t need any more pretty good guitar players.”
This song was noted to have been played by Johnson as early as 1984, yet didn't get a formal release until 1990. The idea that you could hear this song in a venue one day and have your mind literally BLOWN and then never hear it again. It would kill me. Thank god for the internet and the accessibility of even mediocre recording equipment. This cover is incredible and your hard work definitely paid off. That opening sounded amazing.
This is from one reddit post I remember before: "I remember being about 8, and in the car with my dad. I was in the front seat and we were driving somewhere, and this song came on the radio. He cranked it and said something about it being the best guitar playing ever. He really jammed out, which was really uncharacteristic because he was usually so stoic. It was the only time I heard the song, and he died before I could ever ask him what song it was. When I asked around, no one knew wtf I was talking about or what song I was thinking of. So I had this melody in my head for years, but how do you look up a song that has no lyrics? So for years and years, this song stayed on the back burner in my brain. I was afraid to forget it. Somehow this story pops up when I'm like 26 or so, chatting with my husband and we searched UA-cam for "best guitar songs". After about 15 minutes, we find it. Cliffs of Dover was the song that I'd burned into my brain on repeat for 16 years. Now I jam out to it with my kids." u/1thruZero
My friend and I are in our early 50s and his mom would drive us to EJ concerts when we were 15 years old and arrange for us to attend promising we wouldn’t drink. These shows were at the famous Rockerfellas in Houston, TX. We’ve seen Eric play full Hendrix or Beatles sets before and YES this song goes all the way back to at least then.
Dude... MY GOD!!! you played it that Damn well on a TELE when Eric himself usually plays it on a STRAT!? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME DUDE!!! YOU ARE A MAN AMONGST MEN!!! BRAVO!
@@guitarist_coversLook, this is THE MOST ACCURATE version of the song I've ever seen anyone play, even Eric Johnson don't do this HAHHAA- but 0:10 there's one, 1:31 tone is slightly off, 02:22 there's one, 02:32, 02:55, 03:10 tone, 03:49 is slightly off, 04:00 entry to the last shred is slightly off- but to be 100% fair, since the song has ~1300 notes, he's actually above 99% HAHAH
@@Mr.PotatoAWESOMEFitnessTips Your ear is way better than mine. Even after listening to the timestamps I see nothing obvious, maybe a missed note at 02:32?
I agree. For me 3:39 was probably the biggest mistake. I feel like an arrogant a-hole, but I heard a lot of other mistakes too. Right at 0:05 the bend was too far and sharp. At 0:11 he hit the wrong note… at 0:15 the bend was wrong… and so on blah blah blah… 1:30 wrong note… 1:36 the bend was off… 2:20 wrong note…2:43 wrong note… 3:50 a huge mess… yeah yeah… BUT… does it matter? No, you’re right, it was still AWESOME!! Those mistakes don’t matter, because he essentially made the piece his own at that point. Very good playing and I agree, one of the best covers I’ve heard. The mistakes don’t matter. This was amazing to listen to! I can only imagine how much he learned through this and now how much he’ll be able to play other solos. Hats off to him! I can’t wait to hear what he has in store… well, hopefully sooner than four years from now!
“no, that can’t be it…” 😂😭 THE STRUGGLE. you’ll always think you can do it better. but trust me, it already sounds perfect. you’ve done the original justice and more. this was amazing!
I was obsessed with this song in 2007 when I first played it on Guitar Hero 3. My aspirations of being a guitar player were destroyed the day I looked up the tab for this song Well done. You have more discipline than I ever had. Cliffs of Dover is an instrumental masterpiece and being able to play it note for note is wildly impressive
Same here. I played guitar almost every day for 5 years when I decided I was ready to try to learn the song. Looked at the tabs and pretty much ended my music career right then and there.
Lame story, went to a highschool dance purely because they had a guitar hero 3 competition. Got 2nd place because of this song taking me to the final battle of me and another guy playing TTFAF, needless to say I got my ass kicked. But its a funny memory from that time going to a dance purely to play guitar hero on a huge screen in front of everyone lmao.
Absolutely the same for me! I RARELY EVER like and subscribe to things. Out of respect of this and his tedious drive to perfect it like the master himself - I did Subscribe and Liked this video. WELL DONE MAN!
That was sensational. I've been playing guitar for 50 years and I wish that I had a fraction of the determination and skill that you obviously have. I am humbled in your presence.
Same!!! I bought this tab book back then, along with countless others! I have no reservations about my self-taught guitar skills, along with some light classroom learning on the Violin, Trumpet, and maybe a third of a semester of classical guitar... but I basiclly ended up quitting the guitar. Partly due to being poor, and having to sell most decent guitars I had - but MOSTLY because I just got sick of just playing other peoples music, and I couldn't think of my own stuff because I was so fearful of sounding like someone else?!?!
I can rarely muster up the discipline to practice the same song for 4 minutes let alone 4 YEARS 😂 this is truly an impressive feat, thanks for sharing your talent!
That's what happens when you(Shiver!) Practice Don't fret! I've been playing professionally for over 40 years. And 20 years just playing. Sometimes there's pay, sometimes there's not. And no matter what it's always a kick in the ass!
I don't have the discipline either to practice. But I get a little dopamine hit every time I learn a new section of the song that I didn't know before. That has been enough to keep me going
0:31 That sigh…he’s thinking “I got through the intro without any mistakes , but I have a long, long way to go.” Seriously though, this is the best cover I’ve heard.
This is epic; I have listened to every version of this song available for the past 15 years and you 100% would have fooled me into believing this was Eric Johnson playing. Really beautiful sound, really clean. It must be a relief finishing such a long and technical song especially with that crazy ending! And it was 100% spot on.
Back in the late '80's, I'd watch Eric play this from about 5 feet away in the small bars and clubs he played back then. You sir, absolutely NAILED it! Congratulations!
Dude! I saw Eric Johnson around 1991 on a smaller stagel. He had just released Ah Via Musicom and had a gig in Hamburg in the Große Freiheit 36 and nearly all of the people in the crowd were musicians and knew what to expect. Me not and Eric Johnson just blew me away. Jonas picked a masterpiece here and did good on it! Made me happy to hear it.
I've been playing a really long time, and the best thing about this video for me is that it immediately inspired me and got me excited and amped up for my daily practice. I don't think you could have accomplished this killer version of this beautiful song if you weren't enjoying the journey as much as the destination, and that to me is the real gift that music provides. So for any beginner guitarists out there, when you hear a fantastic guitarist like this doing something amazing, let it inspire you, be excited, be happy, get in there and practice, man! You'll be amazed at where you can go.
Just don’t take away from this that you will slave away learning just 2.5 songs per decade, that guitar is so hard you need to dedicate four years to nail something. To nail THIS, maybe! But you can practice lots of other stuff along the way.
How do you know this song was out of his league? And why is it taking so long to learn it? It takes way more determination to actually practice. A musical instrument in totality learning all the necessary components to be able to compose a song like this or to improvise a song like this. That is much more impressive than just learning the song itself. Anybody with a reasonable amount of ability can copy somebody else it’s a good learning tool, but it’s not that impressive.
@@Jacksongamma yeah if you listen to a released single of a song and then listen live it is never exactly the same and I think that is one of the things of being a good instrument player or song maker. you can make it the same song even when playing it idfferent
The stress in your face at 2:16 as you say a quick prayer and hope for the best on the next lick. So relatable 😂 Except I can’t play 5 seconds of this song. Incredible work man 🤘🏼
I don't know what level you started at, but the determination needed to keep practicing a song way out of your league every day is insane. Super impressed!
Imagine writing a song that most guitarists will never be able to play, and the ones who can, have to practice for years to get it right. Great cover, sounds like the studio recording . And on a tele !
Holy shit man! This sounds like EJ off the record. You know there is a very very small percentage of people in the world that are this good. Keep playing brother.
Rick Graham’s version of this has been unmatched for years. As much as I love Rick’s, I think your version sounds even closer to the original! This is unbelievably good, well done mate, top work!
This version does sound amazing. I can't remember Rick's exactly, but I think I recall his was more of a different interpretation closer to his own style. Both versions are incredible!
This is literally EJ's version while this guy mimes over top of the recording. The amount of people in here who say its bang on perfect to the recording in every single way but don't question that is WILD.
Blown away... Perfect rhythmical mastery, perfect bending (the bendings guys, the bendings!!!!) mastery, perfect tone mastery... It's the first time I see someone executing this song so perfectly and really centred, balanced in the EJ role... I am amazed... Congrats, BRAVO Jonas!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏
EJ himself said it took him a lot of practice before he could record this one at the tempo in the album. Your hard work and dedication in the woodshed have really paid off. Great job
I have the song down by heart and u sir have it in flawless form. Not a single note missed and perfectly on time. Not to mention this is one of the more impressive songs to whip out on people. Mad respect Braham 😊
haha you looked so stressed! with the big sigh at the end. you finished it and looked like a guy who just heard 'we find the defendant............... not guilty'. hope it was fun to practice. was fun to watch.
Wow this is the only cover of this song I’ve found that’s even tolerable. And you crushed it. Insane. By mastering this song you have enough tools in your bag to play almost anything.
@@PBeetheFox what do you actually think he couldnt learn with the skills displayed here? short of really high speed metal galloping type riffs and sweeping solos i cant think of much that hasnt been covered by learning this whole song
Lol almost 19 years of UA-cam existing and this is the only one you've found tolerable? Bit hyperbolic, eh? This is great, as are many others, ya goon.
That was the best cover I’ve ever heard of this song nobody even comes close, good job that was perfect, from the tone to all the little intricacies of those little passages, I can’t imagine the amount of listening it took just to memorize all of that.
I don't know you, brother, but believe me when I say I'm very happy you achieved this goal. Some might say, "why bother so much with just one thing?", and I would say, "because it makes you happy." Congratulations, man.
By far the best cover of this song I've seen. Arguably the best cover I've ever seen of any song. The timbre, the precision, equalization. Well done, amazing fucking job.
Dude….ive been playing for 11 years and NEVER have i seen a guitarist play this as slick as you did. The amount of consistency and consecration is just…wow dude…the bends, the tone, The sweeps, everything. Good shiz man.
it did make me shed a tear. it was a real treat to see this being played note for not. dang near flawless. thank you for taking me back to freshman year in college when this was released before spring break ‘90. what a time. but man what a performance here. there is hope for the next generation of musicians yet.
I may not know you but I’d like you to know that I’m proud of you. To dedicate 4 years to reproduce 4 minutes not only shows your discipline but also your clear joy surrounding that song. I share your joy of that song and you already know this but…YOU MASTERED IT! Eric Johnson who?
Four thoughts I had while watching this: 1) Holy cow, that's super-accurate! Well done! 2) This was one of the songs that made me realize how much I love instrumental music. 3) Wait... is that a Roy Buchanan telecaster model? Ah, no... but it looks really close at first glance. 4) The kid who told me that he KNOWS that I'm "not supposed to rest my pinky on the guitar body while playing" because he took a "music theory class in college" really was a douche. But I'll redirect back to #1. Phenomenal performance.
I used to practice this song religiously for over 6 months just for me to get through the intro, and from all the intricacies that I’ve observed in EJ’s playing you’ve captured almost all of it so well. This has to be the most elaborate cover out there! Lovely stuff
Ever since this was on Guitar Hero 3 in 2007, I’ve had on and off phases where I obsessively practice this song then stop for a while. You’ve inspired me to give it another go! I’ve always struggled with the lick at 2:18 and you did that flawlessly!
Never heard anyone cover this song as perfectly as you did, sounds exactly like the original which is just insanely difficult to do with any song, and you managed to do it with one of the hardest! Great work!
Brought a tear to my eye, kid. I've played for 30 years. I know exactly what it's like to be on a mission like this. I had a huge smile on my face every time you hit the chorus imagining what it must have been like the first night you nailed that. Some of those runs are other-worldly. Duh. It's Eric Johnson. I'm sure you put the guitar down many times, frustrated, couldn't get it. But you came back. That's what it's all about, baby. And you beat it. You conquered the song. I bet the sky was bluer that day. Love it. Love the whole thing. Job well done.
Great job man, you definitely captured the tone, the speed, and minute details that make up the studio version of the song. It’s evident you’ve put the time into attentively listening to the song, learning EJs technique, and crafting a killer tone. I know how much effort and time it takes to not only learn his tunes properly, but also to research and try to craft his clean & lead tones. Without question one of the best covers I’ve seen of Cliffs of Dover. Congratulations -LAG
This is by far the best cover of cliffs of Dover I’ve ever seen. Phenomenal job dude. I spent like 4 months straight learning this song and never got close to playing it that clean or at tempo. Glad to see someone finally pull it off. Mr Johnson would be proud
Eric Johnson is one of the smoothest players I've ever heard, and I played this song on repeat all during college. You absolutely nailed this. The tone is spot on, the phrasing is fluid and right on tempo. BRAVO. Immensely impressed.
This might be the single best cover of a song I’ve ever heard. That is an absolutely unreal level of dedication, and it paid off. Absolutely phenomenal. Keep up the incredible work.
Lovely playing sir. I spend a lot of time learning the best parts of songs rather than the whole song but learning the whole song improves your playing massively, I’m 46 and a bit to lazy these days but used to practice SRV religiously 😊
My brother, you played an absolute monster of a song, and freakin killed it!! Everything was spot on! I’d say that’s 4 years of hard work and dedication and it shows!
Having covered this myself, I know just how challenging this piece is - it's one of the hardest things I've ever learned and I never put in the time to get it to the level you've done here. This is without doubt one of the best covers of Cliffs of Dover I've heard in terms of articulation and phrasing. From one avid guitarist to another, well done man, you've done a superb job.
That was freakin amazing. Thats a LOT of notes, and you hit every one. You didn't even miss a note when you had to stop the headphones from falling off.
I literally could not tell you were playing over the recording until the drums came in. Not only are you note perfect in your phrasing, your attack and dynamics with the picking hand, your amp tone and guitar set up are all completely perfect. This is really impressive work. It would be interesting what sort of technique and theory concepts you gained an intuitive sense for while learning this incredible piece of music. Not only is this a fabulous accomplishment in terms of technical ability on guitar, it is a tremendous feat in control over the intrument and in attention to detail to what you are playing and what you are hearing. The amouny of skill and effort on display here cannot be overstated. You're not just covering a song, you have made a facsimile reproduction in such minute detail. Im floored. Any thoughts on your second song on guitar? 😂 Great work dude!! See you again in four years!! Cant freakin wait.
holy smokes man, thanks so much! thanks for taking the time to leave that comment! very much appreciated. no idea what song to learn next. I'm trying to think about some content to make here on UA-cam. open to suggestions! but I actually found a backing track for cliffs of dover on UA-cam, so I'm not playing over top Eric's original playing, if that's what you meant. (I actually played the intro a little too fast... oh well!)
@@jonasanttila ahahaha that's pretty funny about the backing track... I guess the reverb made me think there was an overdub. My suggestion is dont make content. This is a labor of love. A work of passion. And it came out great. Trust your gut! That said cant go wrong with Free Bird. Cliffs is way trickier and with your chops could probably nail it in a few weeks. Plus free bird is very in with the kids right now.
@@jonasanttilatry Fracture by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. It might be the most difficult guitar parts ever written. There is a guy who documented his learning and practicing of the song over a long period of time…I can’t remember exactly but I think it’s like 10 years. I could be wrong, don’t hold me to it. It’s a real long time. Robert Fripp even congratulated the guy personally. Just look up Fracture Cover. Incredible amount of dedication, like you.
Eric Johnson is somewhere smiling. Amazing dedication. And it's definitely not robot reenactment, you are playing the hell out of the song. Really great.
that was absolutely fantastic. one of my favorite songs and you nailed it. i could close my eyes and not be able to tell the difference between the original and this.
I don't think anyone will be taking away the title of "Best cover of Cliffs of Dover" anytime soon. Simply amazing job bro! THIS is what 40 hours a day looks like! \m/\m/
A reaction video from Eric would be amazing! It's truly the best cover out there. If someone were exclusively listening, they would think they were rolling into 'Ah Via Musicom - Track #2'! Truly exceptional! Thanks for sharing!
The great thing about this song is that Eric added that insane intro to the beginning of it so that we can immediately tell whether a cover of the song is going to be good. You absolutely nailed it bro, be proud.
“nah it can’t be it” words are not even enough to describe and appreciate hours and hours that went into perfecting each and every single note and to play it so fluently and so so CLEAN. Wow I can’t believe I just rewatched this whole thing and just enjoyed watching a master at work. Keep it up, when’s the next song coming out?
Excellent dude! WOW! I can’t imagine the time spent! I’ve worked my ass off on many tough songs, but your resolve of 4 years on this tune blows my mind! So look at it this way. You’ve graduated. Now on to anything after building up the skill set to pull this off! Definitely not time wasted at all is how I see it. Awesome tone as well!
Amazing job, dude!! Way more inspired and impressed by this than 99% of the current shred guitarist drivel on social media. Your tone is beautiful and your feel is impeccable.
Four years of your hard work has led to your immortal fame on the Internet! Hehe. Thank you for your incredibly hard work and posting your video on UA-cam for all of us to enjoy. I love this song. First heard it on Guitar Hero 3, if you can imagine, lol. You perform perhaps the most faithful rendition of this song I've ever heard. I mean... It sounds just like the original. Your hard work has paid off in spades.
BRO!!! This is one of the best covers of this song I've ever heard! I closed my eyes and for 99.5% of the performance, I couldn't tell the difference from the original! You're a legend man, well done and I can't wait to see the follow up videos you've suggested. Cheers man!
Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments and support! Subscribe! it would be very much appreciated! leave a comment!!
This is one of my favorite songs of all time and you did an INCREDIBLE job
You should drop the tone video bro
sounds great Ive been playing 40 years cant play that
Nice job
Nice you nailed it enjoyed the listen terrific tune loved it
"Fear not the guitarist who practices 400 songs in a year, but the one who practiced only one song for 4 years straight" - Bruce Lee
Hahah that's a good one.
That was the first thing I thought hahaha
Hahahaha
As Sun Zu once said: «my balls hurt».
Deep words that changed the lives of many.
@@CarpTi "Do no harm, take no shit"- The Buddha
bro practiced it so much he started to physically look like eric johnson
lmfao XD
LOL
😂😂😂
hahahahhahaha
i was gonna comment that as well. he nailed every single notes
Excellent. I think Eric Johnson worked on this song for 8 years before he deemed it fit for public performance. Keep up the good work.
Is there a source for that ?
I want the source too
Seriously, it shows or you can tell too.
swear he wrote it in five mins
Eric Johnson wrote it in 4 minutes. This is pretty commonly known.
Don't practice something until you get it right: practice it until you can't get it wrong. Very, Very impressive work.
Nah, ' can't be it.
You're the first I've seen play the fast runs ON TEMPO and without removing notes. Great work.
With four years of practice neck yeah. Talk about commitment
Rick Graham has the best version I've seen (since Johnson never plays it the same way twice). I highly recommend watching his version. It's eerie how easy he makes it look.
Well. Done.
Yup
@@SDesWriterI think this version is pretty spot on
My guitar won't do that for me.
😂
@HeAintGonnaEmailYou I Don't care about it that much.
Best cliffs of Dover cover I’ve ever heard. Gave me goosebumps with every note. Now go practice another song for 4 years, you’ve mastered this one ☝️
nooooo that first bend at 0:14 was shit
plus his vibrato sucks
his vibrato was shit to
he needs to practice his technical skills 100%
I was about to say the same thing. Most importantly you captured the emotion of the tune. Well done. I can only imagine the quantum leap your playing took in the 4 years you worked with a tune like that…
Bro thought he could post the original audio track and we wouldn't notice...
Bravo, my friend. Bravo.
I had the exact same sentiment. Like...c'mon that's just the song...right....right? xD
glad everyone isn't an id eee ott
for anyone who doesn't believe it's fake, he fucks it up pretty bad after 0:55. nothing makes sense about that fingering.
also, it's super-obviously the original track, as someone who played it 1000 times on guitar hero
@@trevorlutz3992the obvious thing to me was the ridiculously exact same tone as EJ.
I mean dude. If this kid reproduced this for real? This would be one of the most epic accomplishments for guitarists on UA-cam.
@@RobertMJohnson lol yeah, and there's so many tempo idiosyncracies that would each be nearly impossible to duplicate exactly
I started watching this, zoned out on my phone for a sec, and completely forgot I wasn't listening to the original song. This is the most impressive cover I think I've ever heard in my life. Almost indistinguishable. Incredible job.
Thats what I was saying! I legit cant find a fault! This is the best cover on film. Guaranteed or your money back.
same!
@@St3althytoast3rTV there's some minor syncopation mistakes in the beginning, and just a few throughout. but it doesnt really matter, sounds amazing.
It's been many years since I've heard this song, but it was certainly close enough to what I remember to transport me back to playing Guitar Hero 3 about 15 years ago.
Memory is a crazy thing when it ties so strongly to your senses like that.
@@St3althytoast3rTV He does 1 or 2 tiny weeeeny little mistakes but you'd have to be Eric or superhero to probably not do those! Amazing amazing cover, sat here absolutely mesmerized
Bro HAD THE NERVE to play a solo in the middle of a 4 minute guitar solo, and this guy did the best cover of it I have ever heard. Legendary.
Correction: Bro had the nerve to play an epic guitar solo in the middle of THE LEGENDARARY guitar solo
Yeah...this dude plays this cover sooo clean.
Ok dude. Im59 yo. I Lived in Austin during the 80s and 90s. I’ve met Eric, I’ve talked with him. Ive watched him tune his guitar up close. Seen his effects pedals. I’ve seen him live two dozen times. This was amazing. I had tears, throat clinched up. Some nostalgia and memories in there. But that was damn near perfect bro. Wow. 😮
what a beautiful comment
If he's already lived 2 dozen times how many lives does he have left?? Perhaps he's some type of super cat 🤔
I played Guitar Hero 3, so I am also choked up.
I live in Austin where a good friend of mine is a guitar player and as he says “I’m a pretty good guitar player. But Austin doesn’t need any more pretty good guitar players.”
@wyleftw fav internet comment ive seen in years
It's a real compliment to your playing that a few people here insist that this is the original track.
This song was noted to have been played by Johnson as early as 1984, yet didn't get a formal release until 1990. The idea that you could hear this song in a venue one day and have your mind literally BLOWN and then never hear it again. It would kill me. Thank god for the internet and the accessibility of even mediocre recording equipment. This cover is incredible and your hard work definitely paid off. That opening sounded amazing.
This is from one reddit post I remember before:
"I remember being about 8, and in the car with my dad. I was in the front seat and we were driving somewhere, and this song came on the radio. He cranked it and said something about it being the best guitar playing ever. He really jammed out, which was really uncharacteristic because he was usually so stoic. It was the only time I heard the song, and he died before I could ever ask him what song it was. When I asked around, no one knew wtf I was talking about or what song I was thinking of.
So I had this melody in my head for years, but how do you look up a song that has no lyrics? So for years and years, this song stayed on the back burner in my brain. I was afraid to forget it. Somehow this story pops up when I'm like 26 or so, chatting with my husband and we searched UA-cam for "best guitar songs". After about 15 minutes, we find it. Cliffs of Dover was the song that I'd burned into my brain on repeat for 16 years. Now I jam out to it with my kids." u/1thruZero
I never liked this song.
My friend and I are in our early 50s and his mom would drive us to EJ concerts when we were 15 years old and arrange for us to attend promising we wouldn’t drink. These shows were at the famous Rockerfellas in Houston, TX. We’ve seen Eric play full Hendrix or Beatles sets before and YES this song goes all the way back to at least then.
@@iceWaterProductions1 I miss Houston , Backstage , Power Tools , Kel Dogs !!!
@@bradleymorris8875no one asked or cares
When you spend that long practicing a song you don't just play it correctly, you capture the magic.
This
You found the right words
Is nobody going to mention him adjusting his headphones at 1:33 and not missing a beat? Absolute legendary performance
yes, you
Such an amazing movement, He plays this song as it is something really easy to play.
I saw it, chuckled!
No
That was killer!
Dude... MY GOD!!! you played it that Damn well on a TELE when Eric himself usually plays it on a STRAT!? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME DUDE!!! YOU ARE A MAN AMONGST MEN!!! BRAVO!
99% note/tone accuracy for a song as soulful and difficult as this one is ABSOLUTELY incredible- congratulations, dude, this was really inspiring.
Where do you think he missed?
@@guitarist_coversLook, this is THE MOST ACCURATE version of the song I've ever seen anyone play, even Eric Johnson don't do this HAHHAA- but 0:10 there's one, 1:31 tone is slightly off, 02:22 there's one, 02:32, 02:55, 03:10 tone, 03:49 is slightly off, 04:00 entry to the last shred is slightly off- but to be 100% fair, since the song has ~1300 notes, he's actually above 99% HAHAH
@@Mr.PotatoAWESOMEFitnessTips Your ear is way better than mine. Even after listening to the timestamps I see nothing obvious, maybe a missed note at 02:32?
@@guitarist_covers HAHAHA too much Guitar Hero 3 growing up HAHAHA yup', there's one at 02:32
I agree. For me 3:39 was probably the biggest mistake. I feel like an arrogant a-hole, but I heard a lot of other mistakes too. Right at 0:05 the bend was too far and sharp. At 0:11 he hit the wrong note… at 0:15 the bend was wrong… and so on blah blah blah… 1:30 wrong note… 1:36 the bend was off… 2:20 wrong note…2:43 wrong note… 3:50 a huge mess… yeah yeah… BUT… does it matter? No, you’re right, it was still AWESOME!! Those mistakes don’t matter, because he essentially made the piece his own at that point. Very good playing and I agree, one of the best covers I’ve heard. The mistakes don’t matter. This was amazing to listen to! I can only imagine how much he learned through this and now how much he’ll be able to play other solos. Hats off to him! I can’t wait to hear what he has in store… well, hopefully sooner than four years from now!
4:13 "I did press record didnt I?"
With 4 years of practice, he will nail the song every time 💯
@@peterlyon185 Unless he knows how to play it but his volume was off. Then you just listenend to Eric Johnson. A Milli Vanilli.
Your performance is so damn near perfect, i forgot to wipe.
hahaha
Not near. It is perfect.
“no, that can’t be it…” 😂😭 THE STRUGGLE. you’ll always think you can do it better. but trust me, it already sounds perfect. you’ve done the original justice and more. this was amazing!
Note for note, bend for bend, slide for slide. Hands down the best rendition. Absolutely perfect. Incredible.
I was obsessed with this song in 2007 when I first played it on Guitar Hero 3. My aspirations of being a guitar player were destroyed the day I looked up the tab for this song
Well done. You have more discipline than I ever had. Cliffs of Dover is an instrumental masterpiece and being able to play it note for note is wildly impressive
SAME. Feels good that someone carried that torch to the finish line
Same here. I played guitar almost every day for 5 years when I decided I was ready to try to learn the song. Looked at the tabs and pretty much ended my music career right then and there.
I look up Clone Hero charts and play along in the air when I have nothing else to do.
Guitar Hero got me into TBDM.
RIP Trev ❤
Lame story, went to a highschool dance purely because they had a guitar hero 3 competition. Got 2nd place because of this song taking me to the final battle of me and another guy playing TTFAF, needless to say I got my ass kicked. But its a funny memory from that time going to a dance purely to play guitar hero on a huge screen in front of everyone lmao.
You should play again. You don't have to be Eric Johnson. Just be yourself! This is a hard lesson we all deal with. @@dirtycowboy1941
Outstanding. I normally click off of CLIFFS OF DOVER covers after the first few seconds. That was beginning to end perfection.
Absolutely the same for me! I RARELY EVER like and subscribe to things. Out of respect of this and his tedious drive to perfect it like the master himself - I did Subscribe and Liked this video. WELL DONE MAN!
man, playing this song with that level of performance and accuracy with ONE single take.. geez, hats off
btw, what a beautiful tone you've build there
That was sensational. I've been playing guitar for 50 years and I wish that I had a fraction of the determination and skill that you obviously have. I am humbled in your presence.
Same!!! I bought this tab book back then, along with countless others! I have no reservations about my self-taught guitar skills, along with some light classroom learning on the Violin, Trumpet, and maybe a third of a semester of classical guitar... but I basiclly ended up quitting the guitar. Partly due to being poor, and having to sell most decent guitars I had - but MOSTLY because I just got sick of just playing other peoples music, and I couldn't think of my own stuff because I was so fearful of sounding like someone else?!?!
Same! I play ukulele and paint. I would love some of that determination and patience! Your cover is nothing short of exceptional!!!
it takes about 25 hours of solid practice . go slow 4 notes at a time
yeah but he's staring at the guitar neck. he should look at the camera....the whole time...with his tongue out. come on!
As I just posted.
Great to see other old timers still cranking it out!🤜🤛🍻🍻
I can rarely muster up the discipline to practice the same song for 4 minutes let alone 4 YEARS 😂 this is truly an impressive feat, thanks for sharing your talent!
That's what happens when you(Shiver!) Practice
Don't fret!
I've been playing professionally for over 40 years. And 20 years just playing.
Sometimes there's pay, sometimes there's not.
And no matter what it's always a kick in the ass!
Because he's talking shit and obviously didn't practice only ONE song for 4 years
Any time you play, you practice. Don’t be afraid to
I don't have the discipline either to practice. But I get a little dopamine hit every time I learn a new section of the song that I didn't know before. That has been enough to keep me going
0:31 That sigh…he’s thinking “I got through the intro without any mistakes , but I have a long, long way to go.”
Seriously though, this is the best cover I’ve heard.
This is epic; I have listened to every version of this song available for the past 15 years and you 100% would have fooled me into believing this was Eric Johnson playing.
Really beautiful sound, really clean. It must be a relief finishing such a long and technical song especially with that crazy ending! And it was 100% spot on.
Back in the late '80's, I'd watch Eric play this from about 5 feet away in the small bars and clubs he played back then. You sir, absolutely NAILED it! Congratulations!
Dude! I saw Eric Johnson around 1991 on a smaller stagel. He had just released Ah Via Musicom and had a gig in Hamburg in the Große Freiheit 36 and nearly all of the people in the crowd were musicians and knew what to expect. Me not and Eric Johnson just blew me away. Jonas picked a masterpiece here and did good on it! Made me happy to hear it.
I've been playing a really long time, and the best thing about this video for me is that it immediately inspired me and got me excited and amped up for my daily practice. I don't think you could have accomplished this killer version of this beautiful song if you weren't enjoying the journey as much as the destination, and that to me is the real gift that music provides. So for any beginner guitarists out there, when you hear a fantastic guitarist like this doing something amazing, let it inspire you, be excited, be happy, get in there and practice, man! You'll be amazed at where you can go.
❤
Just don’t take away from this that you will slave away learning just 2.5 songs per decade, that guitar is so hard you need to dedicate four years to nail something. To nail THIS, maybe! But you can practice lots of other stuff along the way.
How do you know this song was out of his league? And why is it taking so long to learn it? It takes way more determination to actually practice. A musical instrument in totality learning all the necessary components to be able to compose a song like this or to improvise a song like this. That is much more impressive than just learning the song itself. Anybody with a reasonable amount of ability can copy somebody else it’s a good learning tool, but it’s not that impressive.
Thank you!
Fantastic! Honestly, not even Eric has a recent take that is this perfect.
Was thinking the same thing. Haven’t seen anyone shred it this perfect maybe ever. He seriously studied this.
Thats because when you play something 20,000 times, typically you don't want to play it note for note anymore.
@@Jacksongamma yeah if you listen to a released single of a song and then listen live it is never exactly the same and I think that is one of the things of being a good instrument player or song maker. you can make it the same song even when playing it idfferent
@@JacksongammaThis is so true, great comment.
i saw that little headphone adjustment at 1:30 😂 truly legendary
😄😄
The stress in your face at 2:16 as you say a quick prayer and hope for the best on the next lick. So relatable 😂 Except I can’t play 5 seconds of this song. Incredible work man 🤘🏼
Looked more like he was just feelin it to me 😅
lol!!
I don't know what level you started at, but the determination needed to keep practicing a song way out of your league every day is insane. Super impressed!
The tone. The phrasing. The timing. Simply nailed it, my friend. Glorious ❤
This.
You haven't seen @CalvinBorja
Yeah how did he nail everything SO identical? It's almost like... This was Eric Johnsons recording the entire time.
Imagine writing a song that most guitarists will never be able to play, and the ones who can, have to practice for years to get it right. Great cover, sounds like the studio recording . And on a tele !
Right?? I want to hear him play it on a Strat!
Holy shit man! This sounds like EJ off the record. You know there is a very very small percentage of people in the world that are this good. Keep playing brother.
who cares
your mom care last night, a lot, like mouths full of care@@astroboirap
@@astroboirap you gave up 10 years ago bro, pretty pathetic talking shit at your age
This is got to be the cleanest cover I’ve EVER seen. Excellent work my friend.
I’ve working on it for 25 years and I’m not even close to this! Bravo!
Same here. I gave up
Bruh IMAGINE the feelings going through his body when approaching that last outro solo
Rick Graham’s version of this has been unmatched for years. As much as I love Rick’s, I think your version sounds even closer to the original! This is unbelievably good, well done mate, top work!
Dude... that's nuts. Thanks!
This version does sound amazing. I can't remember Rick's exactly, but I think I recall his was more of a different interpretation closer to his own style. Both versions are incredible!
awesome
This is literally EJ's version while this guy mimes over top of the recording. The amount of people in here who say its bang on perfect to the recording in every single way but don't question that is WILD.
Blown away... Perfect rhythmical mastery, perfect bending (the bendings guys, the bendings!!!!) mastery, perfect tone mastery... It's the first time I see someone executing this song so perfectly and really centred, balanced in the EJ role... I am amazed... Congrats, BRAVO Jonas!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏
Was that a reference on Keralis?
@@cibulovyknedlik5773 what's that?
EJ himself said it took him a lot of practice before he could record this one at the tempo in the album. Your hard work and dedication in the woodshed have really paid off. Great job
Thunder breathing
First form
Cliffs of Dover
Great job, man. The telecaster tone also fits this song perfect.
EPIC performance! So clean and perfectly phrased! I'm sure Eric Johnson would be proud! 🤘
Wow, thank you!
ERIC performance
Who in the hell could watch this awesome cover and then downvote it? I swear some people.
Great job man.
I have the song down by heart and u sir have it in flawless form. Not a single note missed and perfectly on time. Not to mention this is one of the more impressive songs to whip out on people. Mad respect Braham 😊
haha you looked so stressed! with the big sigh at the end. you finished it and looked like a guy who just heard 'we find the defendant............... not guilty'.
hope it was fun to practice. was fun to watch.
Wow this is the only cover of this song I’ve found that’s even tolerable. And you crushed it. Insane.
By mastering this song you have enough tools in your bag to play almost anything.
lol nah he has the tools in his bag to play Cliffs of Dover.
@@PBeetheFox tell me you don’t know how music works without telling me you don’t know how music works.
@@PBeetheFox what do you actually think he couldnt learn with the skills displayed here? short of really high speed metal galloping type riffs and sweeping solos i cant think of much that hasnt been covered by learning this whole song
Lol almost 19 years of UA-cam existing and this is the only one you've found tolerable? Bit hyperbolic, eh? This is great, as are many others, ya goon.
@@logangrzesiek8749 ya goon? Who says that? Is your iq 85?
I’ve been playing for over 50 years. I know what it takes to pull this off. This is the BEST I’ve ever heard. Couldn’t really be better. WELL done!
That was the best cover I’ve ever heard of this song nobody even comes close, good job that was perfect, from the tone to all the little intricacies of those little passages, I can’t imagine the amount of listening it took just to memorize all of that.
Man... thanks so much!
@@jonasanttilaI couldn't best this on guitar hero, you are a BEAST
Tigger cup in the background, big fan!
I don't know you, brother, but believe me when I say I'm very happy you achieved this goal. Some might say, "why bother so much with just one thing?", and I would say, "because it makes you happy." Congratulations, man.
That is the most exact cover of Johnson’s perfomance at Austin city limits I’ve ever heard. Perfect.
Haha, I'm covering the studio version. But the tone is definitely more inspired by his Austin city limits sound!
Austin City Limits performance is totally different. This is the album version as the OP already said
Lol wut? This is the studio version, ACL is pretty different
By far the best cover of this song I've seen. Arguably the best cover I've ever seen of any song.
The timbre, the precision, equalization. Well done, amazing fucking job.
That was 👍... Eric.
Dude….ive been playing for 11 years and NEVER have i seen a guitarist play this as slick as you did. The amount of consistency and consecration is just…wow dude…the bends, the tone, The sweeps, everything. Good shiz man.
Get better brotha
Yes his bends were so clean at the notes were spot on … amazing detailed work
This almost made me cry. Because it’s a beautiful piece of music and to see your effort which resulted in perfection. Amazing work my friend.
I feel the same way. His effort is so beautiful.
Agreed, shed a little tear :) All the best Jonas ! Youre an inspiration to us all
AMAAAAAAAAZING!!!! Young man.
it did make me shed a tear. it was a real treat to see this being played note for not. dang near flawless. thank you for taking me back to freshman year in college when this was released before spring break ‘90. what a time. but man what a performance here. there is hope for the next generation of musicians yet.
I may not know you but I’d like you to know that I’m proud of you. To dedicate 4 years to reproduce 4 minutes not only shows your discipline but also your clear joy surrounding that song. I share your joy of that song and you already know this but…YOU MASTERED IT! Eric Johnson who?
Four thoughts I had while watching this: 1) Holy cow, that's super-accurate! Well done! 2) This was one of the songs that made me realize how much I love instrumental music. 3) Wait... is that a Roy Buchanan telecaster model? Ah, no... but it looks really close at first glance. 4) The kid who told me that he KNOWS that I'm "not supposed to rest my pinky on the guitar body while playing" because he took a "music theory class in college" really was a douche. But I'll redirect back to #1. Phenomenal performance.
I have to say man, this is one of the cleanest runs of this that I've ever seen on youtube. Great work and great playing. Tone was killer too
I came because I like the song. I stayed because you delivered it PERFECTLY! Congrats this is amazing
Dude this cover is incredible!! 12/10 🤩
Thanks dude!
amazing cover, and as someone said already in the comments, i hit play and alttabbed, and almost forgot that i was listening to a cover at all
I used to practice this song religiously for over 6 months just for me to get through the intro, and from all the intricacies that I’ve observed in EJ’s playing you’ve captured almost all of it so well. This has to be the most elaborate cover out there! Lovely stuff
Did you ever get it down?
@@Mkj119
I have the intro down about 90% of the way, hope to post a cover soon!
Ever since this was on Guitar Hero 3 in 2007, I’ve had on and off phases where I obsessively practice this song then stop for a while. You’ve inspired me to give it another go!
I’ve always struggled with the lick at 2:18 and you did that flawlessly!
Never heard anyone cover this song as perfectly as you did, sounds exactly like the original which is just insanely difficult to do with any song, and you managed to do it with one of the hardest! Great work!
Hell yeah this is awesome dude!
Very inspiring too!
Probably the cleanest cover i have ever heard! Your work paid off tenfold
Perfect 💯👏👍!
I wonder if his volume was on, and if not you're listening to Eric Johnson!
Brought a tear to my eye, kid. I've played for 30 years. I know exactly what it's like to be on a mission like this. I had a huge smile on my face every time you hit the chorus imagining what it must have been like the first night you nailed that. Some of those runs are other-worldly. Duh. It's Eric Johnson. I'm sure you put the guitar down many times, frustrated, couldn't get it. But you came back. That's what it's all about, baby. And you beat it. You conquered the song. I bet the sky was bluer that day. Love it. Love the whole thing. Job well done.
Great job man, you definitely captured the tone, the speed, and minute details that make up the studio version of the song. It’s evident you’ve put the time into attentively listening to the song, learning EJs technique, and crafting a killer tone. I know how much effort and time it takes to not only learn his tunes properly, but also to research and try to craft his clean & lead tones. Without question one of the best covers I’ve seen of Cliffs of Dover. Congratulations
-LAG
Thanks so much man! That really means so much!
This is by far the best cover of cliffs of Dover I’ve ever seen. Phenomenal job dude. I spent like 4 months straight learning this song and never got close to playing it that clean or at tempo. Glad to see someone finally pull it off. Mr Johnson would be proud
Eric Johnson is one of the smoothest players I've ever heard, and I played this song on repeat all during college. You absolutely nailed this. The tone is spot on, the phrasing is fluid and right on tempo. BRAVO. Immensely impressed.
Same here. Now I have this video on repeat.
If I close my eyes I would think I was actually listening to the recording. Your hard work has paid off beautifully!
More content! You have a gift.
That's because if you close your eyes, it is the recording this guy is a fraud.
This might be the single best cover of a song I’ve ever heard. That is an absolutely unreal level of dedication, and it paid off. Absolutely phenomenal. Keep up the incredible work.
Yes, I saw that!!!
Lovely playing sir. I spend a lot of time learning the best parts of songs rather than the whole song but learning the whole song improves your playing massively, I’m 46 and a bit to lazy these days but used to practice SRV religiously 😊
My brother, you played an absolute monster of a song, and freakin killed it!! Everything was spot on! I’d say that’s 4 years of hard work and dedication and it shows!
The ending statement, “No, that can’t be it.” was a perfect ender to the video 😂. Amazing playing and great work!
"Damn was that THEE take?!"
Having covered this myself, I know just how challenging this piece is - it's one of the hardest things I've ever learned and I never put in the time to get it to the level you've done here. This is without doubt one of the best covers of Cliffs of Dover I've heard in terms of articulation and phrasing. From one avid guitarist to another, well done man, you've done a superb job.
Woah, thanks!
That was freakin amazing. Thats a LOT of notes, and you hit every one. You didn't even miss a note when you had to stop the headphones from falling off.
I literally could not tell you were playing over the recording until the drums came in.
Not only are you note perfect in your phrasing, your attack and dynamics with the picking hand, your amp tone and guitar set up are all completely perfect.
This is really impressive work. It would be interesting what sort of technique and theory concepts you gained an intuitive sense for while learning this incredible piece of music. Not only is this a fabulous accomplishment in terms of technical ability on guitar, it is a tremendous feat in control over the intrument and in attention to detail to what you are playing and what you are hearing.
The amouny of skill and effort on display here cannot be overstated. You're not just covering a song, you have made a facsimile reproduction in such minute detail. Im floored.
Any thoughts on your second song on guitar? 😂
Great work dude!! See you again in four years!! Cant freakin wait.
holy smokes man, thanks so much! thanks for taking the time to leave that comment! very much appreciated. no idea what song to learn next. I'm trying to think about some content to make here on UA-cam. open to suggestions! but I actually found a backing track for cliffs of dover on UA-cam, so I'm not playing over top Eric's original playing, if that's what you meant. (I actually played the intro a little too fast... oh well!)
@@jonasanttila ahahaha that's pretty funny about the backing track... I guess the reverb made me think there was an overdub.
My suggestion is dont make content. This is a labor of love. A work of passion. And it came out great. Trust your gut!
That said cant go wrong with Free Bird. Cliffs is way trickier and with your chops could probably nail it in a few weeks. Plus free bird is very in with the kids right now.
@@jonasanttila Next bit of content. How to create that glorious tone!!!
@@jonasanttilatry Fracture by Robert Fripp of King Crimson. It might be the most difficult guitar parts ever written.
There is a guy who documented his learning and practicing of the song over a long period of time…I can’t remember exactly but I think it’s like 10 years. I could be wrong, don’t hold me to it. It’s a real long time.
Robert Fripp even congratulated the guy personally.
Just look up Fracture Cover. Incredible amount of dedication, like you.
@@erissroc tone video on the way! Subscribe so you don't miss it!
Eric Johnson is somewhere smiling. Amazing dedication. And it's definitely not robot reenactment, you are playing the hell out of the song. Really great.
Clearly, you just paid a huge amount of respect to Eric Johnson. Your performance felt like the first time I heard this on the radio. Well done, man!
Mad, mad respect. Nailing that quick fill at the end. Most people's left hand would have fallen off by then.
that was absolutely fantastic. one of my favorite songs and you nailed it. i could close my eyes and not be able to tell the difference between the original and this.
I don't think anyone will be taking away the title of "Best cover of Cliffs of Dover" anytime soon. Simply amazing job bro! THIS is what 40 hours a day looks like! \m/\m/
🤔 for all this time I thought there was only 24 hours in a day.
A reaction video from Eric would be amazing! It's truly the best cover out there. If someone were exclusively listening, they would think they were rolling into 'Ah Via Musicom - Track #2'! Truly exceptional! Thanks for sharing!
Man, that would be crazy!!! And thanks so much!
The great thing about this song is that Eric added that insane intro to the beginning of it so that we can immediately tell whether a cover of the song is going to be good. You absolutely nailed it bro, be proud.
Best I've ever heard anyone cover this. Great job. And I never leave compliments on UA-cam.
“nah it can’t be it” words are not even enough to describe and appreciate hours and hours that went into perfecting each and every single note and to play it so fluently and so so CLEAN.
Wow I can’t believe I just rewatched this whole thing and just enjoyed watching a master at work. Keep it up, when’s the next song coming out?
4 years from now
This sounds amazing! Well done dude! Perfect cover. Those 4 years definitely paid off!
Thanks!
That hybrid picking bit was the death of me. Well done. Usually you can tell who's finger work it is. Not here. Nailed it.
Excellent dude! WOW! I can’t imagine the time spent! I’ve worked my ass off on many tough songs, but your resolve of 4 years on this tune blows my mind! So look at it this way. You’ve graduated. Now on to anything after building up the skill set to pull this off! Definitely not time wasted at all is how I see it. Awesome tone as well!
Awesome tone AND intonation.
Amazing job, dude!! Way more inspired and impressed by this than 99% of the current shred guitarist drivel on social media. Your tone is beautiful and your feel is impeccable.
thank you!
Yeah, i was just going to comment on the tone. Nailed it, man. So impressed! ❤
This is definitely a new UA-cam classic guitar video. Much respect for the dedication, this song is no easy feat.
Incredible!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Four years of your hard work has led to your immortal fame on the Internet! Hehe. Thank you for your incredibly hard work and posting your video on UA-cam for all of us to enjoy. I love this song. First heard it on Guitar Hero 3, if you can imagine, lol. You perform perhaps the most faithful rendition of this song I've ever heard. I mean... It sounds just like the original. Your hard work has paid off in spades.
I have played this song countless times on GH3... I know for a fact that this is a 100% note clear :D Well done, amazing playing!
BRO!!! This is one of the best covers of this song I've ever heard! I closed my eyes and for 99.5% of the performance, I couldn't tell the difference from the original! You're a legend man, well done and I can't wait to see the follow up videos you've suggested. Cheers man!