How Van Halen REALLY plays Drop Dead Legs (no whammy bar)! - Weekend Wankshop 199 

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

😳😳😳🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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.

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.

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.

1978 is when first heard of and saw Van Halen. They opened for Black Sabbath in Wuerzburg, FRG. Man, they were great.

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.

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.

Nicely done

Go watch his son play

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?

Heph333 ......That’s his charm, keep em’ guessing

-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.

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.

Pete is a great dude and a killer player! Love his new solo album.

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.

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!

Robert Baker I believe it was an old V!

A guitar

I have no idea,I'd be interested to know...

@@BenEller So it was the Dean v that you can see pictured in the Neil Zlozower book 'Eddie Van Halen'?

Ben Eller you are correct :)

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

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 😎😎😎😎