Eric Johnson Koto Technique

[thej0hnson]

awesome hat at 1:10

[xN4THxTH3xDEM0Nx]

i wonder what else eric got up to his trip to thailand...

[ThrashRoC]

sounds GREAT !!!

eric johnson is a really good guitarist , also his chord playing is great , cool guy



[Juggalo5588]

simply Incredible, He could make climbing everest "Easy"

[BurnElectric]

guys, chill out, it's not THAT hard, especially compared to other stuff he does. just go slow

[HaoSkywalker]

Damns...

[52grassman]

i've been practicing that Ex 17 for couple years now and i still can't do it like him! EJ is too awesome.

[ShreddinThrash]

the first bit of imrpov he does is amazing, what a nice style of chordal play eric has. The second bit he does oddly sounds like the start of angel eyes by jason becker. Both being rather different but still. Both awesome guitar players.

[R3velatiOnx]

any one know where i can buy this dvd?

[Mexicanmetalhead011]

i got a blister on my thumb after doing this

[QuistTV]

awesome!!

[ZiotheZero]

it's actually pretty easy.

[ReinRockz]

its NOT FAIR!!!! he is eric johnson.. of course it easy!!!

[cciemail]

ha,ha! what's that drummer got on his head at 1:07??? It looks like a miniature top hat! ha,ha,ha,ha

[pipsqueek14]

@cciemail thats his hair

[xxxEnterSandmanXxX]

Mr T plays drums?

[SRVblueshero1]

the key word there is relatively

if you're Eric Johnson it's easy- if you're not Eric, it's not easy

[gshredder5150]

HOLY FIUCKSHIT DID ANYONE ELSE NOTICE THE DRUMMERS HAIRCUT AT 114

[Lukeyboi14]

@gshredder5150 stop digging for "thumbs up's"

[educassiano]

@gshredder5150 it's an Onion LOL

[educassiano]

Eric is giffted, but also dedicated and precise. The guy is just completely underrated, not fair. I've heard some so called rockstars who deserved to tune and maintenance Eric Johnson's gutiars instead of playing shows.

[Shadowhog]

"Relatively simple techinque"

Yeah for HIM maybe.

[oT0MJHo]

fenders are so over rated, they sound good but they feel tacky and flimsy

[joemaz]

@oT0MJHo All Fenders sound good? All Fenders feel tacky and flimsy? Your sweeping generalization is wrong. Sorry.

[randommoosebrains]

@oT0MJHo I believe your statement is a oxymoron >_>

[MrAvalonsama]

my god... this is NOT easy !!!!!! 0_0''

[grzana2429]

Ex. 17 - TABS please ! :( this melody is so beautiful !

[GrapefruitHangover]

can someone please make a tutorial/lesson on this technique?

[BubbaFart]

Did he say "kotolish sounding"?? lol He's awesome! :-)

[zbarneyz]

I dont really think ''koto'ish'' is a word Eric ;P

[25jonathan]

i've wanted an ibanez prestige for a while to take over for my strat when it gets very technical.

after watching this... i think i'll just stick to my strat :D

[uchicha666]

I can't see his fucking thumb and I can't finish this stuff ;/

[oT0MJHo]

@uchicha666 you dont need to see his thumb cos he tells you he just picks the the string with his thumb

[aritram1]

yes.. i also agree. Great ppl does great things with significantl ease !

[JDGreen916]

It's a simple technique... relative to the typical-impossibly-fast picking techniques EJ usually throws down..

[itachidu13013]

Well, I agree with nickbaldeagle01. Eric Johnson is unfortunately underrated. I had never heard of him until I discovered him on Youtube, too. I discovered him thanks to a list of the greatest solos ever (it was Cliffs of Dover for EJ, you guess). I loved this song when I heard it. I also discovered at that moment a great, an awesome guitarist from a technical point of view. It is a beautiful song, but his skills, especially, amazed me.

[itachidu13013]

I looked for others EJ'songs, and I discovered a great singer thanks to Trail of Tears (I mean the live version from Austin, TX, 1988), and, above all, a guitarist who plays with his soul. Technical, soulful, great voice : here's Eric Johnson. Never heard of him before. It's just a shame. He can play very fast, and it's still music. He's just one of my favourite guitarists. I used to listen to hard rock only. I discovered Eric Johnson. I discovered music itself.

[trixie10121]

Guess What I Am The Greatest "Guitarist" Of All Time-Love Me Or Hate Me

[ExtremeBogom]

Something about memphis man...

I gotta go there some day.

[ronblitz]

Damn Eric, I only have 10 fingers.. How many do you have?? XD

[jwandhistools]

@ronblitz

I think he hides a couple extra fingers in his palm.

And his are the size of sausages.

Just not fair.

He cheats. haha.

[12345678ix]

theres no one that can play like him. many try but you cant get those chords and patterns to sound like that i find it impossible i think he is the bets guitar player better than does fast shredders like malmsteen and gilbert

[12345678ix]

never hes good?

[darkisoangel]

Don´t even compare, primarily blues guitarrists with, malmsteen or gilbert, wich, are not.

Yeah, nobody can sound like johnson, bue also no one can sound like malmsteen or gilbert or vai, regarding the setup and everything, it´s about what you play and how you play it.

Don´t think J´s the best tough, I agree on that no one can sound like him bro!

[simplestrum]

Wow. This guy is full of techniques!

[acousticore]

Eric started playing guitar when he was 11. He is now 54 so he has been playing guitar for 43 years! Proof that playing music will keep you young at heart.

[MikeDPGuitar]

Learn it NOW!

[Heeya13]

he makes it look SOOOOO easy. i tried doing this and it sounded like a cat getting choked to death

[ruiolas]

LOL, I laughed so much at your comment xD

[satric75]

@Heeya13 LOL

[29396]

Hey that sounds cool! Too bad I can't do it though... :'(

[WMDG3]

it's "a relatively simple technique to do"

HAHAHAHAHA

[ThreeLeggedMongoose]

when he said that i was thinking oh cool i'll learn this and then he said "so you fret with your first finger of the right hand", lost me there!!!

[Shasui17]

I think I know what he means.... normaly you would fret with the left and strum with the right... just do the opersite unless your playing lefty.... then do the opersite

[RenickFamily]

Simply amazing. I love this guy. He is playing the coach house this saturday and I am terribly sad I don't have the money for tickets. Maybe someone will post the performance on here!

[voodooalchemy]

David Casper, you're right, he is the best guitarist to ever live in terms of his tone and beautiful harmony. No one has his sound and he's just so amazing to listen to because his music is just awesome.

[TheElectromagnet]

hahahah the tab book for this part is soooo wrong!

[krustaceae]

SICK!!! It sounds like real koto.

[nickbaldeagle01]

Eric is one of the most underrated guitar players going. He is so talented, able to play almost any style without being at all flashy.

[freakandfrak]

how do you figure he's underrated?

[nickbaldeagle01]

He doesn't get the publicity he so richly deserves. Underrated. Unlike X factor contestants who are overrated.

[zwamman]

I don't think public acclaim is the right measure for musical quality :).

[nickbaldeagle01]

It's not. I'm saying that Eric is underrated. Not enough people give him credit. He's an excellent musician who does not get the publicity that lesser people get. Can anyone else reading this give a clear definition of the term "underrated"? It seems to be getting misconstrued...

[Orbit91]

Well, what is he underrated for?

[nickbaldeagle01]

What? That question does not make sense. The definition of underrated is "not given enough recognition for its quality".

Underrated.

[Orbit91]

What qualities make him underrated though? Or do I have to simplify my question for you?

[nickbaldeagle01]

Quite simply it is this:- I had never heard of Eric Johnson until I discovered him on YouTube. None of my mates had either, so we immediately set about obtaining albums and live footage. We all agreed that such a talented guitar player should be worldly famous. Like Satch, Vai or EVH. But he wasn't. So there, you have the explanation. He is underrated. Vastly underrated. Unlike Britney Spears who is bloatedly OVERrated. Do you get me?

[Orbit91]

What's Britney overrated for? Nobody I know talks well about her.

Why should EJ be world famous, what does he bring to the table that nobody else has brought before?

[nickbaldeagle01]

But the press still plaster her sorry ass on every front page of every tabloid.

Overrated.

Eric brings the Koto Technique and a unique deferential style, eloquescence if you will. Not to mention a sunburst Fender which exudes class from every microscopic particulate.

[Orbit91]

I used to own a Sunburst Strat, doesn't mean I'm classy :P

And they plaster her ass on the tabloids because she's a mental case :P

[nickbaldeagle01]

Exactly. The press rate her but you and I don't. And 'cos she gets so much exposure she's...overrated. But poor Eric gets no newspaper and MTV coverage. So he's underrated.

I'm sorry you are not classy by the way. I am classy. But that's my problem, not yours.

Happy new year.

[Orbit91]

Haha, if you were the guy I was stood next to in the Paul Gilbert concert, then you're not classy :P

[nickbaldeagle01]

I was stood next to a fellow YouTuber called bigdaddynuge. So no. It was not me. But all Paul Gilbert fans have a certain element of class. It must have been a long bus ride from Macedonia. He was also in Poland and Greece. That would have been nearer for you. I also saw Tommy Emmanuel in Manchester in November. He was VERY good...very underrated...

[Orbit91]

I'm not from Macedonia :D

[nickbaldeagle01]

Well, you've entered your country on your YouTube page as Macedonia. What else am I supposed to think?

HEY, I'm going to see Priest Feast at The Apollo in Manchester soon. You going?

[Orbit91]

I might check it out, that's a good idea :)

[DavidCasper]

He's probably one of the greatest guitar players ever to live, yet about 95% of the mainstream American public has no idea who he is - and that number hasn't even been helped much by his feature on Guitar Hero III. He's revolutionary, unique, and a bamf, and yet largely unrecognized. I don't know how else I can put it to explain how he's a textbook definition of "underrated".

[Orbit91]

I think you're kind of putting him on a pedestal here :/

[DavidCasper]

I'm not putting him any higher than he deserves to be. He's not my favorite ever - that is reserved for Derek Trucks - but EJ's damn good and deserves much more recognition and respect than he gets. Also, I've met Eric and talked with him for a bit, and he is one of the nicest, most humble people I've ever met, which makes me respect him even more.

[nickbaldeagle01]

I've NEVER heard of Derek Trucks. I've just checked out a few videos of him. He looks good. Very good. Nice one.

Any other gems you care to share with the world?

I think this Derek is very underrated...

[CherokeeMusic]

Yeah, he is awesome on every level.

[EJstratocaster]

Orbit91,

I have an alter in my backyard built to the honor of Eric Johnson. It literally sits upon a pedestal. Would you like to see it?

Yours truly,

EJ, sits-upon-a-pedestal, stratocaster

[Orbit91]

I can't blame you, he's awesome.

[nickbaldeagle01]

This orbit91 just won't let it go. He's like a dog with a bone. I've got Eric on the G3 '96 DVD. He's very good. Very underrated. AAAgh. What have I said? Over to you orbit91. See you soon.

[Orbit91]

You say I won't let it go, yet YOU are choosing to continue this argument?

[nickbaldeagle01]

Forgive me orbit, I was getting withdrawal symptoms from not seeing your name come up every day in my inbox. Between you and me we own the posts on this video.

Have you booked for Priest Feast? Got It Bites at The Academy in March, then Gary Moore in May. Come on Orbit, sort it...

[Orbit91]

Haha, I don't PM you though O_O

[jamiegu]

23-30 sounds like a chinese sort of tune it sounds awesome :D

[Louw91]

thats the point of this exercise : )

[surfco]

He is so fucking great!

[wrath77]

Pretty kool.

[krakhaid]

Even though it's just a lesson piece, it's still beautiful sounding.

[tedhellcaster]

EJ has the BEST guitar tone EVER.. in my opinion haha

[knowerr]

nice bending tech

[mutorsound]

As an instructional video, I think running the reverb + chorus + compression + delay is kinda silly. Would be better if he taught people a bit more about what he knows... good classic tones start with a good pairing of amp and guitar... only from there should you get into the other stuff. Hell, even his flubs sound ethereal and voicelike, that's not realistic to students. Brilliant guitarist, but frustrating to see all his instructional videos have that tone.

[guitar4lyphe]

honetsly i just like listening to it...who cares about the tone and effects

[surfco]

WOW!! your stupidity really amazes me!

[Manitor]

That's part of his style, if he changed it you would get your panties all twisted up because he wasn't "sticking with his normal routine", or something ridiculous like that. It's realistic enough to me.

[kimo1371]

who gives a f**k who did it first?

johnson is great, so is bratta, it sounds cool, now move on assmunches.

[guitaralbert0]

if we're gonna talk about koto technique, then let's go back through japanese history. eric johnson kicks major ass.

[dhumantorch]

I know, dude. In fact, Eric Johnson used the time machine from Turtles III to get back there and personally learn the koto technique...in FEUDAL JAPAN.

[WMDG3]

White Lion??? HAHAHAHAHA Should that evben be allowed on the same page as Ej? LMAO

[bigtophalloween]

Nope. He does that lick on his "Tones" record, totally clean.

[COBfan696]

Sounds quite Asian-esque, really cool. Im gonna try that.

[jeffreycollins]

i've been hearing Vito Bratta doing this since the first White Lion video.

[bigtophalloween]

Eric Johnson's been doing it since the 70's.

[jeffreycollins]

really? because I didn't hear of him until the 90's.

[FloydFreak690]

Just because your behind the times doesn't mean the rest of us are. EJ is the man...better then any shitty hair band player!

[Manitor]

Vito Bratta doesn't do the Koto Technique, what you're hearing is him tapping a note AFTER he's bent the string. There is no thumb picking involved with his technique.

[Levesque999]

I still haven't figured out how to do it D:<

[UrFaceIzDum]

hmm thats different but still way cool

[Escudero01]

Does anybody know what song that is, its so beautiful!

[BubbaFart]

Damn. This is amazing...

[samsombersimba]

whoa! neat. sounds really eastern!

[Rooster456]

He makes it look sooo easy. Try it...

[WMDG3]

"...it's a relatively simple technique". yeah, if you're an alien.....lol

[flyingV1043]

never thought of that before

[NKirkwall]

this guy's clearly got it: superb.

[Rooster456]

Awesome! I wish I could have half the talent as him.

[Veneros]

anyone know the song played??

[JoeYngVai]

every EJ video has 4 stars! Who the hell doesn't find this stuff useful/"awesome"???!!

[torander]

beautiful

[nivsha]

I wouldn't over do it with that technique or else it makes the music sound way too goofy.

[SicTransitGloria1982]

I definitely agree, it's only spice on the main meal. :)

If you haven't checked out nivsha's profile make sure you do, people. Beautiful lady making beautiful music.

It makes even EJ's stuff look amateur.

[chiefmegadeth]

@SicTransitGloria1982

I just went to Nivsha's page and had a listen????

I dont like it at all!that instrument is just all over the place

21 stringed zheng.just sounds wrong ins some bits...

Its ok but Eric Johnson makes her look like a Amateur!

She may be beautiful but that don't make her music sound better IMO

[gordonbrodie]

i'd like to play like him

[3dimensionalreality]

Who wouldn't?!

[metalmonkey88]

that was awesome...

[imlaobee1]

genius