Accurate Cliffs of Dover tab that accounts for EJ’s USX technique?

General Music Discussion
#1

I’ve got a student who’s been on a massive Eric Johnson kick lately, and lucky for him (and me!), CTC has given me a wealth of fantastic information to pass along. I’m really proud of the kid; he’s leveled his playing up to incredible levels since he discovered EJ’s music.

However: I’ve been looking for tabs for CoD that are as accurate to EJ’s own playing of it as possible, and I’m finding I simply can’t trust most of the popular commercially available ones. They often contain fretting choices that I know, thanks to CTC, can’t be accurate—one common red flag is fretting the 17 on B in the intro as 12 on high e instead, which isn’t USX-compatible.

So, all that said: does anybody have any recommendations for a REALLY accurate tab of Cliffs of Dover? Both for my student’s benefit, and for my own. (Thanks!)

1 Like
#2

I think if the notes are accurate enough and you know how USX mechanics work, you can always adjust the fingering. I do that kind of thing all the time for my students when I find tab that has wonky fingerings.

2 Likes
#3

I know @Troy had a tab for the intro of the studio version which was available here. It might have been part of the Cascade seminar, but I can’t find it right now. Maybe he can point you to it.

It was obviously made with USX in mind and would definitely be worth studying. However, I don’t believe that all of the fretting choices are accurate.

This tab is the most accurate version of the ACL '88 intro I have ever found. It was made by Tom Mann, who was a member of the EJ Forum (which was shut down long ago). He was a cool guy and he was always willing to share, so I’ll post it here:

Cliffs of Dover ACL '88.pdf (115 KB)

I don’t know of an accurate transcription for the entire piece.

I would also mention that many of Eric’s lines are not strict USX. Eric actually has a functional medium speed double escape movement and some ad hoc helper movements he uses in specific situations. Of course, he also uses hammers and pull-offs to solve bad cases.

Also, if you want to understand Eric’s fingerings, you might be interested in my Higher Landrons article below:

4 Likes
#4

Dang, Tom! As the frequently-quoted Shaq line goes, “I wasn’t really familiar with your game.” This is a truly impressive work of scholarship and musicianship, and I suspect that by the time I’ve absorbed it, I’ll be able to do what was suggested and find the most appropriate frets myself.

I’ll check back in once I’ve finished reading it and started putting it into application. Thanks for sharing!

2 Likes