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Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

Eric Johnson

17 guitar songs · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Jazz

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Cliffs of Dover - Guitar Tab Guitar Tab

Cliffs of Dover - Guitar Tab

YouTube Stats: 2M · 43K

Mr. Tabs Guitar Tab
Cliffs Of Dover Pt.1 - Intro - Guitar Lesson Guitar Lesson

Cliffs Of Dover Pt.1 - Intro - Guitar Lesson

YouTube Stats: 1.4M · 12K

GuitarLessons365SongLessons Guitar Lesson
Manhattan Pt.1 - First A Section - Guitar Lesson Guitar Lesson

Manhattan Pt.1 - First A Section - Guitar Lesson

YouTube Stats: 288K · 2.4K

GuitarLessons365SongLessons Guitar Lesson
Desert Rose Pt.1 - Verse & Chorus - Guitar Lesson Guitar Lesson

Desert Rose Pt.1 - Verse & Chorus - Guitar Lesson

YouTube Stats: 58K · 360

GuitarLessons365SongLessons Guitar Lesson

Artist Overview

History and Guitar Legacy

Eric Johnson, born in Austin, Texas, emerged as a guitar virtuoso in the late 1970s and achieved international breakthrough with his 1990 album 'Ah Via Musicom.' Widely regarded as one of the most technically refined and tonally obsessive electric guitarists in history, Johnson's signature style blends rock, blues, jazz fusion, and country into instantly recognizable music. His violin-like tone has become legendary among guitarists and music listeners alike.

Playing Style and Techniques

Johnson's lead playing combines blazing pentatonic runs with hybrid picking, cascading legato lines, sweep-picked arpeggios, and expressive vibrato reminiscent of B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. His rhythm work incorporates jazzy chord voicings, open-string embellishments, and dynamic sensitivity rarely seen in rock guitar. Johnson deploys this breadth of technique with exceptional musical taste, demonstrating both technical mastery and sophisticated artistic judgment throughout his playing.

Why Guitarists Study Eric Johnson

As a solo artist handling all guitar duties, Johnson's records serve as direct lessons in tone and touch philosophy. His meticulously arranged compositions feature multiple guitar layers with distinct tonal characters, often switching between Stratocaster, Les Paul, and semi-hollow guitars within single songs to achieve precise harmonic content. Johnson functions as a one-man guitar school, offering comprehensive insights into both technical execution and artistic vision.

Difficulty and Learning Path

Eric Johnson's material ranks among the hardest in rock guitar canon. Songs like 'Cliffs of Dover' demand advanced alternate picking at high speed, precise hybrid picking, and wide interval jumps while maintaining clean tone. Even accessible tracks like 'Desert Rose' verses require sophisticated chord knowledge and impeccable dynamic control. Intermediate to advanced players will find his catalog an ideal proving ground for pushing technique and musicality simultaneously.

What Makes Eric Johnson Essential for Guitar Players

  • Eric Johnson's signature technique involves a hybrid picking approach where he uses the pick alongside his middle and ring fingers to execute rapid pentatonic cascades and wide-interval arpeggios. This gives his lines a harp-like, rolling quality that's nearly impossible to replicate with a flatpick alone.
  • His vibrato is a masterclass in controlled expression, he primarily uses finger vibrato (classical-style, parallel to the fret) rather than wrist-based bending, producing a smooth, even oscillation that sustains notes beautifully. Practicing his vibrato alone will elevate your phrasing dramatically.
  • Johnson is notorious for his volume knob manipulation and touch dynamics. He rides his guitar's volume control constantly to clean up overdrive or add grit on the fly, treating the instrument's electronics as an active part of his expression rather than a set-and-forget control.
  • His use of the pentatonic scale goes far beyond typical blues-rock box patterns. Johnson incorporates wide-stretch positions, adds the major 2nd and 6th to create a more melodic, almost country-flavored sound, and connects scale shapes across the entire neck using position shifts at high speed.
  • Rhythmically, Johnson frequently employs open-string chord voicings and Hendrix-style embellishments, thumb-over-the-neck bass notes, hammer-on/pull-off fills between chords, and subtle double-stop bends that make even simple progressions sound richly textured.

Did You Know?

Eric Johnson is so obsessive about tone that he has claimed he can hear the difference between different brands of batteries in his effects pedals, specifically preferring Duracell batteries for certain pedals because of a perceived tonal warmth.

The iconic opening riff of 'Cliffs of Dover' was partially improvised during a soundcheck. Johnson liked the melodic idea so much he developed it into the full composition that would win him a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1992.

Johnson often records with the guitar cable going through a specific length of cable, he's tested different cable lengths and brands to achieve the exact high-frequency rolloff and capacitance he wants before the signal even hits the amp.

He's one of the few rock guitarists who regularly uses a Fuzz Face, a Tube Screamer, AND a vintage tape delay (Echoplex) in the same signal chain, but he's meticulous about the order, insisting the Fuzz Face must come before the Tube Screamer to interact correctly with the guitar's volume knob.

Despite his shredding reputation, Johnson cites jazz pianist Bill Evans and classical composer Claude Debussy as major influences on his harmonic approach, which explains the lush, impressionistic chord voicings in songs like 'Manhattan.'

Eric Johnson plays piano and lap steel on many of his recordings, and he often composes on piano first before translating ideas to guitar, which is partly why his guitar melodies have such a vocal, non-guitaristic quality.

He spent five years recording and re-recording 'Ah Via Musicom' because he wasn't satisfied with the guitar tones. Multiple studio sessions were scrapped entirely because the amp wasn't responding the way he wanted on a given day.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Ah Via Musicom album cover
Ah Via Musicom 1990

This is the essential Eric Johnson album for any guitarist. 'Cliffs of Dover' is the ultimate test of hybrid picking, speed, and melodic phrasing at high tempos. 'Desert Rose' teaches you dynamic chord work, soulful bending, and how to construct solos that build emotionally. 'Trademark' is a beautiful study in clean-tone legato and tasteful vibrato. Every track is a masterclass in tone production.

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Tones album cover
Tones 1986

Johnson's debut is rawer and more fusion-influenced than his later work. 'Zap' features blistering alternate-picked lines over jazz-rock changes, and the overall album showcases his early approach to blending Hendrix-style rock phrasing with jazz harmony. Great for guitarists who want to hear his technique in a less polished, more spontaneous context.

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Venus Isle album cover
Venus Isle 1996

The follow-up to 'Ah Via Musicom' goes deeper into jazzy territory and features some of Johnson's most complex arrangements. 'Manhattan' is a must-learn for its sophisticated chord melody work and multi-section soloing across different feels. 'S.R.V.' is a heartfelt blues tribute that teaches you about expressive bending and slow-hand phrasing. The album rewards patient study of harmony and song structure.

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Up Close album cover
Up Close 2010

A more mature Johnson exploring acoustic and electric textures side by side. 'Austin' features his trademark cascading pentatonic runs in a more accessible context, while deeper cuts show his country-influenced hybrid picking in full force. This is ideal for intermediate players looking for Johnson material that's challenging but not as technically extreme as 'Cliffs of Dover.'

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster (1954 and 1957 models) is his primary instrument, maple neck, stock single-coils, with the tone knob rolled slightly back for warmth. He also regularly uses a Gibson ES-335 for jazzier passages and a 1958/1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard for heavier, mid-rich lead tones, often switching guitars mid-song in the studio. His signature Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster features a thin neck profile, '57 vintage-style single-coils with slightly hotter output, and a unique 1-meg volume pot that preserves high-end clarity.

Amp

Johnson's core clean and light-crunch tones come from a Fender Twin Reverb or a blackface-era Fender Vibroverb, run fairly clean with the volume around 5-6. For heavier lead tones, he uses a Marshall 1987 Plexi-style head (or a 100-watt model) pushed into natural breakup. He often runs two or three amps simultaneously, blending a clean Fender with an overdriven Marshall to create his signature layered tone, the Fender provides clarity and shimmer while the Marshall adds midrange sustain and grit.

Pickups

On his Stratocasters, Johnson uses vintage-spec single-coils with output around 5.5–6.2k ohms, bright and articulate with plenty of dynamic range. The neck pickup is his go-to position for lead work, delivering a warm, violin-like sustain when pushed through a cranked amp. On his Les Paul, he runs original PAF humbuckers (or faithful reproductions around 7.5–8k), which give him a thicker, creamier lead tone with more compressed sustain, perfect for the heavier sections of songs like 'Cliffs of Dover.'

Effects & Chain

Johnson's pedalboard is carefully curated: a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face (germanium, with specific transistor specs) first in the chain for singing lead fuzz tones, followed by a vintage Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS808 or TS-9) set with low gain and high level as a clean boost into the amp. He uses a Maestro Echoplex EP-3 tape delay for slapback and ambient repeats, the Echoplex's preamp stage also colors his tone, adding warmth and compression. A TC Electronic chorus (or vintage Boss CE-2) adds shimmer on clean passages. He's extremely particular about signal chain order and cable quality, and he powers his analog pedals with specific battery brands rather than power supplies.

Recommended Gear

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Eric Johnson's primary instrument, with vintage single-coils and a rolled-back tone knob that deliver warm, articulate lead tones and dynamic range. His signature model features a 1-meg volume pot preserving high-end clarity, essential for his layered clean and overdriven tones.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Johnson uses original PAF humbuckers on his 1958/1959 model for heavier, mid-rich lead work, providing thicker sustain and compression on songs like 'Cliffs of Dover' when pushed through his Marshall head.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

While not explicitly mentioned in Johnson's primary setup, this model shares PAF humbucker characteristics that would deliver similar thick, creamy lead tones and compressed sustain for heavier passages.

Gibson ES-335
Guitar

Gibson ES-335

Johnson switches to this semi-hollow body for jazzier passages mid-song, its balanced tone bridging his bright Strat clarity and Les Paul warmth for sophisticated, articulate lead work.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Johnson's core clean and light-crunch amp, run at volumes 5-6 for shimmering clarity and natural reverb that blends with his Marshall's grit to create his signature layered tone.

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9
Pedal

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

Set with low gain and high level as a clean boost, Johnson's TS9 pushes his amps into natural breakup while preserving the dynamic articulation crucial to his playing style.

How to Practice Eric Johnson on GuitarZone

Every Eric Johnson song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Cliffs of Dover - Guitar TabPractice Cliffs Of Dover Pt.1 - Intro - Guitar LessonPractice Manhattan Pt.1 - First A Section - Guitar Lesson