We're celebrating 30 years since Alice In Chains released their masterpiece Dirt with a bumper set of lessons to show you how to learn every riff and lick from the entire album!
Get the tones
Jerry Cantrell's main guitar at this time was a G&L Rampage so you want something with a high output humbucker in the bridge.
Tone-wise the Dirt sound is tricky to replicate, as it's a blended sound of three amps (Bogner Fish Preamp, Bogner Ecstasy and Rockman headphone amp) but there could have been others used too. I'd set your amp just on the very edge of breakup and use any decent high gain pedal – I've used the Friedman BE-OD in some of these videos.
You'll also need a wah pedal for some riffs/solos and a flanger is used in the clean parts in Rooster.
Tuning
Jerry always tunes his guitar 1/2 a step down, but Them Bones/Dam That River areh in Drop Db so you'll need to detune your 6th (low Eb) string down a further step for that one.
Technique tip
Jerry's calling cards here are plenty of palm muting, wide vibrato, bends, trills and crushing riffs to get your fingers around so have fun!
1. Them Bones
2. Dam That River
3. Rain When I Die
4. Down In A Hole
Down In a Hole MTV Unplugged version
5. Sickman
6. Rooster
8. Junkhead
9. Dirt
10. Godsmack
11. Hate To Feel
12. Angry Chair
13. Would?
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