JERRY CANTRELL's 24 Greatest Guitar Techniques! 

The best grunge guitarist

Jerry is probably one of the most talented and creative guitarists I’ve ever seen. He’s no Steve Vai but he’s pretty goddamn amazing for a grunge guitarist. He’s really so much more than that.

Fun fact. Layne Staley actually wrote Angry Chair, and it’s cool how he heard the “tension and evil” of moving up to the minor 6th from the 5th. He was vibing, and feeling it. Super simple riff, and hella cool how he did it. Side note another god tier riff layne wrote was I don’t know anything from Mad Season’s record.

Time Stamps: #1 0:55 Drop D Chord Bends #2 1:44 Extended Drop D Chords #3 2:28 Walk Down Squeals #4 3:15 The Cantrell Chord #1 #5 4:08 Wah Trills #6 4:58 Bleeding Bends #7 6:03 Funk Leads #8 7:01 Man In The Talk Box #9 8:04 Over Bends #10 9:03 Reverse Rakes #11 9:38 Behind The Nut Harp Sound #12 10:05 The Devils Interval #13 11:03 The Cantrell Chord #2 #14 12:10 Wah Octaves #15 12:52 Double Stop Bends #16 13:46 Minor 6 Dissonance #17 14:51 Slow Low Bends #18 15:13 Chaos Leads #19 16:26 Melodic Overdubs #20 17:27 Circular Lead Motif #21 19:18 Legato #22 20:27 Thumbed Slash Chords #23 21:17 Finger Picking #24 22:32 Self-Harmonizing

Jar of Flies is one of the best albums of the 90s. Well, it is one of the best albums ever.

Jerry Cantrell is the reason i started playing 27 years ago, and I’m looking forward to seeing him play this summer with AIC and Korn.

One thing about Cantrell that sets him apart from other metal (or grunge) guitarists is his honesty and simplicity. He does a lot with one note yet it sounds heavy and huge. He also has a lot of texture in his riffs and compositions which became the core sound of Alice in Chains. His solos are pretty tasty too.

Jerry Cantrell is also the lord of arpegios with open strings. No one else does it that mystical way he does. I mean "I can't remember", "Love, hate, love", "The devil put dinosaurs here", "Jesus hands". Real awesomeness! And also he's one of my very favorite composers and musicians. His solos on "Low Ceiling" and "Breath on a window" are extremely soulful. He never gonna put a rubbish solo stuff like most skilled guitarists do. He's skilled, but he's so musical! I realy love the way he does! By the way, thanks for video!😉

The Dirt album ... all I will say is “ Wow “ is you love Grunge or 90s music and you haven’t listen to the “ Dirt “ album yet ... stop whatever you are doing and listen to it right now ... you’ll thank yourself after ....

Facelift is my favourite AiC album. So many of those choruses just hit you with this huge wall of sound, huge chords and some really great vocal performances from Layne that I think aren't as present in the later albums.

Amazing video, thanks! Jerry Cantrell is a wonderful guitarist and often gets overlooked because he's not that flashy or technically apt, a shame though since his riffs and solos always fit the vibe of the song and build on the main riff or vocal lines. One thing that's debatable in your video: around the 14 min mark you refer tot Angry Chair and the dissonance: Layne Staley actually wrote that song on his own and played rhythm on the track as well. Rock on!

Man I knew Jerry was a great guitarist just as far as the riffs and music go, but his technical aspect is also insane with the effects, little techniques, and nuances in his playing. He really has alot going on in these seemingly simple songs. Definitely feels like a daunting task to try to learn some of these songs

FINALLY A PROFSSIONAL WHO TRULY UNDERSTANDS JERRY CANTRELL AND HIS UNIQUE SOUND. you just earned a new subscriber

Cantrell is really just some kind of guitar God.

I also listen to a lot of Alice in chains during my long depression. The mtv unplugged album was my favorite but Jar of fly is a close second. Nirvana, radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins also made some good depression music.

Jar of flies’ nutshell song reminds me of my dad. I thank him everyday for bringing me up w/ such good music.

This needed to happen Jerry is a king

Really great video you made here. Jerry's music saved my life literally when I lost my mom dad and step dad in 5 month... Jar of flies was my savior as well and especially whale and wasp... Go interesting ....I have thought that song through and through and I wonder if it's sort of an homage to Ann and Nancy Wilson's dog and butterflysince they are friends and have played together so many times... I really think it is . I will find out one way or another... Anyway I try and explain how dark music and dark lyrics kept me from suicide but I fail to understand myself ..music is therapy & ALICE in chains my doctor!!! Thanks for your great videos

I know I’m a year late but I was able to name every single song and this made me love them even more..they’re my favorite band of ALL time

thanks for this video. i thought it might be some throwaway thing where you basically just play recognizable cantrell licks but you went really in-depth and not only showed how to emulate each technique but how and why its used. and as a 19-year-old, i have definitely gone through spans of my life where ive listened to the same Cantrell or AIC EP/LP every single day just to keep me alive.

Finally Jerry getting some love! One of my favorites. Hardly anyone covering Jerry thank you so much!

Jerry should watch this. Amazing

These 25 minutes were so fascinating, You are are playing beautifully. I've learned a lot from this video Thank you 🤟🎸

Love the shirt. 😊 And the lesson. 😎 Man, I miss the 90's!! 😭

I love Jerry Cantrell’s use of staccato picking the best it sounds so sick. Can you do one on Billy Corgan sometime? I always feel like he is carving me up with his bends and he does these crazy sounding harmonics in a lot of his songs

It’s awesome to see Jerry Cantrell getting the recognition he deserves. Phenomenal guitarist and songwriter.

I loved this. Alice In Chains is one of my favorite artists, and Jerry’s amazing guitar style is one of the reasons! I think Jerry would approve!

Alice In Chains helped me get thru hard times too! Band made a huge impact on my life. Love them so much.

I’ve been watching your videos over the last several months and I can’t believe I haven’t seen these earlier, since it’s been years you’ve had them out. Anyways, I love all your videos and you are a great teacher and you explain guitar playing so good. AIC have also got me through my teenage years and the band always have a special place in my heart.

Cantrell is the prototype of a economic genius. He has a really flashy solos (eg lying season, grind, and few others), but the interesting about him and what makes him one of my favorite guitarist is his unique ability to creates atmspheres with simple riffs. Would, man in the box , it ain't like that are three of many examples of "economic" riffs that impact immediately. Cantrell is a monster creating riffs and is a master of that particular sludgy, dark, heavy and in other moments beautifully mellow sound that makes Alice in Chains one unique and influential band. Of course the sui generis voice of Layne is unmatched and his harmonic blend with Cantrell voice made the trademark of AIC, but the Cantrell guitar work is outstanding. Cantrell is the perfect example of talent and creativity that doesn't need to shred 200 notes per second to be a trascendental and monstrous guitarist, even though he can actually play fast. The more complicated not equals the better music

Great lesson. Jerry is one of the most distinct contemporary guitarists IMO, and I love AiC and his solo stuff.

Love what you have explained here. Digging into Cantrell magic. Bring us more!

'Dirt' was the album that got me through..Thank you AIC for getting me through life, as well. Great video, as always!

This is a great video about an underrated guitarist who had more impact then I think many realize!!!!🙏🙏🙏

Your guitar tone is fantastic. And thanks for all the research and effort you put into these videos. I imagine it’s a lot of fun at times but can also be tedious. However, I bet it really improves your playing too. It’s like a masterclass. Thanks again. 🤘 P.S. thanks for the emphasis on riffs/writing too. Maybe do one on Hetfield specifically?

Beautiful beautiful tone 👌 really nice heavy chunky Rhythm guitar sound And really smooth Texture to the lead tone. Amazing videos 👍

It was the dirt abum for me in 9th grade 🤣. But every one of their albums was amazing All of Alice's stuff is a half step down, standard or drop d. . And an interesting fact, Lane actually wrote the guitar rhythm to Angry chair. Great vid!

The quality of this video is appreciated. Thankyou!

That 2nd "Cantrell Chord" is one of my favorites. Though I first heard it from Rush, and then Dream Theater, so Rush might claim ownership here.

Jerry is truely a legend of ominous rock. This video made my day! Well done 🤘

mind blowing, i had to play that "whale & wasp" part at least 7 times , it was so good... thanks for such an amazing video bro!

Thanks so much for making this. Really great analysis and illustration of some of Jerry's signature techniques. It gave me some new insights and will be good for many trips to the woodshed...

Jar of Flies is downright amazing. That open E reverse rake you featured is one of my favorites from AIC. Didn't know how Cantrell did it. Thanks so much for a great artist spotlight!

Dude 2 years late, but I love you for this. Alice in Chains is my favorite band of all time and Jerry inspired me to pick up the guitar. They definitely got me throught the worst times of my life. Still listen to their whole Layne-era discography and their unplugged show religiously at least once a month.

Jerry is the reason I started playing about 3 years ago. Alot of riffs were simple enough to the point where I had the confidence actually try to learn them. They also sounded so damn cool that I felt like I’d really accomplished something, I wasn’t just sliding around Power chords.

So true mate. I think the amount of people Alice helped, healed or guided would be unreal. Brilliant stuff. And brilliant video, appreciate your time and effort going In to it :)

I agree with the fact that Jerry and Alice helped me going through some of the most hard times of my life. Thank you for that.

Thank You for doing this bud Just subscribed! Jerry is such an underrated guitarist! Please do a Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age vid! Would love to see you tackle some of his desert rock stylings along with the Homme Scales!

let’s be real, we all have a favorite AIC album kinda, but all of them are really awesome. Jar of flies for me but I love all of them equally

AIC-Nirvana-Soundgarden; You should do Mike Mcready next! Great guitarist and song writer for the remaining of the big four

My all time favorite guitar related series on youtube. The amount effort you put into videos is amazing. I've mentioned this on every video, but you should cover Josh Homme at some point. And, Billy Corgan! I can't imagine how much work these videos take. But, just know these are seriously so helpful.

The Riff Master!!!! The most underrated and unappreciated guitarist of all time. God bless you Jerry.

Awesome. Thank you dude! I love Jerry and AIC man. Great music and poetry. Like a 1990s Doors.

Jerry Cantrell and Ace Frehley are two of my guitar heroes. (And apparently Ace was one of Cantrell’s heroes.) I am wayyyyy far from reaching the level at which your technique videos can help, but I am certainly saving them for later. Somehow I imagine these players, decades before RU-vid tutorials, weren’t “thinking” and “analyzing” but your videos are a huge help for us mortals.

Thank you for making this video! It answers a lot of questions I had about Jerry's technique

Thanks man. Great lesson! JoF n Dirt got me through some difficult times back then as well. Great albums.

He actually takes the low F# off to make an E when he plays Rooster. Makes it sound even cooler with the root notes going from F# to E to A to E again.

ive heard in an interview jerry saying all the bendy songs were layne, like angry chair was all him.

Always enjoy your videos. Simple and to the point, always.

Awesome video! Jerry is amazing! Definitely an original player and great song writer! Now you should do a video on his tone, amps, guitars, thanks man

Ideas: -Tony Iommi -Kim Thayil -Jimi Hendrix -Pat Smear (very underrated guitarist) -Mark Arm -Gustavo Cerati -Van Halen -Mike McCready -Slash -Zakk Wylde -Mick Thomson -Tom Morello -Thurston Moore -Lee Ranaldo

Jerry Cantrell is definitely one of my heroes , like I mean one of the best !!

No shit but you are one of the best players on RU-vid. You literally hit many genres and you nail each type

the details you put on your lessons is amazing, like you can expose the dark sound perfectly

I've been on an Alice In Chains kick this past week or so and I had to come and watch this video again. I've been listening to the Unplugged version of Nutshell a lot the past few days (it's probably my favourite song from their Unplugged set) and I finally tuned down my white Jackson Dinky so I could have a go at learning it a little bit. That Whale and Wasp ending to this video was just perfection, ugh it sounds so sad and so good at the same time.

RU-vid did me a massive favour, as this video turned up in my recommended feed. Great video, and I subscribed. I'm in the same age group as Alice in Chains and have been into them since the start. I was fortunate to see them play live twice. The first time was on The Dirt Tour at Brixton Academy. They started with Nutshell, which they played backlit behind a curtain. Then the curtain went down and they went into A Little Bitter with the band behind the net and Layne caught in it. As luck would have it there's a video of the gig. Quality isn't great but.... It was an incredible gig, one of the best I've ever been to. Layne was an incredible singer and charismatic frontman. He even played an SG rhythm guitar on Angry Chair. I remember he used a combo, but I can't recall what it was, only that it was quite modest. Saw them again on the Black Gives Way to Blue tour, again at Brixton. It was really good, but I mourned for Layne to be totally honest. No disrespect to William (he's really good). It's just the uniqueness that Layne bought to the band. I've always loved Jerry's playing and his riffs. Anyway here's the RU-vid link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-el1aVF7eJ4E.html

Angry Chair was the first song I learned by ear on guitar. I knew what the notes are but i never knew why it sounded so evil. Now I do 🤘🤘

Well on Rooster, Cantrell used a Chorale Flange effect, probably an MXR Flanger, 'cause at the time that was probably the one folks went for instead of the older flangers that came before.

Wonderful video!! I love AIC and Jerry's guitar inspires me. I've never even tried to play much of their stuff though, so this is just fantastic to watch, I'm very inspired now!

Rad lesson man 🙌🏻 Jerry is top 5 for me. Huge inspiration to my style of playing.

First time I saw AIC they opened for Extreme, I was hooked immediately. Jerry’s style was super original and heavy. 👍🏼

Right now I'm learning to play and sing MITB at the same time. Thanks so much for this lesson man!

Great lesson! Jar of flies is one of my all-time favorites. Please do a lesson on "Don't Follow".

I was a huge Kings X fan because of Ty Tabor's use of Drop D tuning for that heavy sound. I hear a lot of this in Jerry's style of playing. It made me a big fan of AIC when Facelift broke. I would love it if you did some Kings X for a future lesson.

Your best video yet. Thank you.

The Angry Chair riff was written by Layne. It's one of the few Alice songs he wrote by himself without Jerry.

Rain When I Die is the best. AIC opened for Slayer and Anthrax and Megadeth on the Clash of the Titans tour in 1990. I was there! Whee! Right, Mike?

Definitely my favorite guitarist/songwriter etc. Great lesson. I don't know of any other group that captures emotion as melodically as AIC has, although mostly shadow & melancholy.

Cool breakdown on their unique sound, lot of 90's guitarist were comming up with some epic sounds with a minimalist approach it seems, stone temple pilots was another that comes to mind. Gotta love the chords of the 90's

Killer tone in that guitar, man!!!!

I love how he prefers rhythm over lead my type of guy 😎😄

Mike, that F# chord is the Alex Lifeson chord. Hemispheres! Hoyuvinn clavinn!😆😆😆

This was VERY welcome and informative. I liked Alice In Chains during my teens in the 90s, but as a guitarist I was much more into weird 70s acid rock like Blue Öyster Cult and Pink Floyd. Despite not being a big fan of the guy till my mid-30s, my guitar style evolved to sound-of all things-most like Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac (especially in some of his performances of what I consider his finest song with them, ‘I’m So Afraid’. Anyroad, in my early 30s I rediscovered Alice In Chains. This time, it was an entirely different experience. The first go ‘round, my life was primarily getting more and more interesting and exciting. By my late 20s, a lot of the things that once made me so excited and eager had turned out to be massive bummers. I was very successful with women, as I’d had an early puberty, and by the time I was 13 I could grow a full beard and I was tall and muscular. I was also a mad lad-like I said, into weird music, and into shamanism via mescaline and psilocybin mushrooms. I also was drinking every day by 16, at which point I graduated high school and moved out on my own. Women ended out disappointing me when I found TWO of whom (within 4 years of each other), whom I would have married. The first was unfaithful, the second clinically insane. After the second failed serious relationship, I had what felt like an endless chain of emotionally-numb one-night stands, all whilst developing into an hardcore alcoholic (though I was an happy drunk, which, being the miserable bag of shit I knew I was, made me wanted to stay drunk all the time, so no one would see how depressed I was. I added Dexedrine to the mix to keep me from slurring my words or stumbling around like a bum, and eventually I got sick of everything. I had become ill with adult-onset muscular dystrophy, which crept up on me, but after the first symptom I couldn’t somehow blame on my lifestyle occurred, it was a RAPID decline-mentally and physically. Now on top of my depression I was often so weak I could hardly do anything without outrageous pain…and I was working as a mix engineer in Nashville. One night the guitarist of the band I was recording had overheard me telling my boss (the owner of the studio AND our little indie label) that I’d probably need to quit soon, as the pain and weakness made it difficult for me to predict what days and times I’d be well enough that I could come in-and no matter how much he liked me he deserved someone more reliable. Now then, this guitarist, though, he popped into the control room whilst his bandmates were still tuning up, and my assistant was miking up the drums, etc., and said something along the lines of, ‘You look like life’s been slowly dripping a bathtub’s worth of liquid shit over you for the last few weeks.’ I laughed weakly and acknowledged that was well close to the truth. He said, ‘Neck and face pain, huh? I can see you trying not to squint your eye whilst clenching your jaw on the opposite side.’ ‘Youre pretty perceptive,’ I said. Long story short, he and his brother had been in a car crash together, and his brother came out of it with all kinds of weird damage to the nerves that controlled the muscles in the front and sides of his neck and face, as well as some of the muscles you never think about that cover your scalp, and the muscles that control your eyebrows, and even your eyelids. I had similar problems, and he sympathised, and asked if I thought I could relax a little and stop freakinfreakin out so much if he could help with the pain. Again-to the point, we went out to his van and he shot me up with heroin. It wasn’t my first time taking heroin; I’d snorted it a few times over the years, though I preferred the security of pharmaceuticals like Demerol or oxycodone. Heroin, unless you know your dealer VERY well, you’ve no real idea what’s in your smack apart from smack, and this is long before anybody had heard of fentanyl. The point is, upon rediscovering AIC, I’d been through the wringer, and everything about them connected to me. The lyrics, the heavy bass and unique rhythms, Layne’s vocals and-Moreso-the harmonies between Jerry and Layne. How I hadn’t picked up on it as an adolescent I don’t know, because no matter what else changed, I loved playing guitar and I was obsessed with music, and in my 30s, I realised that Jerry and Layne had been my generation’s Lennon and McCartney. My guitar style’s changed a lot since my adolescence: I’ve tucked a little more advanced theory and technique under my belt between ~age 30 and today (I’m in my 40s). I’m no longer obsessed with playing fast; I’ll take a slow but melodic song over a fast song full of clichéd riffs that I’ve heard a thousand time just rearranged in a different order. In my teens I would push out my angst playing thrash metal (mostly Metallica and Megadeth), and then when life was more pleasant (read: I had a good buzz going off of some quality weed or some of my psychedelics (I lived in a small town in the South during those years, so my FAVOURITE trip, LSD, couldn’t be found. I ordered mescaline capsules from a cousin of a friend out in Arizona (or maybe New Mexico?), or would occasionally go hunting for ‘magic’ mushrooms on the heaps of cow shit in the cattle breeding farms just outside the town. Either way, when I was tripping, I loved all that weird 70s music I to,d you about. I was also deeply into the Doors, and Pink Floyd, and anything that created a sense of a connection to my Shadow Self. Now, in my 40s, my favourite guitarists are still: No. 1…Buck Dharma (Blue Öyster Cult) No. 2…Mark Knopfler (especially on Dire Straits’ first 2 records No. 3…Jerry Cantrell (in some ways, similar to Buck Dharma: the interweaving of classic blues techniques with eerie, mystical-sounding Dorian- and Phrygian-dominant riffs. No. 4: Lindsey Buckingham (If my personal style completely coincidentally favours his, that’s nothing to be worried about; the man is brilliant, and is one of the most emotive players I know. I’ve thus developed an entirely new appreciation for his style, And, since it gels so well with mine, I figure it couldn’t hurt to learn some of the techniques that make his solos so hypnotic.

For me I don't have a go to album, but I have a go to band and it's always Alice In Chains. They have been since 2016 and they will always be my favorite band.

Jerry is such a good song writer, guitar and lyrics.

This video series of guitarist techniks are so amazing! Thanks!

I saw them open for Van Halen in '91. Great video man!

Awesome video - I've always like Jerry's style but this analysis has given me a new respect for him! Gonna try some of these out...

One of my Jerry take-aways that I'm surprised you didn't mention is his preference for open chords over barre chords. Man in the Box chorus, for example, is all open chords. Most hardrock players would use barre chords in situations like that, which you see all the time when people cover the song. But with a killer tube amp, you get all the note separation and overtones on open chords, which just sounds super sick.

Great video man, I learned a ton. Thank you.

been listening to them since i was 14 still rock them all the time. sweet video and playing!

11:03 The Cantrell Chord #2 if you've seen him playing this live he actually lifts up the index finger in the next full strum.

Loved this video. This guy really points out what makes Cantrell amazing. I never felt comfortable trying playing his stuff until watching this. Thank you

Awesome video!! Thanks for breaking down some of the sickest licks for us. You rock dude

@11:10, No maaaaan! jk. Alex Lifeson of RUSH, first "watery" chord at the beginning of Hemispheres, 1978, it gets hammered over and over again through the song, standard tuning though. I've been messing around with Rush and Alice in Chains and I "think" I've picked up on Rush being an influence on JC. For example, check out the intro to Down in a Hole, and then Rush ...Something For Nothing. Coincidence maybe and of course 1000s of songs are bound to run into each other sooner or later in some way. Alice in Chains one of my favs! The genius of "not being complicated". "We've got to cut all these trees down, how many chainsaws do you think we'll need?" JC, "Use a match." Nice vid!

Cantrell chord #2 also in the last section of love hate love. God I love that section!

Love how you analyze some of my favorite guitarist techniques man .... so awesome bro 👏🏻... thank you

Been watching the art of guitar for years. My wife walked in and said this Canadian Eskimo can rock! He has almond shaped eyes like you. Umm, okay, I said.

Cantrell was easily the most creative guitar player in all grunge. He basically created a grunge style and set the template for all post grunge. Not to mention the influence he had on nu metal. Also... He is no Dimebag Darrel but I think he CAN shred his way too if required.

I love Alice In Chains gonna see them in August wit Korn ... can’t wait 🙌🏻