Jerry Cantrell reveals the Alice in Chains riff that makes him “sick” whenever he plays it
Jerry Cantrell, the guitarist of grunge icons Alice in Chains, has an unusual relationship with one of his most famous riffs. In fact, he describes it as making him feel “kind of sick” every time he plays it.
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The riff in question belongs to one of the band’s most successful singles, Check My Brain, which was released as the lead single from Alice in Chains’ 2009 album Black Gives Way to Blue.
Speaking in a recent interview with Rick Beato, the self-professed “collector and curator of riffs” admits that even after all these years, playing that particular riff still makes him feel almost queasy.
“It’s slightly out of tune, not quite full bend. A lot of my [songs] have big, bendy riffs,” says Cantrell [via Ultimate Guitar]. “It’s something I’ve kind of made part of my signature. I probably get that by listening to [Black] Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, and Ace Frehley. [Frehley] was a big bender, and I was a big fan of his when I was a kid, too.”
“I remember stumbling across that [riff], and I thought it was weird, and I liked that. It makes me feel the same way every time, kind of sick; a little bit seasick [laughs].”
“Try playing it live and singing in key over that, it’s pretty tough,” he adds.
Elsewhere in the interview, Cantrell argues that guitar solos are just “as important” as vocals, emphasising that the “vibe” of one is more important than its technicality.
He explains that a well-crafted solo has to be “musical” and “lyrical”, capable of taking listeners “somewhere else [where] the song hasn’t been.”
“A solo is a part of the song. It’s as important as a vocal part, [but] it’s got to have that sort of singing impact,” he says. “It’s got to be something memorable, you know, and it’s got to have vibe — that’s more important than the technique, I think.”
Watch the full interview below.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
