Mountain - Mississippi Queen - Guitar Lesson

About Mississippi Queen

Few riffs in Hard Rock hit as hard as the opening cowbell-and-guitar shot that kicks off "Mississippi Queen." Leslie West plays the main riff in E minor, and the magic is in how he makes it feel massive at a moderate 96 BPM. The riff itself is not technically complex, but getting the right attitude out of it is. West leans heavily on his picking attack and a thick, slightly overdriven tone to give every note real weight. The bends and vibrato throughout the song are where players usually struggle: they need to be wide, slow, and confident rather than neat and precise. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop those lead sections slowed down so you can really commit to each bend before speeding back up. In standard E tuning, everything sits in a comfortable range, but do not mistake comfortable for easy. Matching West's authority on this one takes real attention to touch and dynamics. Mountain made blues-rock feel like a force of nature, and this song is a direct line to that.

• The main riff sits in E minor in standard tuning, making it accessible for intermediate players but demanding in terms of tone and attack.
• Leslie West's signature wide vibrato and heavy string bends are central to the lead work, so isolate those phrases with looping slowed down.
• At 96 BPM the groove is moderate, giving you room to focus on pick dynamics and letting each note breathe before pushing up to full speed.