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Alice in Chains - No Excuses - Unplugged - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Alice in Chains - No Excuses - Unplugged guitar lesson video
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Classic Rock

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Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
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Alice in Chains Grunge E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About No Excuses - Unplugged

The unplugged version of "No Excuses" puts Jerry Cantrell's fingerstyle acoustic writing front and center, and it is a great study in how he blends a gentle melodic fingerpicking pattern with his characteristically dark, grunge-adjacent chord voicings in E minor. The open strings do a lot of work here, so getting clean note separation across the picking hand is the first real challenge. The intro pattern especially rewards close attention: the thumb and fingers need to stay independent, and any tension in the fretting hand will muddy the lower strings. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop that intro at a slower tempo until the picking feels automatic before you worry about adding any vocal phrasing on top. Alice in Chains recorded this for the acoustic EP Jar of Flies in 1994, and the stripped-down format means every hesitation in your fretting hand is audible. Patience with the slow-down tool will pay off quickly here.

  • The song is built around a fingerpicked acoustic guitar pattern in E minor, relying heavily on open strings for resonance and sustain.
  • Getting clean separation between the bass notes and the melodic upper strings is the main technical hurdle in the picking-hand pattern.
  • Practicing the intro pattern in isolation, looped and slowed down, is the most efficient way to build the necessary picking-hand independence.

How to Play No Excuses - Unplugged

Key: E minor · Tempo: 116 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 116 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Jerry Cantrell's Les Paul Standard delivers the open, dynamic PAF-style humbucker tone that defines Alice In Chains' heavier material. The moderate output and natural resonance allow his riffs to cut through with clarity while maintaining the compressed crunch his amps provide.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Cantrell favors the Les Paul Custom for its sustain and tonal warmth, using stock Gibson humbuckers that push his Bogner and Friedman preamps into that signature scooped-mid aggression. The Custom's weight and construction give his drop-tuned riffs the body and presence essential to Alice In Chains' sound.

ESP Eclipse
Guitar

ESP Eclipse

The ESP Eclipse became Cantrell's live and studio workhorse during the reunion era, offering reliability and consistent output for his articulate, tight distortion tone. Its modern craftsmanship paired with quality humbuckers delivers the clarity needed for Alice In Chains' intricate riff work.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The Marshall JCM800 provides the raw, compressed crunch that influenced Alice In Chains' early heaviness, offering tight low-end aggression when pushed by Cantrell's high-output pickups. Its natural breakup characteristics contribute to the band's signature sludgy yet articulate distortion.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

The Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier's thick, scooped midrange and tight bass response align perfectly with Cantrell's need for articulate, aggressive distortion that doesn't lose definition in drop-tuned passages. Its headroom allows his dynamics to shine through heavy compression.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Cantrell's Cry Baby is his primary tone-shaping tool, famously parked in positions for the haunting filter effect on 'Man in the Box' and used expressively throughout Alice In Chains' catalog. The wah adds emotional color and presence to his otherwise direct, amp-focused signal chain.

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