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Alice In Chains - Would? - Guitar Tab

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Key D minor
Alice In Chains - Would? guitar tab video
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Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
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Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.
Alice In Chains Grunge D minor
Capo Advisor 0 D minor · Original key

About Would?

Drop D tuning is the engine of "Would?" and it pays off immediately: the open sixth string gives you that thick, detuned D root that anchors the whole riff. Alice In Chains built the song around a grinding, palm-muted low-D figure that sounds deceptively simple but demands tight right-hand control to keep the muting consistent at 120 BPM. The key of D minor keeps the chord shapes close to the nut, but the transitions need to be clean or the heaviness collapses into mud. The verse riff is the section most players struggle with at first, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the palm-mute pressure and pick attack feel automatic. Grunge rhythm playing often hides its difficulty in feel rather than speed, and this song is a clear example: the groove has to sit slightly behind the beat, or it loses its weight entirely.

  • Drop D tuning is essential here, giving the signature low-D riff its heavy, resonant quality that standard tuning simply cannot replicate.
  • The main riff relies on controlled palm muting on the sixth string, where inconsistent pressure will muddy the groove at any tempo.
  • Practising the verse riff slowly with a metronome is the fastest way to lock in the behind-the-beat feel the song requires.

How to Play Would?

Tuning: Drop D · Key: D minor · Tempo: 104 BPM

The drop D tuning lets you fret the low power chords with a single finger, which is central to the heavier riffing here.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 104 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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