Mountain - Mississippi Queen - Guitar Tab

About Mississippi Queen

Few rock riffs are as immediately recognizable as the one that kicks off "Mississippi Queen." Mountain built the whole track around a beefy, syncopated E-based guitar figure that sits right at the heart of Hard Rock, and nailing its attitude is as important as hitting the notes correctly. At 144 BPM in E minor, the tempo is brisk enough that your picking hand needs to stay relaxed and controlled, especially when digging into those aggressive accents. The riff lives low on the neck and leans heavily on power chords and open E string punches, so focus on keeping your fretting hand clean to avoid unwanted string noise. The cowbell intro can throw off your internal pulse before the guitar enters, so count carefully or use the Practice Toolbar to loop the entry point slowed down until the phrasing feels locked in. Once the riff is solid, work on the raw, slightly dirty tone that gives the track its bite.

• The main riff is built around low-register power chords and open E string hits in E minor, making palm muting control essential for the right aggressive feel.
• At 144 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is fast enough that even small timing slips in the syncopated rhythm will be clearly audible.
• Practise the riff entry after the cowbell intro carefully, as landing on the downbeat with authority and the right pick attack is the real challenge here.