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Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song - Guitar Lesson

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Key E minor
Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song guitar lesson 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.
Nothing's Shocking album cover
Nothing's Shocking
1988 4:03
Listen on Spotify
Jane's Addiction Alternative Rock 1988 E minor
Capo Advisor 0 E minor · Original key

About Mountain Song

Few riffs in Alternative Rock hit as hard as the one that opens "Mountain Song." Jane's Addiction built the track around a relentlessly heavy, syncopated guitar figure in E minor that sits right in the pocket at 120 BPM, giving it a lurching, almost tribal momentum. The key challenge is nailing the rhythm precisely: the riff depends on tight muting and well-timed releases, so any sloppiness in your picking hand will bleed the whole feel. In E Standard tuning, the open low E string gets a serious workout here, and learning to control that bass string resonance is half the battle. There is also a dynamic contrast to manage, because the song moves between a crushing verse riff and a more open, ringing feel elsewhere. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the main riff slowed down until your picking-hand muting is locked in before you bring it back up to full tempo.

  • The signature riff relies heavily on open low-E string power and right-hand palm muting, making picking-hand control the primary technical demand.
  • At 120 BPM in E Standard tuning, the riff sits at a tempo that feels deceptively comfortable but punishes any rhythmic looseness quickly.
  • The song's syncopated, stop-start phrasing means you should practise counting through the rests carefully before worrying about speed or tone.

How to Play Mountain Song

Tuning: E Standard · Key: E minor · Tempo: 120 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 120 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Dave Navarro used Stratocasters for cleaner passages in Jane's Addiction, leveraging their bright, articulate tone to contrast with his heavier Les Paul work. The guitar's natural clarity lets his fingerstyle technique and atmospheric effects shine without muddying the spacious reverb textures.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

While less documented than his Custom, the Les Paul Standard provided Navarro with the warm, thick midrange and humbucker power essential for Jane's Addiction's saturated rhythm tones. Its PAF-style pickups deliver the fat, singing sustain that pushes Marshall amps into the band's signature overdrive.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Navarro's primary rhythm guitar during the classic Jane's Addiction era, the black Les Paul Custom's PAF humbuckers produced warm, thick tones ideal for heavily saturated riffs while retaining clarity for clean arpeggios. This guitar defined the band's dense, layered guitar sound on 'Nothing's Shocking'.

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

The JCM800's raw, aggressive tube overdrive was central to Navarro's tone on Jane's Addiction albums, delivering natural saturation when cranked with minimal master volume. This amp head created the band's iconic crunch and singing sustain that defined their '80s alternative rock sound.

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
Amp

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Navarro adopted the Dual Rectifier in later years for its tighter low-end response and modern high-gain voicing, complementing his Marshall setup in a wet/dry live rig. The amp's responsive dynamics allow him to maintain clarity and control across the band's dynamic range.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Navarro uses the Cry Baby Wah for expressive lead work and atmospheric textures throughout Jane's Addiction's catalog, adding emotional sweep to solos. The pedal's responsive sweep range pairs perfectly with his effect-heavy approach to create the band's signature spacious, cathedral-like guitar tones.

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