"You can sing it, you can hum it – you can play it": Jared James Nichols teaches you Mississippi Queen by Mountain

Jared James Nichols performs onstage during an album release show at The Basement East on January 17, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee
(Image credit: Terry Wyatt/Getty Images))

Jared James Nichols is one of the biggest Leslie West fans out there and he's keeping P-90-driven blues alive. He's covered Mountain's classic Mississippi Queen multiple times onstage so who better to break down the song's classic solo for the Gibson app, via our pals at the Gibson Gazette?

It just so happens Jared is a great teacher and he has the best tool for the job; a Gibson Les Paul Jr. There are some big bends and call/response dynamics in the song's second solo that Jared hones in on, and it's a great workout for your vibrato. 

Jared James Nichols Teaches Mississippi Queen Guitar Solo - YouTube Jared James Nichols Teaches Mississippi Queen Guitar Solo - YouTube
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Jared takes the solo note-by-note so you can work through it at your own pace – and if you want the rest, check out the Gibson app on Google Play and iOS. You can also read more about the song in our story of Mississippi Queen feature, as told by the late Leslie West himself. 

Jared James Nichols - Mississippi Queen - Steelhouse Festival 2017 - YouTube Jared James Nichols - Mississippi Queen - Steelhouse Festival 2017 - YouTube
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Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.