The RIGHT Way To Play "Smells Like Teen Spirit" Chords
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- Опубліковано 30 кві 2024
- ***See pinned comment below, thank you @rodycaceres9233 for catching another small detail in the rhythm
It's basically a sus4 on the G string added to the F and Ab power chords. Fun fact in addition to being a lefty my b day is 2/20
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I believe there's an E between Bb and G# too
just listened again, great ear. he's strumming the open e B G strings on an upstroke between the two chords, mostly as a rhythmic passage. Green Day uses this trick in the song American Idiot in the main riff of the verse. Kurt also uses this on plenty of songs I believe. I do it unconsciously b/c I usually just pay attention to the strumming pattern, but it is interesting that these notes are completely out of key, yet add so much character to the song. gonna pin this comment, thank you
@@eric_james_music great! Thanks!
While this video is correct, there's a reason why he plays the other strings when he plays power chords. If you watch him play live, he doesn't do a usual power chord shape (index on root, ring on 5th and pinky on octave,) he does what I like to call the "Cobain chord" because he plays power chords with his index and ring, but his ring finger bars (or barres?) over the 5th and octave. Kurt never played power chords with his pinky finger like everyone else does. The sus4 is totally unintentional by Kurt; when he bars over the 5th and octave, his ring finger accidentally hits the string below the octave string, which is the reason why (as you stated in the video) he plays it subtly, because he is accidentally hitting the string below. Not only is this weird Cobain chord shape in Smells Like Teen Spirit, it is also in ALL of Nirvana's music because of the way Kurt would play power chords.
The Art Of Guitar channel explains this more in depth than I could ever, so I highly recommend his video: ua-cam.com/video/_M9QTotI-bo/v-deo.html
Otherwise, nice ear you have there to notice the sus4!
great vid, thanks for the link. you're deff right that he doesn't play it on purpose
@@eric_james_music You're so very welcome! I would assume because he was never taught guitar (he was self-taught) that he grew to play power chords the way he does.
Make sense. Actually sounds pretty good. thanks for the tip.
no doubt homie
Nice
what pedal or amp do you use to dist tone?
fender blues jr amp and a green russian big muff
Hey ive been having a hardtime on the strumming pattern on smells like a teens spirit you got any tips?
skill issue
Don’t listen to the other guy. My first suggestion is to always try feeling the rhythm and experimenting with what sounds right, even getting close enough if not perfect its still good.
However for accuracy it’s likely: D U D (muted: D U D U) D D U. Idk if this is completely accurate cause I’m laying in bed not listening to the song rn, and I hate notating strumming without rhythm but this should be a good start.
I sound it out in my head like. The parenthesis means you mute the strings with your fretting hand
don da don (chicka chicka) don da da da da
with the strumming pattern as
DUD (DUDU) D DUDU
edit: haha didn't realize someone already commented the strumming pattern. And yea don't listen to that other guy. I'm self taught and the only way I got better was purposely playing songs "out" of my skill range
So... what you're saying is Kurt was a sloppy guitarist? I would be willing to agree with that.
Hard to say what degree of awareness he had about this quirk in his playing. As bob Ross says it’s a happy accident haha. I must say it does sound cool and unique. I actually play the major 3rd in my A string root power chord often because of it. I believe it is a common tactic in surf rock as well to play all major chords
@@eric_james_musiclol keeping everything the same movable shape... Lol sort of like the Ramones chordal vocabulary.
@@maxdible in my younger years i might have scoffed at simplicity but now it means nothing. it sounds good so it is good