10 Nirvana Bass Lines that PROVE their GENIUS

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Today, we’re looking back at the 10 Nirvana bass lines that prove his genius!
The 1991 hit Smells Like Teen Spirit skyrocketed Nirvana to becoming the biggest band in the world. However, bassist Krist Novoselic never hogged the limelight or indeed the full frequency range, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have his opportunities to show off every once in a while.
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Video Breakdown:
00:00 - Intro
00:35 - #1 Blew
01:48 - Tuning Down
02:55 - #2 Love Buzz
04:03 - #3 Smells Like Teen Spirit
04:46 - Defining a Generation
05:16 - the ACTUAL best part of the song
06:10 - #4 Lounge Act
07:20 - #5 Come As You Are
08:25 - #6 Lithium
09:24 - the bass break
10:02 - #7 Sliver
10:15 - so who wrote all of these bass lines?
10:58 - how to play this line
11:27 - #8 Hairspray Queen
13:15 - #9 Dive
15:05 - #10 Heart Shaped Box
17:00 - Next up!
===
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[@jedhansen9480]

The first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit I was in a car with mom. She was an English teacher and not into rock at all. We were stopped for a very long train in Minneapolis and the song came on. It started and she looked at me and said "whoa" then turned it up a bit. By the end of the song she had turned it up all the way. When it was over she turned the volume down turned to me and said "I think these boys really have something going on" the traffic started up and off into the night we went. One of my favorite memories of her. RIP.

[@starlifter303]

very touched..

[@geraldfriend256]

Cool story for real. She knew.

[@WUDN-WatchUDontNeed]

Now that’s great memory. There’s a reason some bands are “classics”, and nirvana were definitely one. Thanks for sharing

[@sublimingmule6356]

That's such a beautiful memory, man. RIP to your mom, but I'm glad you had that experience to remember her by.

[@cemdursun]

Thanks for sharing. That's a beautiful moment to remember. RIP

[@corbinb145]

So happy Krist is getting some love. Massivly underrated

[@Ian-qs3fz]

nothing about Nirvana is underrated

[@Mclovin1028]

@@Ian-qs3fz Kurt's vocal lines and Krist's bass lines have entered the chat

[@violetraven9440]

Right like he’s part of why I started playing bass

[@CLA82529]

Fucking love his tone especially in Bleach era

[@treznor6992]

IMO Krist is one of the best bassists of all time. perfect volume nothing wasted.

[@kryptonian5539]

Been saying this for years and getting crazy looks. Nirvana bass lines are some of the most creative ever.

Love Buzz is a cover. The original band is Shocking Blue from 1969. They invented that line of the main riff

[@PaddyLeggBass]

👏 not a lot of people realise this I don’t think

[@g4r4is]

Like “My Sharona” and others 🙌🤟

@@g4r4is My Sharona played by who? Because that is from the Knack

[@davidethridge5748]

The fact that Kurt would pick such an obscure to Americans type of pop song is also a nod to their genius. The fact that Krist didn't come up with that bass line doesn't take away from the plethora of other songs he did make better with his bass prowess.

[@andrewrobertson3737]

The also did Venus the song bananarama covered.

[@ssully150]

Krist was actually what that got me into the instrument. I was a huge Nirvana kid and was just so into his lines, his feel, and his energy

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@vaiterius]

Me too man, I owe it to him

[@MusicMaestro221]

I taught myself bass by listening to Nevermind over and over again and learning Krist’s parts. I played it so much that when I eventually took the disc out of my cd Walkman, it broke in half. It had literally melted into the player 😂. Kudos to both of you for exploring Krist. He’s criminally underrated, both as a bass player and how he filled in the spaces in Nirvana songs.

[@devinebass]

🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@PaddyLeggBass]

Apparently Kris Novelesic’s arms are so long he can actually tie his shoes whilst he’s stood up straight 😂 I used to try and copy him and have my strap low like that but I couldn’t reach my bass properly ha 😝

[@jenh9221]

I learned bass in the 90s and back then low-slung was just how it was taught. That don’t work for my t-Rex arms.

[@ryandebeer4226]

He is 6'7"😂

[@rome8180]

The thing a lot of people don't realize about the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" bass line is that Krist plays a different rhythmic pattern than the guitars in the heavy part. Listen to the bass solo'd and you'll see what I mean.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Totally! We broke that down in a vid from a year or so ago!

[@Roberto-nn6kb]

yeah, he rather follows drums, Bass buzz did a great lesson of that line when he points that out

[@charcoal_burst]

also there is not the whole rythm of eighth in the verse parts. The first notes on the e string are fourth

[@gorryman]

@@charcoal_burst he understands contrary motion to create tension , harmony , and groove, him and Grohl were a very serve the song rhythm section , very underrated, without them even though Cobain was a great musician you couldn't have had better backing band for his material , it's actually really complex pop music not just balls to the wall cave rock , and musicians pay attention and know that.

[@ResidentRob]

I met the great man in 1999 at a Kings X show and I can report he is very nice and gracious. I talked bass gear with him for a little bit as well which was a huge moment for me.

[@DavidSmith-eh7rs]

I can second. He used to come into a shop I worked at in Seattle. Very down to Earth guy. I didn't want to pester him as a fan, but now I kind of wish I would have expressed just how amazing his work was.

[@yosode]

Loung act bass part is literally 💰 So iconic.

[@satevo462]

My favorite. He never stops moving around the neck the entire song. It's great.

[@jamesadamgleason9471]

So damn funky and groovy. It reminds me of surfing for some strange reason

[@yosode]

@@jamesadamgleason9471 You nailed it with that picture✌️

[@esukyd2328]

My FAVORITE Nirvana song!

[@satevo462]

Lounge Act is one of my favorite bass intros ever.

[@devinebass]

🔥🔥🔥

[@violetraven9440]

I know right just mmm so groovy

[@andrewpappas9311]

I’ve always thought Krist Novoselic was incredibly underrated, usually when people think of Nirvana they usually go to Kurt or Dave Grohl (I’ve also heard people refer to the members as Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and the other guy) but Krist is an absolute beast of a player and I always point out songs like Lounge Act (his best bassline imo), In Bloom, Love Buzz, Come As You Are, Teen Spirit, Drain You, Lithium, All Apologies, Heart-Shaped Box and Sliver as some of his absolute best playing. Plus it’ll always amaze me at how tall he is, like the man is like 6’7 and it’s fucking awesome

[@goregore6259]

Can't forget songs such as Hairspray Queen

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@goregore6259 I honestly need to listen to Incesticide more

[@alexstewart839]

Krist's bass and Kurt's vocals were the melodic center of the band. Especially on Nevermind where Grohl was either playing stuff that Chad Channing wrote, or purposely holding back to allow space for other elements. The bass and vocal melodies are the hooks and/or the little flourishes and complications that make things interesting and listenable in a majority of the full band songs. Lithium is a boring, repetitive mess without his bass.

[@jakubgorka1628]

It's because it was Kurt who composed these bass lines, not Krist. Same for drums, but Dave is remembered due to being great instrumentalist and later Foo Fighters career.

[@goregore6259]

@andrewpappas9311 it's the only album I've really listened to but them. Needa dig into they're other material as well.

[@indiedavecomix]

The first time I heard Lounge Act, I realized how much weight Krist really carried in the band. There are so many great bass lines in their catalogue.

[@donnix1192]

Krist is an incredible player, he is the reason I picked up the bass guitar. He is also not afraid to speak his mind even when he knows he will be attacked for doing so. A total legend and inspiration.

[@rome8180]

"In Bloom" also has some cool stuff going on in the choruses and the instrumental sections.

[@flamesfearfuture]

Very underrated Bassplayer.

[@devinebass]

Agreed!

[@MATTTHEGREETER]

I first heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in high school. I was taking a radio broadcasting class and my DJ buddy Greg and I got to spin the song for the school for the first time. It was so authentic and raw. The song just bristled with emotion. Ran through the school like a wildfire. Such a cool memory.

[@bumbar7]

2:58 On the Love Buzz bass line you can actually hear Krist Balkan roots (Croatian to be precise), he plays the bass lick in scale that huge amount of Balkan traditional music is played, also in the 80's some of the Yugoslavia rock bands used to mess around that scales (check the song Suada from the band called Plavi Orkestar), also bands like Leb i Sol, Bijelo Dugme

[@rainbowsludge660]

I read Krist wrote Lounge Act. So that makes him a genius in my book. I'm very glad these two have covered this

[@nicolasstanley1392]

My favorite Nirvana song

[@anssimyllymaki1624]

Bass on Stay Away is on fire!

[@rationalmuscle]

Heart Shaped Box is just a MONSTER tune of musical brilliance all around.

[@devinebass]

💯💯💯

[@lorantkamen3198]

Thanks to this video, i realise that the weird guitar solo come from the bass line.

[@BrattScorsa]

Hey guys! They have to interview Krist Novoselic!!!!

[@ilquintopezzo]

Yes!

[@devinebass]

We would LOVE to!

[@Fityiszcsiga]

Pleaaaasssseeee

[@benjamingailey]

That would be amazing

[@kellyvibert7861]

I can't believe you did not include In Bloom, easy but beautifully effective bassline, shame not to hear it personally.

[@DanielS10291]

The chorus is awesome on bass, krist could play a danceable swinging bassline when he wanted!

[@RichardHoogstad]

Took you guys a while to mention Krist, it's the guitar parts that at times can be a bit dull which might have been intentional so Kurt could focus more on the vocals. But the bass lines on their albums are friggin amazing

[@satevo462]

The bass carries every single song. That's not a dis on Kurt, that's just love Krist. He is ALWAYS moving around and it makes the songs so much more than simple power chords.

[@kai326]

The guitar parts are dull because Kurt never bothered to really learn the instrument. And he didn’t want to.

[@niko-gx2ey]

@@kai326 the earlier songs are actually quite complex at times (e.g. mexican seafood, love buzz, etc). kurt wasn't a bad guitar player, i think he just didn't care about complexity whatsoever. he did whatever complimented the vocals, which i feel he was more proud of than the guitar.

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Awesome video. Krist is definitely an underrated bass player. I didn't realize just how many awesome bass lines he had written until only a few years ago when I picked up the bass.

[@espartacus001]

Novoselic energy and cool lines inspired me a lot as a bassist

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@albertschaf6985]

Base tone for Breed is outstanding. When it comes in during the intro I can't help start banging to it. Then the solo.....nuff said

[@ricardopitamusic]

Do Radiohead next. Colin Greenwood has some great basslines!💎

[@nmtoan0206]

God Colin

[@robertsuggs2510]

There are a million great things about your videos but #1 thing is when you guys ARE IN THE ROOM TOGETHER,,, watching two best friends rockin THE BASS,,, thank you so much,,, love you both 🎸🤠 from Arkansas USA.

[@KtN-qb5rk]

Bass in On a Plain is my favorite one.

[@nickfanzo]

Such a good song, what a team

[@warwicker22]

Dive was the very first song I learned on bass. It holds a special place in my heart.

[@smy76]

How Kris holds the pick always blew my mind. Index finger tucked in and holding it with middle finger and thumb. Bonkers.

[@andrewpinner3181]

Thanks guys a great hang as always ! I remember seeing the Teenspirit video back in the day & thinking - oh, the pop/rock music world has just changed... Krist certainly put his stamp on it.

[@GreetTheSacredCow]

I love Ian's custom bass so much. I'm still not over it. Every single time I see or hear it I'm like I NEED ONE.

[@devinebass]

It's an incredible instrument, no question! Lull smashed that one out of the park!

[@felixcain]

All Nirvana songs are hits, all of them!

[@305Independent]

When I was 15 I heard someone in my guitar class playing the song Polly, so that's how I discovered and got into Nirvana, and I had only been playing bass a few months, so Krist Novoselic was really central in the development of my bass style. To this day I often play Sliver to warm up before a show.

[@Longy_b]

Love this video! Krist is an amazing bass player. I loved it when you introduced nirvana’s best ballad and then proceeded to play hairspray queen - literally made me laugh out loud 😂

[@peroskarstorholm4196]

That whole Nevermind album is a goldmine for any teenager wanting to learn rock bass. Great songs, dynamic and groovy as hell and really easy to learn. The slides, the alternate picking and fretting between the drumbeats.. 32 years on and it’s still just as good ❤️

[@jasonoconnor5555]

Sad Radio Friendly Unit Shifter didn't make the cut, Krist is an underrated bassist/musician.

[@ilquintopezzo]

About 10:15 it's a punk rock thing, which was their background. A lot of punk in the 80s had bass intros and bass parts to back up the pretty simple and in your face guitar power chrords. Also a lot of new wave they loved had prominent, almost leading bass parts.

[@jkf9167]

If you've only got 3 instruments, everyone has to start sometimes. When I played guitar, I'd lay out from time to time, just to add some dynamics.

[@tomrogue13]

Speaking of 90s, you should talk about Tony Kanal from No Doubt

[@CoreyZ232]

Ah fellas! Don't be self-conscious. I write a lot of my songs with the bass coming in solo - my friend that plays bass in the band felt pretty similarly at first but you get such a massive feel when the whole band comes in later. These lines absolutely rule!

[@jkf9167]

I do that all the time too. It's a punk rock thing. You gotta spread the intros around because you've only got three instruments. Plus (in my experience as a bassist), you gotta give the bass player a few bars where the audience can actually hear the bass. Otherwise he'll get demoralized.

[@electricsuitbatman]

It was summer break from school. I was at a second hand store and bought a tape deck and a tape was in it. It was Smells like teen spirit. My 70 yr old grandmother and I listened respectfully to it driving through downtown Vancouver bc. Thanks value village.

[@Mephilis78]

Believe it or kot Krist's intro from Sliver is the reason I started playing bass.

[@brandontingley7059]

Was driving up to Philadelphia from Virginia for Christmas. In the DC area. Caught the end of it on the radio, thought "that was a pretty cool song". That station went to commercial, so I change stations... and it started again. That, my friends, is how fast SLTS blew up.

[@kushking420]

I really have to stay tunned with you guys, these kind of videos make me want to pick up my bass and start practicing again. On my days off I tend to play 4 hours on my drums as i've played for more than half my life. I purchased a bass in the fall, played for hours, sometimes it would go to 6 hours a night. started working again in december and i'm so tired to pick up the bass at 11pm

[@embel905]

Great video guys, but ahh! The slides in Lounge Act are everything! Also, the chorus!!

[@EnricoBusi1984]

I started playing bass with Nirvana...this video is amazing!!

[@Marcelo_Guizze]

The intro for "Lounge Act" always gives me the chills!

[@julimf42]

Cool underrated riffs!!. Please make a video about The Cure iconic basslines 😊🙏🙏🙏

[@Nosfastus]

Superb breakdown ...much appreciated

[@devinebass]

Cheers!!

[@SimonChingon]

I had just got home from the school my senior year and it premiered on MTV. I’d get home every day, straight to the tv to see what was new. I knew after watching it that music as we knew it then was over. There was already a new movement stewing with bands like Sound Garden, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam. But when this came out it blew the whole new scene wide open!! It was such an exciting and inspiring time. As a bass player I was into Steve Harris, Geezer, Cliff, Jaco, Stanley Clarke and all the other greats of that era and still am to this day, but this was the start of something astronomical! It’s hard to describe the feeling and actually living through the transition from hair metal to grunge!! I feel this all happened at the peek of my musical drive and I was so lucky to be right there absorbing it all!!!

[@Friskybusiness1]

my lifelong love of nirvana finally got me to pick up and practice a guitar consistently for real like 3 months ago now and this new series of videos feels tailormade for me. thank you guys so much i love it

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@seanfrahill1242]

Looks like the most fun you lads have had in a good while. I learned bass through Nirvana in beginning and looking back now there is always more detail in his lines that I just didn't have the ear for back then. As far as I know songs like Lithium and In Bloom were tuned a whole step down (both bass and guitar to D standard) for the studio to accommodate Kurt's vocals.

[@jkalinna5607]

1st time was at Big Day Out when Nirvana was support band for the Violent Femmes at Southport on the Gold Coast Australia in the early 90's.

[@BackcountryTreks]

I almost forgot how much I love Nirvana. These guys rocked. Great video fellows!🤘

[@aspalovin]

If you haven't, check out Geddy Lee's 4 part series 'Are Bass Players Human Too?' It's awesome. E4 is his Krist episode

[@user-ud5od3xx1o]

been subscribed for years, thanks for your work Scott! This is my fave video so far i think. So fun! lol

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@uacce]

The purple double humbucker bass sound crazy good

[@jeffpatterson5126]

Excellent vid boys

[@clarklee9115]

Shout out that y'all threw hairspray queen in there. I mean, I know this is about bass but that's one of my favorite vocal performances ever. Total sleeper masterpiece. Good job, fellas

[@nicolasstanley1392]

Yup

[@alfanoza]

The baseline of lithium on the part of "I like it, I'm not gonna crack" is one of fav krist b lines.. even though they didn't comment about it... The baseline on Sappy is maybe my second fav...

[@jaxxiczek]

I'd happily order one box of your absolute optimism and genuine love for music. Thank you for your videos!

[@Jaxon322]

Krist also plays with the pick between his middle finger and thumb

[@mkhud50n]

Grunge wouldn't exist without Kris Novoselic. Iconic.

[@ericmullenaux5265]

Ian's tone for Heart Shaped Box is so fkin grindy I love it, I need it, and I must have it.

[@NickHollowKnives]

Stay away has such good basslines. Especially in the post chorus/bridge

[@calus7890]

I’d love to see them do a full run through of different grunge bass lines

[@devinebass]

Lol this video is on their list of things to make actually.

[@NotThatOneThisOne]

Husker Du had some great bass lines. Things like Powerline, It's Not Funny Anymore, Green Eyes, or Ice Cold Ice.

[@dariozelaya3718]

thanks for recognizing the great Kris!!

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@truthxbl]

Was gonna riot if lounge act was omitted. #1 best bassline of the grunge era.

[@kylewoodson]

Ok, I just wanted to comment real quick and say, thank you for mentioning the songs off of Incesticide! I almost never hear anyone talk about that album unless if it's for Sliver. But no, you guys gave love to Dive and even HairSpray Queen! Thanks guys, you rock!

[@thejonathandoan]

06:10 Lounge Act is my absolute favorite Krist Novoselic bass line. It has its own thing going on, and it perfectly compliments the guitar parts. I love how it adds dimension to the song! I would say Lounge Act is my second favorite Nirvana song, after Come As You Are. To me, it’s a perfect song!!

[@victorpuente4663]

The first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit I was 11 o 12 years old sitting on my grandma's dinning table, I was given the task to listen to some songs by my then english teacher; so I came home from school, opened the family's laptop and Teen Spirit was the first song on that list. Hearing those four chords changed my life forever.

[@FilthagonyMusic]

you guys are legends for your energy AND for playing Hairspray Queen!

[@obahrey5197]

I love how Krist would always play the 5th and the 3rd to emphasize something else other than the root note. It added so much to Kurt’s power chords.

[@chrisggoodwin777]

I'm one of the countless 90s teens whose first basslines learned were Come As You Are and Smells Like Teen Spirit. Do much fun to play, dig in, and rock

[@nautje]

I remember starting to learn Nevermind on bass and was surprised by how hard some of the parts actually are. Lounge Act in particular, those slides were deceptively difficult to master.

[@Morbid0007]

'Heart-Shaped Box' was the first song I learned when I brought my first bass home from the music store. Playing those bends helped me develop my calluses and toughened up my fingertips. 'Teen Spirit' was the second song I learned.

[@jowest3688]

I was on vacation with my parents in croatia.14years old and was blast away...heard it on repeat

[@bobbauer7928]

Lithium is such great bass work overall and many don't pay attention to the bass in the Bridge. The bass is all over!

[@user-dn7tc2ft9c]

Even though I'm not a bassist, this is a very interesting and fun video. Btw. Even though it's a cover and I rarely listen to Bowie, so I don't know if he can claim it but the hook baseline in "the man who sold the world" never fails to make me smile.

[@Arrona222]

In lithium you forget the amazing bass part in the bridge "I like it Im not gonna crack" part thats bass line is insaneee

[@nickfanzo]

Yeah man that hook on the bass when he does the fills is nuts.

[@MrTfuzz]

blew was 1989? damn I'm old

[@PepisMusicmx]

I really enjoyed this video guys

[@devinebass]

Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@brandonalexander5185]

Good Video!

[@BassAndTenor]

❤thank you very much !

[@Gitgud-ew2wu]

First memory of smell Like teen spirit is my 14 years old cousin listening to it. I was about 6 years old and loved it. When i wad 16 years old this friend showed me Nirvana and everything from my childhood came back and it became one of my favorite bands ever.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@victorcostilla8395]

Freshman year in college, in my dorm room studying. My neighbor "Patches" was playing Smells Like Teen Spirit on a loop for 3 hours straight!

[@MaviNK]

In my very personal opinion, which is just my own, its your best video.

[@antoniobonnie538]

God how much I still love Nirvana. Thanks guys for bringing notation and entertainment. U R the best

[@1xayekim]

I disliked a lot of bands until I picked my bass up again at 40 after not playing since high school. I never liked Nirvana and I thought they were overrated then I took a dive and started learning some bass lines and while they will never make my top ten bands, I do enjoy them now.

[@gustavoparrilla6293]

krist singlehandedly inspired me to play bass

[@RafaelLima-hg8kz]

It was a good one. I have never realized só many bass intros and they are really cool.

[@devinebass]

🔥🔥🔥

[@ViktorSarge]

After an eternity of rock/metal/punk music with bass playing root notes or following the guitar 1:1 Nirvana really did hit different. Didn't understand why at the time, but when learning to arrange music my teacher underlined that the bass melody should be the second most interesting and melodic after the lead melody.

[@viewycuquito4203]

funny how music works, i just jammed out a whole song on my guitar based off of the single bend you guys emphasized at 15:55. thanks for the idea guys, great video!!

[@josephcrollawelch]

I remember seeing the video I was kid watching MTV after school and I really felt like the whole music scene changed after Nirvana my favorite band hands down Krist is a legend !!!!

[@josephsandstrom3034]

Great episode! I really love Nirvana! Is it just me who have problem getting the workbook?

[@Antipole]

Love to see Dive included

[@turdusmerula_]

Never seen so much pick playing on this channel hahaha. Love that you made a video about Krist ❤ This is no doubt one of my favorite channels EVER! You guys rule

[@BarryWestman-rb3dy]

very greatfull you guys did