Haters Can't Play This Kurt Cobain Riff

[@manuteboler]

Why do people equate difficult to play with good guitar player? The man wrote amazing catchy songs, enough said.

[@rayota260]

i think if someone can create something groovy on guitar or bass they're a good player, that is not shared through a lot of even "good" players in my opinion

[@JohnCena-ep2mz]

I think you mean good artist. Being "good" at playing is mostly just minimizing mistakes and expanding the amount of relevant techniques you can utilize, as well being able to improvise.

[@frank9367]

If you can write enough catchy riffs for 3 successful albums, you’re a good guitar player. doesn’t matter how simplistic they are.

[@Piastowicc]

@@JohnCena-ep2mz A hood guitarist will vary to what genre you’re playing. If you’re playing grunge then Kurt was good, probably the best grunge player.

[@originalnackster3743]

@@frank9367 You can theoretically write riffs without even being able to play guitar at all. So I'm not sure if song writing skills is a useful definition for being a good guitar player. I'm not even sure why it's important to categorize Cobain as a good/great guitar player. He was a great musician and song writer. That's good enough IMHO. He doesn't have to be a guitar virtuoso.

[@user-vq6yn3kv4t]

kurt was a melody god, no one can pull off the "sloppiest" the way he did. it's a testament to his creative genius

[@thelegendoflefty]

Nah. His voice was shot and had he continued for another 3 years his voice would be gone and nobody talking about him. Anyone with enough experience in vocals can hear in the unplugged album just how gone and unnatural and unhealthy his voice was (lake of Fire high notes) he literally can’t sing them. Just pushing through the already fucked up nodules developed on his throat from all the improper techniques, cigs and weed and booze and no doubt vomit/acid reflux. I’m pretty sure Kurt even mentions how messed up his voice is or how he’s having trouble singing some songs during the mtv unplugged. Never forget. When making an album you have plenty of takes and production tools to help. Doing that shit 3+ nights a week for 2+ hours live is a different story. Nope. Probably why you don’t see much live footage and even if you do they use drugs as an excuse for why they can’t play the song like on the album. Throw yourself into the drum set all you want buddy. Hit the notes live without a backing track or you’re just a bitch. Stop believing what MTV and Rolling Stone magazine tell you. Learn the art and craft and everything becomes clear. This riff isn’t hard at all. Growing up learning guitar in ‘96 I remember Kirk Hammett of Metallica giving his warm ups in a Guitar magazine. From too strong to bottom string, 0-1-2-3-4 using all fingers for each fret. From index to pinky correlating with a fret. This riff is the same thing without the pinky finger and only played between the top TWO strings. Nothing hard about it. Electric Eye by Judas Priest and Cult of Personality by Living Color are probably perceived as harder cuz you have to “skip a string” and alternated between two strings without hitting the string m between. Class dismissed

[@MarvinHartmann452]

​​@@thelegendofleftyAnd yes, despite that I like the song, I think without the Krist's bass and Dave drumming, the band wouldn't have happened to be very good. Especially Krist. He was a very good bass player. Also, in the MTV unplugged show, they did have multiple takes, it's just not shown in the album or the final version of it. I always liked nirvana, and I know that à song don't need to be super complicated to be good, but I agree with you, would he have lived, nobody would be talking about him now, or he wouldn't be such a legend, there was better groups outhere at the time, Radiohead, offspring, REM, Smashin pumpkins, and those you named obviously, Judas Priest, Megadeath, and before that even Mercyfulfaith. They had great songs, but Kurt wasn't a guitar genius.

[@YAWN....]

​@@thelegendofleftyyou must be a Beiber and Taylor Swift fan...

[@finna1002]

@@thelegendofleftyyou definitely can’t sing like him or even have best as much power as he did during unplugged. You’re just another sheep

[@OriginalKingRichTv]

@@thelegendofleftyagreed must’ve been on the descending portion of his career

[@Piastowicc]

This man loves Kurt, I love Kurt, I love this man

[@gabrielperson]

he loves you too

[@hhnry7929]

It’s just that simple.

[@juakoko7880]

literally me

[@Wasted_Bobains]

yes

[@Microphone211]

He loves no one more then Kurt tho

[@jasonsturek6510]

Kurt’s fragility (perceived or real) kind of makes one cheer for him as he plays. I feel like that opens people up to him. I don’t know if he was a genius but he was very, very good at communicating emotion through melodic and approachable songs - and he landed at the exact right moment to make a big damn dent on pop culture.

[@jacealbine]

I think he was both an empathetic genius and a musical genius.

[@JacubWhite38]

I feel like there's somewhat of a bell curve where people who aren't into guitars think kurt is legendary, then there's people who get kind of into guitars and think he's trash, and then it curves back around to the people who really love guitars and they think kurt rocked.

[@marvintimke3978]

Nah, i think that everybody can agree with, that he rocked. People just have a problem, when others call Kurt a Genius.

[@aptfx]

@@marvintimke3978 This more of a problem of those people who are offended by calling him a "Genius"... because... what should that even mean? Many people will treat this quite synonymous to "he rocked" and some take it as "he was the absolute best in any regard and anyone else is worse in any way you can think of"... which is simply is a strawman nobody really would come up with realistically... but its what haters put it like if someone expresses being a fan of Kurt Cobain as a guitarist.

[@marvintimke3978]

@@aptfx I don't think anybody thinks Genius means Greatest of all Time. Most people think of someone with great knowledge and understanding in a subject, if they're talking about a genius. Which is something people are quite devided by, in this case. Since, he didn't write or play anything outstanding that showcases a great knowledge of music, or high skill on the guitar. But he was pretty good at songwriting. In the end, it can be annoying for some people to hear people, who know nothing. Call someone who knows just a bit more than them, a genius.

[@JacubWhite38]

@@marvintimke3978 The definition of a genius according to Oxford dictionary is, "exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability." He might not have been exceptionally technical or knowledgeable but based on Kurt's exceptional creative ability it's pretty safe to call him a genius. And to be clear I'm not just speaking about his music. Look up the paintings and sculptures he made. The dude was a genius.

[@marvintimke3978]

@@JacubWhite38 I agree. The man was very creative and good at that.

[@THE-CRT]

I absolutely love Mr moustache: great song, great riff, it’s really fun to play whilst also being a little difficult as well.

[@kindlestix8079]

My favourite nirvana song

[@AwkwardHypernerd413]

It’s been stuck in my fucking head all day

[@THE-CRT]

@@AwkwardHypernerd413 ah, another homestuck fan odd to see you here.

[@AwkwardHypernerd413]

@@THE-CRT we’re everywhere. We usually lay undetected til another operative calls us out.

[@grizzlyandtrigger5147]

He ripped that riff off but it’s beast the way he does it

[@sammyboy567890]

There most definitely is a pattern to the Milk It "noodling." He's playing a series of flat fifth intervals (and occasionally going up or down a semitone or two) up around the 12th fret. You're having trouble finding the pattern because you're playing it further down the neck. Play 12th fret on the 1st string, 11th fret on the 2nd string, and 10th fret on the 3rd string. That's the basic chord shape he's playing with, he just makes variations on that up and down the neck, with additional chromatic notes thrown in. First phrase is 12th fret on the 1st string, 11th fret on the 2nd string, 12th fret on the 2nd string, and then 10th fret on the 3rd string, 11th fret on the 2nd string, and then 12th fret on the 1st string. Once you figure out that pattern, the whole thing becomes a lot easier to figure out.

[@peterheinzelmann3335]

Thanks, that is awesome. I also wanted to add that he varied it in live show but also kept the core. How about Hairspray Queen though?

[@thesportsprodigy709]

I don’t think he ever intended it to be a certain pattern, but you’re right! I mean someone could keep playing around and messing around with it until it “musically sounds right.”

[@ultrajazz5335]

It’s nice to see someone so young trying to understand the complexities and yet how simple Nirvana was. Thank you

[@Williamk492]

You are very talented, dude. Thank you for honouring Kurt 🫶🏻

[@ramonmaximiliano3557]

Usually, the guitar players who say Kurt didn’t know how to play well are those who play solos of a thousand notes per second in their bedrooms, with only the walls as their audience, and who have never been successful in a band, even in their own cities. They believe they should be famous due to their technical skill and get frustrated seeing Kurt’s legendary status, even though Kurt didn’t care about music theory

[@isolateddemon9438]

100% agree.

[@cawfeewastaken]

Other songs like “Aero Zepplin” are also super difficult

[@jbowDonDiego1380]

" as loud as you want as sloppy as you want as fast as you want as long as it's good and has passion " - kurt cobain in a interview he did somewhere in Europe look it up kid

[@Kaijujon]

It’s annoying because a lot of people say it’s so simple. Like write a song that’ll be memorable in 30 plus years. You can’t and won’t

[@andrepereira744]

that's subjective af.

[@machinehl]

i'll try

[@MarvinHartmann452]

Maybe someone will read this and do it. The problem is that you also have to be lucky and be at right place at the right time.

[@nemesis8626]

Also annoying that you think noone is capable of writing simple catchy songs, Nirvana are hood man there great but Kurt himself would even hate being put on a pedestal like that, loads of people can write catchy good songs, but in the music industry bands sometimes just get the lucky break too, or hit at exactly when the time is right

[@Sammy-Winch]

​@@andrepereira744It's totally not

[@THE-CRT]

Just by the way, Jack Endino recorded bleach, however Steve Albini was the one who worked on in utero which milk it was from, so the video’s technically incorrect

[@18JR78]

A lot of it has to do with his rhythm hand too. People hear his note selection and assume its easy but cant hold rhythm or sing for long periods themselves. He was a lot better than most recognize or want to admit.

[@goose1586]

fucking love that you are shining some light on this, big fan of kurts and alwase respected his playing.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

I think that you also have to take into account that during this era of Nirvana, the band had a second guitarist, Jason Everman, who (if I remember correctly) was an active member throughout the recording process of Bleach but left the band before they embarked on the tour to support the album

[@ThatOneCoolG]

He didn't play a single note on the album, but he did pay for it's production.

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

​@@ThatOneCoolGWell, he's named and pictured on the back cover If I remember correctly, the total amount for the recording costs was also listed there at ~$600

[@andrepereira744]

nope

[@GrimKardashian]

@@shruggzdastr8-facedclownDoesn’t invalidate what the first response says. He’s not on the album. Was a live member only.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

Pat Smears.

[@pietropojer806]

Bro, try “In Bloom” with sloppy power chords, it just sounds amazing!

[@aaronmason3086]

one of my favorite riffs to play. i play it pretty much every time im playing guitar. feels badass

[@aptfx]

I also like the solo part of Pennyroyal Tea... or the chorus of Heartshaped box or the strange sound of Serve the Servants... its really special and fun to play

[@crmakeshift3101]

One of the first nirvana riffs I learned. Maybe getting it perfect is challenging but it’s really not that complicated

[@dxaminal777]

I think you could make a case for "Love Buzz" as well. The pull off interlude solos between verses is gnarly, not because of the pull off run, but because of the jumping back and forth to the Bb5 powerchord between the shred lick(although could be a capo on 1 or tuned up a half step...🤷‍♂️) Also the solos in "School" and "In Bloom" are gnarly as hell. *edit I realized I was actually thinking of "Tourette's" switching from the F#5 (note sounds as F) powerchord to the pulloff lick runs during the "hey" section. Havent gone through the nirvana guitar stuff since I was like 14 in 1997...

[@FrancisPrus-lp3gu]

Didn’t see this before I commented. 100% on the love buzz thing! My man!

[@tusuperior2000]

Love Buzz is a cover It was originally from Schocking Blue

[@dxaminal777]

@@tusuperior2000 uh huh....

[@MarvinHartmann452]

​@@tusuperior2000Yeah, not many people know this.

[@BugRib]

Yeah, it's a cover, but the guitar riffs (aside from the basic bassline) are completely original to the Nirvana version.

[@piotereq]

Really great video, but there are some harder Nirvana songs, Mexican Seafood, Aero Zeppelin, Love Buzz, the Aneurysm chorus (not hard by itself more so when you're singing), Blew is also kinda tricky

[@wilbarker8171]

Aneurysm is not harder than Mr Moustache imo personally

[@henrikduende]

Lots of people can’t sing and play What he did, yet go on about how bad he was😂 i did What you should Ask of any artist. He could perform his own song. That’s the job done ✅ On bleach you can also hear that he had some lead aspirations as well, the notes aren’t random. He just makes funky note choises 😂

[@livecoilarchive1458]

Kurt didn't care much about lyrics or even singing during the earliest days. He wrote many experimental and technical riffs back then, such as "Beeswax," "Hairspray Queen," and "Mexican Seafood." Because of their complexity, he often belted out simple, gruff vocals that were more about displaying aggression than meaning. Slowly, poppier elements leaked into the Nirvana sound, and we got songs like "About a Girl" and the cover of "Love Buzz." As the band started getting more attention, Kurt leaned into melody-writing and better lyrics. He started writing simpler riffs which would be easier to play as he sang. So we got tracks like "Polly," "Lithium," "Come as You Are," etc. Going through each individual year of Nirvana's existence ('87-94), you can clearly track where Kurt's focus was and his evolution as an artist. Sometimes, he stuck firmly to punk rock ethos, and other times, he threw himself into commercialism to get famous. Bleach, Nevermind, and In Utero essentially form a palindrome, in terms of Kurt and Nirvana ethos: punk, mainstream, back to punk again.

[@lonxx9473]

Simplicity does not mean bad song, it's harder to write simple but catchy and efficient riff than a complicated one.

[@MrChopsticktech]

Exactly. Smoke On the Water, Purple Haze, Whole Lotta Love and Sunshine of your love have simple riffs that appeal to a lot of people who aren't guitarists or even musicians.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

Bob Dylan is an example of a musician without complicated songs, but good songs, most of his greateast hits have only 3 simple chords. Sometimes, it's better to keep it simple. He didn't need to be Jimmy Page or Randy Rhoads.

[@nemesis8626]

I don't know I would say that is fully true but I'm totally behind your point that songwriting should be the main focus and some people put way too much emphasis on how flashy they can make something, Nirvana we're brilliant at what they did and owned their own style, that counts for alot too

[@lonxx9473]

@@nemesis8626 I like more complex songs and technical too like prog. It depends on the context and how it's used to write song and the meaning behind that

[@Jadix]

Kurt was a genius musician, and one of the most powerful guitar players I've heard.

[@Pickantrak]

Clever analyses, thanks a lot buddy!

[@magraretsbane6274]

Great video! I think Kurt would've used the Univox Hi-Flier with the DS-1 into a Silverface Twin with a 4x12 cabinet of G12m-70's. You've got some really cool stuff on this channel man, keep it up!

[@stuartp8658]

People need to remember that it was about an emotion or attitude with this music, not (perceived) technical proficiency. It was partly a reaction to the complex, difficult music that was around in the 80's (and 70's) and being seen as a technical player was almost frowned upon within much of the alternative scene. (We were slackers, you couldn't be seen to be trying!)

[@Orieus]

Respect man. It's something I've personally said about his playing .

[@saptarshilahiri9573]

The Swap Meet riff is hard to play and sing too. And that's a hard song to sing too, jfc!

[@BigBritishGeezer]

1:42 it just sounds like that dinosaur jr rift from the beginning of tarpit

[@rm25088]

I used to love Nirvana. Krist was a huge inspiration for my bass playing. As I grew older I stopped listening to nirvana, but I still love the bass playing in all their songs.

[@douglassloan6831]

Great video, my man. Really well explained. The thing I've always thought and heard from amazing guitar players is that there are a ton of guys and girls out there who can shred and play all the EVH and RR riffs. But you don't see a ton of great rhythm guitar players or anyone really caring about Rhythm guitar. THAT is truly an art. Some of the most influential guitar players were rhythm players and never played a solo on any of their records. Guys like Bob Weir, John Lennon, James Hetfield, Tommy Iomi, Chrissie Hynde and the list goes on. All amazing players. All Rhythm guitarists. So freaking important and so hard to do.

[@cifey]

Well, Nothing else matters / Get Back, Even Malcom Young had some solos

[@douglassloan6831]

@@cifey Yeah, but those players main job was to be a part of the rhythm section and keep the song chugging. There is definitely a distinguished list of guys/gals who are known as rhythm players and my point was that people forget how important and how hard that is.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

I played both rythm guitar and bass in band for years and also did the backing vocals, I found rythm guitar easier when I had to sing. It surely dépend on the person.

[@calebhohneke8482]

It's for sure good to have a balance of both. You're right in that there are plenty of great lead guitar players that are just "okay" at rhythm playing. Imo, it's better to have fantastic rhythm playing and an okay simpler solo vs meh rhythm playing and an outstanding solo because 90%+ of a song is rhythm sections. Dudes like EVH and Dimebag Darrell are guitar gods because they had the chops to play both rhythm and solos exceptionally well. You felt every bit of their playing throughout an entire song. People care about the vibe of the overall song more than anything...a wicked solo is just extra icing on the cake. I'm not the biggest Nirvana fan, but Kurt certainly had a unique memorable rhythm playing style with catchy melodic solos...Dude had his sound dialed in for sure.

[@seventhsonmedia]

Thanks for sharing your insight, man! I'm still a novice player, but the fact that I do play now encourages me to absorb as much knowledge as I can to help me improve.

[@williamwinn948]

man I was lucky to be alive when kurt became huge and just being able to grow up in the 90s I'm so greatful.

[@treydavis2266]

He was Palm Muting btw. You find the live version of it and he is muting.

[@nicknewman7848]

I know right? If one simply uses one's ears it's pretty obvious. Also the idea of someone sitting down and learning the abstract bits on 'Milk It' on a tab is probably something that Kurt would find pretty funny.

[@222Lightning]

The lead part of "COME AS YOU ARE" has always captured me.

[@GrimKardashian]

You can thank Geordie Walker.

[@Vanadeo]

@@GrimKardashian As if he fuckin died :O :( .. At least Jaz is still here, I'd love to meet him someday, he's a legend.

[@rodneylee4026]

Nice work. You've got the charisma and wittiness that makes it great.

[@TrixiHill]

A friend told me about this one riff thing in '93 or '94 I don't know anything about playing a musical instrument. I don't know why that stuck with me all my life

[@MrDpool1]

Depending on your preferences, you may find the riff more impressive when you factor in his guitar. Mr. Mustache was recorded on a Univox Hi-Flier Phase 3. These have very skinny fretless wonder necks. It’s not as crazy as the Mosrites they are based on which are even skinnier and have flatter “speed frets” and an even shorter scale length, but it’s definitely something that a lot of modern guitar players struggle with.

[@MrDpool1]

@@andrepereira744 Have you played a Mosrite or anything considered a “fretless wonder”? I personally don’t have a problem, own some, and actually prefer the feel but I’ve heard many people say they are impossible to play lead on or that they can’t bend the strings without buzz; particularly on the Mosrite necks with their flat fretboards and extremely skinny necks, particularly at the zero fret.

[@jesse7205]

I owned a phase 1 univox hi-flier and currently own a phase 4. I love those guitars. The necks are a wonder for me, and I honestly don't find any trouble doing leads or bending notes. It's like a coworker told me, "these are the only instruments you'll ever need ✋️🤚 to make the piece if wood in your hands sound good."

[@MarvinHartmann452]

I have a univox hi-flier phase 2 from the mid 70s, and it's the first "real" guitar I bought. You just reminded me about it. They were quite good for a "budget" guitar at the time.

[@jesse7205]

I'd own all 4 phases if money wasn't the issue. You said they were good budget guitars for back in the day, however now, mainly because Kurt (as well as other artists from that 80s/90s era) used them, what was a mox few hundred dollar instrument can now be as high as a few thousand. The Phase 4 I referred to looked "okay" on the surface, but upon a co-worker/luthier examining it, it turned out to be an iceberg, so to say. He sent me the pics to prove the process, but the inside needed somewhat intensive repair to maintain the life of the outside. In the end, I decided to have him fix it, because I love the natural tone of the Univox. I didn't swap parts out like Kurt did. Nothing wrong with what he did, I just like originality, and mimicking Kurt's sound is to be expected with certain guitars it seems. I do play in an 80s style grunge/post-metal band, and the Univox dkes exactly what I need. I also use a "fender " parts-caster I found at a guitar store that just recently closed it doors thanks to big corporate guitar stores like guitar center and sweet water. The amp I'm playing through is a Line6 Spider 2 (an older version) that sounds just perfect with the crunch mode, to my ear anyway. Kind of wish i still had that phase 1 custom, but the neck was too warped. Anyway, does your phase 2 have the original parts, or did you need to swap out?

[@Chokey_Gaming]

Kurt was an UNDERRATED rhythm player. Sure, he may have not had the music theory knowledge, but come on people, he could play. *If it sounds good, it’s music* Music connects with people in ways like no other, no matter how simple. You don’t have to randomly shred note-for-note in D# Phrygian to be a musical genius, and Kurt delivered that idea. Gifted songwriter, talented musician. Inspiring countless generations to pick up a guitar. What a gentleman.

[@aptfx]

This is spot on. Many people in this discussion take playing guitar more like a sports competition than a form of art that connects people. You can't "measure" what Kurt Cobain played in comparison to "notes per minute" stuff of shredding. Musically this doesn't play ANY role. It's also wrong that his talent was just as a songwriter. The genius of him as a songwriter is clearly shown in the huge effect of two simple notes played in a song like SLTS but of course in many other things too. Coming up with stuff that fits so well and at the same to is so non-conforming is great talent. His playing is showing talent too - I've learned so many little tricks on how to play things in ways that sound cool because they are a little bit off but also very bold... and that "little bit off" outlines it... it may sound strange, but I sometimes got a "visual impression" of it that is like "comic art" vs "realistic" with Kurt Cobain's playing being a bit like "comic art"... often simple... often a bit sketchy... often bold and expressive...

[@zerocp6045]

He didn't really need theorie too cause some musical choices he made came naturally to him

[@seanmckelvey6618]

He was a better player than he let on imo. Some of the songs on Bleach clearly show that his chops were stronger than one might expect from Nirvana's later work.

[@rychcorporhate]

Actually "Mr. Moustache" title came from a Cobain drawn comic strip. And to answer your question about what guitar Kurt used on Mr. moustache, it was a Left-handed 70s Fender Mustang with parts of his 70s Univox Hi-Flier Phase III. Kurt played a Sunburst Univox Hi-Flier Phase III from 1985 to October 30, 1988 (when he smashed his guitar for the first time), and a student from the Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA sold Kurt a 1970s Left-handed Fender Mustang which was originally Red and was sanded down to bare wood which looked more like a Walnut style finish. Which had no Pickguard, control plate or electronics, it was just the Body (with the Fender Dynamic Tremolo, Cigar pipe and bridge) and the Neck with Tuners, and a Tele string tree and a blank headstock he bought it for $20 and Kurt screwed the Univox Hi-Flier Phase III Bridge Humbucker In the Mustang body In the Bridge position, and used the broken bottom half of the Univox Hi-Flier Pickguard as a Control plate, used the Univox Hi-Flier Phase III pots, (Volume, Tone, Input Jack), and used the Univox Vol/Tone knobs, he also had the Univox Hi-Flier Toggle switch which wasn't connected and just covered with duct tape, it had a Soundgarden Sticker on the upper body, and In January '89 Kurt made a Home made Mustang Pickguard from a Vinyl record of a Christian sermon by Thomas Road Baptist Church called "Where Are The Dead?" (April '89 Kurt removed the Home Made Vinyl record Pickguard and the Soundgarden Sticker and painted the body Surf Green and added a Fender White Mustang Pickguard but modified the bridge hole to be able to fit over the Univox Hi-Flier Humbucker, and this is the one seen on the cover of the Bleach Album... "Floyd The Barber", "Paper Cuts", and "Downer", were recorded on January 23, 1988 with Dale Crover on Drums. And Kurt had his Sunburst Univox Hi-Flier Phase III guitar still... "Love Buzz" and "Big Cheese" was recorded in June 1988 and Kurt used the Sunburst Univox Hi-Flier Phase III guitar And the rest of the songs on Bleach ("Blew", "About A Girl", "School", "Negative Creep", "Scoff", "Swap Meet", "Mr. Moustache", "Sifting", and "Big Long Now" on Incesticide) were recorded December 24 & 29-31, 1988 and January 14 & 24, 1989 so Kurt used the Fender Mustang with the Univox Hi-Flier Phase III Electronics on these Sessions/Songs. There is Footage of Kurt playing the Fender Mustang with the Univox Hi-Flier Phase III Electronics before he added a Pickguard, recorded In December 1988 In the empty Apartment above Maria's Hair Salon, Aberdeen, WA (on the DVD of With The Lights Out), and on KZbin there's footage of Nirvana live December 21, 1988 Eagles Hall, Hoquiem, WA and December 28, 1988 The Underground, Seattle WA.

[@offsetsface2135]

Really like these longer videos

[@jayuno3009]

In Utero was much more of an ode to the noise rock of the era, like the Jesus Lizard or bands coming out on Amphetamine Reptile. Milk It, Scentless Apprentice, or Radio Friendly Unit Shifter are very much in that vein. I think Milk It probably came out of a jam, it at least sounds that way. Also, Jack Endino wasn’t involved in the production of In Utero. That was recorded by Albini. But you probably made that mistake on purpose to generate comments 🤷.

[@qweg3155]

love watching your vids man

[@kiril5kov]

It’s not sloppy power chords, it’s called ROCK AND ROLL 🎸 🤘🏿

[@BrandonPGeneral]

Mr. Moustashe was so hard for me to learn when I was a kid. The B to B flat change always perplexed me. Like, why? That’s not something a bad guitar player does. He had a reason. I will say I’ve seen videos of Kurt playing the verse with an Em chord not an F the way you were are playing it. If that makes sense.

[@bananaemon2339]

I have no other better explanation than - maybe it sounded cool enough for him to keep it that way ? Make your own rules who's to say you can't do that ?!

[@BenjiBass]

Nice job, great video 👍

[@markwarrensprawson]

Underrated guitar player for sure. Amazing right hand. Very good rehearsal ethic (Nirvana has to have been one of the tightest bands of all time). Incredible songwriter (Ever hear Little Roy's album of reggae Nirvana covers?) Defined the term X-factor (albeit reluctantly). Counterculture icon (somehow without ever seeming pretentious). People who criticize Cobain for his "simple" guitar playing (who are wrong anyway) are totally missing the point. The guy changed the world, whether he wanted to or not. I believe news of his death was aired early in the morning, possibly at a weekend. In any case, when I went to high school that next Monday, or whenever it was, ever girl at the school, as well as some of the boys, were crying about the dude. Maybe you had to be there, but hey, people are still listening, still playing their tunes, still making videos about them. Good on you, man. Peace.

[@elzo31]

you had me till about 50 seconds lmfao

[@peacefulsoldierTX]

Imagine the guy at the laundromat showed you power chords and you stopped learning but kept going… That’s the vibe.

[@snubbleoxo8706]

3:16 YOU’RE WRONG!!!!! HE DOES NOOOT PLAY THE FIRST FRET ON THE SECOND TIME NOT THIRD. HE GOES 2nd THEN 1st AND REPEATS

[@Mata_HariOfficial]

Hey just wondering if you could teach us either school or love buzz next I really love your work and these two songs and they are the only two I don’t know for some reason

[@danielaperez-io6qf]

THATS crazyyyyyy dude keep it up 🤘🎸

[@jordandiggins6326]

“All this man had was a good voice and good songs?” Anyone who says that like it’s a bad thing doesn’t understand music. There’s 10’s of millions of brilliant guitar players today and still only one Kurt. And music today might be better if you’d all aspire to more than besting your favourite guitar player. It’s all already been done, and we’re all a little over hearing it. Sing me something I haven’t heard, in a style that doesn’t yet exist, and I’ll be impressed

[@BugRib]

Very well put!

[@GregGallagher]

Bleach is full of killer riffs that are not so simple to play, he simplified his playing on Nevermind to focus on his singing more. The quick pull offs in Love Buzz are similar to the 4-2-0 pull off in Crazy Train right before the verses come in.

[@lukeleblue2711]

Mr moustasche was one of the first songs I learnt on bass, since I used to be really into Nirvana. Fun little riff, but hard to play at the right speed as a beginner.

[@foxghost7085]

endurance is my issue, 5 years of standup bass and it still hurts to play the full song lol

[@cyropolis]

same here, i learned it 5 months in and it wasn't hard to play by itself but the full song is just so perplexing

[@stopmotionharry8989]

I’ve finally gotten good at “sloppy accuracy” and it sounds great

[@ronaldlatwis8714]

He has a unique style and approach! Plus an excellent sense of timing that makes him unique unto himself! A master of chaos and crash major minor chords that just work to create depth/power… A legend my friends that know guitar and playing

[@Modern_Hippie]

I’ve been obsessed with nirvana for a while and the one that gets me STILL is ‘swap meet’ the guitar and vocal melodies do not clash even with 10 years of guitar experience 😭

[@noStrangefacts]

Just try to Hum at first and when you do this good. Then sing it

[@rachelgowans6853]

This was great, thank you ❤

[@buddhull]

I thought for sure this would be focusing on About A Girl because the timing of that down tuned Em to G is unnaturally catchy

[@lukadelic6358]

I love your content, keep it up!💪🏻🎸

[@donaldmack2307]

42 yo man here. Grew up on Nirvana. There is none other. Rip Kurt, Chris, Scott, Layne and Shannon. If I forgot anyone I apologize.

[@treehouse8501]

that open notes with the power chords really reminds me of jimi hendrix, he would stroke all the strings, muted except for one or two notes for his melodies and solos, its what made his signature sound, most people cant pinpoint it when hearing it, and most cant play it cuz his hands worked differently magically somehow. i had friend's in higshcool remark that even just playing polly or other songs on acoustic, it sounded just like nirvana cuz i undertood this sloppy open string power chord thing and they were super precision metallica pantera megadeth fans. we werent ever really able to play together but we appreciated each others guitar work.

[@marclopez6560]

Sick video!! You did well defending your case. I also wanna point out we have the same roses guitar strap!

[@lovelessgaze7325]

I love how the kids today interpret nirvana. Mr. Mustache is the only riff from nirvana that I can remember. I learned every damn nirvana song as a kid, so that says something about my memory today and how much fun that riff is to play. So simple, but easily the most fun nirvana song to play.

[@jotajota9571]

great video man

[@EdwardTheTerrible]

I love Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, but this is an easy riff. I learned it when I was 11 without issue. Great riff, brilliant even, but not difficult at all.

[@djay6651]

Early Nirvana was very much rooted in a punky sound, which can be much more nuanced than given credit for. I think with ''Milk It'', you kinda just gotta play somewhere in the vicinity. The studio recording sounds very raw and live, which just adds to the vibe.

[@jesse7205]

You're quite correct there. Listen to the Fecal Matter (pre-Nirvana) demo. His punk roots show for sure. One song even reminded me of Bad Brains and HR singing.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

His influence was mostly early punk groups like the ramones. "Grunge" was called punk rock at the time, before someone came up with the name.

[@Teekay617]

He didn't care about technical riffs later, but his riff are iconic and they don't sound like anything else.

[@Canteen926]

I immediately thought of Mr. Mustache! Great finger workout.

[@MarioHernandez-zc7dv]

Mr mustache can be difficult for beginners, but it’s not no Master of Puppets

[@Deathsmashskulls]

LOVE YA CONTENT

[@FrancisPrus-lp3gu]

As far as Nirvana guitar riffs that are actually somewhat tricky and make a case for Kurt not being as shitty of a guitarist as most people would say he was: the love buzz chorus, and hairspray queen in its entirety have always stood out to me.

[@m4ke_yourself]

I love Mr mustache and I think love buzz is also kind of hard, I can’t play it

[@c-rabbit08]

I already knew it was Mr mustache just by the title

[@louclarkson6098]

I always thought the solos in servants and sappy showed that he had a great sense of melody and coulvve been a much better guitarist. The teen spirit riff also has one open strum of all the strings in between the Bb and G#.

[@BradyIsAfagInHeat]

me too those are beautiful solos

[@mcmusic6450]

this dude just flipped us off with that riff love it

[@kurbin.]

The beginning to love buzz:

[@joaomeira1133]

long videos, love it

[@alesele20]

Riff reminds me of Fangs “let the money roll in” which Nirvana covered and the album it’s from is one of Kurt’s favorite records.

[@juansolis4796]

I´m 42 yo and you just made my day. Glad to see that the flame is still on. Nirvana is and ever will be "the best band of my world".

[@TempPlacement]

I saw a post on Reddit yesterday in a thread that said "Nirvana will never not be cool." Like you I am older, and those dark days in the late 90s made me wonder if this band would be forgotten, or at least their influence diminished. "What did they really accomplish, right?" That was becoming a little bit of a trope. Soundgarden had broken up, Grunge was dead, "alternative rock" wasn't selling any more. Pop music took back over, hip hop usurped Rock as the "kid's noise" and Nu Metal was like the nail in the coffin for popular rock music, it seemed. Yet...here we are now. : )

[@juansolis4796]

@@TempPlacement Nü Metal was ... just Awful. IMO.

[@rezlogan4787]

Kurt Cobain was never trying to be a great guitarist. He was a songwriter at heart and the guitar was just the best tool for writing punk. People who say he wasn’t a great guitarist kind of miss the point of why he made it big. It was genius melodies, not solos, that made Nirvana huge.

[@XxStonedImmaculatexX]

I’ve been in and out of bands since around 1998 or so and cover bands as well. The irony I aways find is other players arguing that Nirvana played simple songs yet when they try to play them, they can never get the timing right!

[@signoguns8501]

I dont think you need to defend his guitar playing. He did what he needed to do. There's no point in deliberately making things complicated... that would just sound contrived, and it would ruin the Nirvana sound. He was a punk at heart, and punk was never about Led Zeppelin-style guitar playing. And tbh, Id say that Kurt accomplished more with three power chords than 99.99% of guitarists do with years of musical training. He was great at what he did. Just because he couldnt play flight of the bumblebee is irrelevant.

[@MirlitronOne]

KURDT COBAIN - so famous we can't spell his name.

[@DearDeadDaze]

I’d be willing to bet Kurt Cobain inspired more kids to pick up a guitar than any other player in the 90’s. That type of influence can’t be ignored no matter how sloppy or untechnical his playing is to some guitar snobs.

[@Guitarplayer724]

I bet Slash did.

[@FelipeVideirazauhy]

Sounds a bit like I feel fine by the Beatles which makes sense since Kurt loved them he must have internalized it and it came out on the riff

[@apathetiquette]

Wait until you hear 'Hungry' by Paul Revere and the Raiders.

[@Hidyman]

That's what he was talking about in the video, but he just said The Raiders. Then he just says Paul Revere.

[@andrewmize823]

Flashy, over-the-top guitar solos had become a formulaic part of rock music long before Nirvana hit the mainstream. One of the reasons Nirvana was so refreshing is because they were doing pretty much the opposite of what had been successful for the previous decade.

[@SELERET]

That took me five minutes to learn that riff, im incredibly good at learning songs, and especially when it comes to guitar, im a massive fan of Nirvana, so im quick to learn with kurts songs

[@jeshX3]

DURING THE INTRO OF THE VIDEO I WAS PLAYING THAT RIFF AND DIDN’T KNOW THAT IT WAS IN THIS VIDEO LMAOOO

[@kristopherguilbault5428]

The riff is also at the of The Doors song "Hello I love you"

[@Sambo169]

Kurt was a underated guitarist! The man was a better guitarist than people think! Kurt never looked down at his guitar that much while closing his eyes and going up and down the neck with bar chords jumping around! I was a fan of Nirvana when they first made it famous! I was literally in "High School again"! I was in High School from 1990 to 1995! I can play about 20 Nirvana songs! The Bleach album had some hard fast tricky songs to play! Kurt was a great guitarist! He was not no Eddie Van Halen but Kurt was great at what he did period!!!!

[@therealmess6658]

The plagiarism bit was really interesting to me, because my first thought on hearing this riff for the first time was that it sounded so much like the beginning of 'Underwater Bimbos from Outerspace' by Every Time I Die.

[@helderrockdrigues]

It looks like a video from a Kurt's reencarnation

[@keiranbradley3238]

I like to describe "the blonde one's" guitar playing as sonic vandalism!. His ability to combine beautiful melodies with the most doom laden riffage is unmatched imho. He's like a musical sponge in the same way Hendrix is.

[@christinelikeschrysanthemums]

Milk it is one of my favorite songs, it’s so quirky. I just started, yes started listening to Nirvana in 2021. I was scared, lol and learned nothing to be afraid of. RIP Kurt.

[@STEVSKI7]

Kurt had an uncanny talent for making memorable melodies. I see a lot of John Lennon and Paul McCartney both in Kurt.