Top 10 Nirvana Riffs on 6 Kurt Cobain Guitars

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Like what I do? Buy me a coffee so I can stay awake while I mix audio and edit videos 😴 www.buymeacoffee.com/nirvanaguitars

[@Unknown-iy4ql]

Rip Kurt Cobain + Layne Staley

[@car_guy25carlover28]

RIP Chris Cornell

[@shark2k764]

@@car_guy25carlover28 RIP Scott Weiland too

[@jorgeemiliomarqueznavarro8689]

RIP Chester Bennington

[@FACEL1FT]

@@shark2k764 Rip Andrew Wood

[@barsultra]

rip george ferryworth

[@andrewpappas9311]

People may still give Kurt shit for not being the most technical guitarist out there but his playing style worked well for the music of Nirvana and helped make them the musical icons they are today, plus he still made up for it in having a great voice and being one hell of a songwriter as well… still can’t believe it’s been almost 30 years since we lost him, RIP Kurt and thanks for everything you’ve done brother

[@Heisenbinks]

Who cares? Anyone who disses him because of technical ability don't get that at the end of the day music is about feeling not playing a million notes per second, ignore those people and if you make music make the music you want to, fuck conformity I say

[@andrewpappas9311]

@@Heisenbinks Honestly I agree with that, playing fast is still cool and all but there’s a time and a place for it and Kurt was great at playing what the song needed

[@Heisenbinks]

@@andrewpappas9311 spot on that's exactly what he was about, serving the song and making it the best it can be is way more important than showing speed and skill, though I also enjoy speed when it's done right and fits the song, I think 80s early 90s thrash bands do that well without sacrificing song writing!

[@Communitis]

I think that, bottom line, it doesn't matter how you play, as much as if you feel what you play. A lot of people can and should be praised for their technical ability. It just sucks that Kurt gets written off for lacking it. And ironically, he doesn't lack it all that much, he's just a high profile guitarist who gets a lot of attention which, however deserved, is arguably the wrong kind, or for the wrong reasons, because of his excess and extreme popularity with swathes of people that want to add momentum to his being celebrated as a musician by people who largely can't play a note of what he could play. It's understandable that people who have no taste for his style and musicianship will want to mount the counter tendency to tear down his monolith. I used to be among them. Giving the music a chance, and being willing to try to appreciate his qualities as a musician, despite the aspects to his taste that made me closed off to it, resulted in me becoming a convert to what he was trying to do, and the many aspects to his artistry he was trying to do it in. He was incredible as a guitarist, and especially a songwriter, and it would probably be sensible to say he was more talented as a vocalist, and had an amazing voice that could blare out harder than any other. I feel that the creative ways that he filled out the negative space in his playing due to lacking virtuosity showed a specific kind of genius. It wasn't merely 'fake it til you make it,' he could write and play in truly talented ways, and the fact that it showed up even stronger as a performing artist who, while he hated touring and being made to perform like a dancing monkey, had the drive and strengths to succeed on stage as much as in the studio as a songwriter, showed just what he was made of, and that he was talented beyond measure or subjective criticism. It might be understandable that people feel he is overrated as a guitarist, and he mignt be by many. But his talents on his instrument had a subtlety and reservation to their application that showed the mark of someone who clearly defies understanding and sound estimation from beginning to end, as an amateur with latent gifts, as a professional musician and hit songwriter, and as a celebrated great and legend who has gained immortality in music memory.

[@Helena-gk4ui]

Kurt was an amazing guitarrist, it's better making good stuff with poor technique than creating boring stuff with 829382 hours of practice, he was technical when he wanted

[@NirvanaGuitars]

💯

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Brian May recently mentioned how influential Kurt was. Perfection sucks the life out of almost everything. Keep on Rockin' (in a free world).

[@lumbug3055]

Doot doo da loo doo

[@dangallo4397]

I love how if everyone was to compile their own list of top 10 Nirvana riffs, no two would look alike

[@NirvanaGuitars]

That’s beauty of it, their riffs are just that good!!

[@bhoss08]

True

[@adrianov09]

I'm happy of knowing that I'm not the only one who think Radio Friendly Unit Shifter is THE BEST NIRVANA'S RIFF and one of the MOST UNDERRATED.

[@Bizchnazch777]

This is the best top 10 nirvana riffs video it's so true! ❤️

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Wow thank you so so much! 🙏

[@Bizchnazch777]

@@NirvanaGuitars thanks it's an honor being replied and pinned by you!

[@Ivegotwormsinme]

You've passed up a golden opportunity to be "Serb The Serbians"

[@Bizchnazch777]

@@Ivegotwormsinme hahaha

[@jackgreentree9616]

Radio friendly unit shifter and aneurysm are so fun to play and 100% some of the most underrated work by nirvana. Such fun songs

[@asharpbflat7179]

The chorus riff of Aneurysm is insanely complex, once you listen and WATCH live footage of it closely. The little stops together with little details in the vocal line. It's not: beat me out of me, beat me out of me-ee it's: beat me-ee (!) out of me beat me-ee (!) out of me-ee The first "me" is so subtle, no "meHee", it's just a slight "me-ee" (no "h" inside), together with the riff it's waving a dense little net of energetic holds and releases, it sounds incredible and is almost impossible to sing and play at the same time. Kurt was so dedicated to his art back in the day, they did nothing but rehearse so he would play Aneurysm in all of it's complexity live.

[@ericmills9839]

They opened the show with radio friendly when I saw them in Montreal in 1993. It was an amazing start to the show, Pat Smear jumping around like a maniac, he added so much to their live sound, gave Kurt the room to concentrate on singing. Unforgettable.

[@natatk1570]

The tone on Swap Meet is spot on! Well done!!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you!

[@PalmettoStateSirens]

Ikr it felt like I was at my local drug-infested swap meet

[@connersd]

Just said the same!

[@brownboywithinternet2706]

the fact that today i feel a sense of mourning for someone that i have never met and wasn't even living when i was shows just how amazing and influential he is, his art has crossed boundaries not even he dreamed of crossing and i'm grateful to know of him i miss him so much and i've only ever seen him in photos and recordings.

[@Iheart_nirvana]

It is sad to know that these 10 songs aren’t on the top 10 on Spotify but that’s what makes them great.

[@christopherpeterson7212]

I always thought “Serve the Servants” was one of his greatest songs too. I’d be interested where you ranked “Lithium,” as a guitarist I think that is one of the weirdest songs to ever become popular. Pure genius

[@nonheinousanus6817]

Same. "Lithium" is my favorite Nirvana song and favorite to play. It's such a fun song.

[@darkwyvern9796]

Bro im so jealous of that collection! Bless you for showing how amazing and talented Kurt was and honoring him like that!

[@goopvvizard3973]

So glad you included dive on here

[@dave3605]

Nice to see Radio Friendly Unit Shifter getting some love. The 'Hate your enemies' section of that song might be my favourite part of any Nirvana song!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

One of their best bridges by far, pure energy!

[@eastonNirvaNa]

Hey I am 12 years old and I just started guitar and I came across you on KZbin and ever sense I have always had notifications and subscribed . You are such a inspiration and I want to grow up to be just like you.

[@rique_.leal.]

today, we lost a voice. may kurt cobain be forever remembered

[@extraterrestrial736]

RIP Kurt, such a tragic loss and may we all remember his music and legacy that he left behind.

[@yarisTSk]

really love your stuff

[@multi1414]

This day, 29 years ago we lost a legend. R.I.P Kurt, may your soul live on in all those who you continue to inspire everyday. 🖤

[@taxationistheft2.0]

LAYNE STALEY ALSO

[@adamstainer4637]

Dude! You totally nailed this. Wasn't expecting these song choices. Aero Zeppelin, Mr Moustache, and Negative creep are defo up there too though!

[@RoadHouse-bp1mn]

dude i wish i could be like you man i really wish i only have the boss-ds1w, and a red fender mustang competition i hope to get to where you are with all your gear man keep up these amazing vids i love them

[@ohnoitsnotjoe]

I would like to see a list of Kurt Cobain’s best solos because yes most of his solos weren’t the most face melting complicated solos ever. But he still had some pretty good solos and quite a few them were hard like Sappy, In Bloom, Floyd the Barber, Blew, Swap Meet, Aero Zeppelin, Spank Thru, School, Sifting and more are amazing and fun to play!

[@derranmcbride1995]

Brilliant job man. I love your top by the way!

[@reimssi]

A very solid list! My own favourite riffs are Breed, Scentless Apprentice and Mr. moustache

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Nice choices!!

[@OttoPrentice]

tbh I was not expecting number one but by god am I happy SOMEONE appreciates radio friendly unit shifter.

[@tomphil5216]

I absolutely love kurts anti solos, they're so chaotic and crazy. I'm also happy you played anorexocist, that riff is so heavy!

[@strangerinparis]

I found your tone on Swap Meet & Aneurysm to be insanely close. Aneurysm especially made me jump out of my seat because of how accurate it is. amazing job!!

[@asharpbflat7179]

Love swap meet!!! ❤️ Amazing video, and your introduction words 🤘🏽 thank you so much ❤️✊🏽

[@pastelamerican]

Yet another amazing video! I always pick up some nuances from these songs that I doubt I’d have ever noticed without watching you. At some point I’d love to see you create guitar lessons that not only teach the basic chord structures and riffs, but also the finer details like guitar, amp and effects settings as well as the Kurtisms that are impossible to transcribe. You really seem to appreciate the more subtle qualities of his songs on a level that other people aren’t searching for.

[@buswithnodriver]

The first top 10 Nirvana riffs that doesn't include the "mainstream" nirvana songs a really shows Kurt's creativity.

[@shinjiikari6894]

You never miss dude, i always look forward to a new video from you, what a criminally underrated guitar/nirvana channel i mean damn!!

[@frugal4twenty202]

'School' is a good one! Nice job

[@nicksamples4535]

Great picks! Love the Dive riff.

[@alessandroconcordia2944]

I agree. Radio Friendly unit shifter Is often underrated, but i love It. Power, Speed, tecnical. It has all that characterize Kurt's sound. Happy to see one of my favorite song in the chart but I think It deserves more than 6th place. Hope next time you evaluate to put Lithium in classification. Peace, love, empathy.

[@NullOnBonelab]

I love your tones and your guitars!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you so much!

[@Papamari]

It makes me very happy to to see dive on this list not only that but its ranked 2. Its definitely my personal top three nirvana songs and its the most underrated nirvana song by far, plus it is played brilliantly, bravo!

[@kriskolocknest]

Great vid as always. You nailed the Unit Shifter sound. Excellent work. Funny how different a top 10 can be. Mine are... 1. Milk It 2. Hairspray Queen 3. Mrs. Buttersworth 4. Token Eastern Song 5. Spank Thru 6. Negative Creep (specifically the chorus) 7. Scoff(specifically the pre-chorus) 8. Even In His Youth 9. Floyd The Barber 10. Anorexorcist

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Love your list, especially that you included Mrs Buttersworth! I don't think there will ever be 2 top Nirvana riff lists that look the same. They just have that many great riffs

[@kriskolocknest]

@@NirvanaGuitars Very true!

[@lucasimone9386]

Well done. This was an amazing list, the best I’ve seen, it really captures Kurts best riffs. RIP kurt

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you so much!

[@connersd]

Nice tone, man! Especially on swap meet and aneurysm. Also, great picks. Man, he was such a talent.

[@jonaflynn74]

So good to see content like this in 2023, I could only have dreamed to see a video like this 10 years ago! Was a big nirvana gearhead as a teen and did the exact same mods to my Left handed Cobain mustang - we’re the lucky few to have gotten our hands on one!

[@barstone4]

Excellent list and playing, dude! RFUS is a legendary riff and song in general. The bridge to that song is probably my favorite thing Kurt has ever sung. So much raw passion and anger in his voice. "Hate your enemies Save, save your friends Find, find your place Speak, speak the truth." April 5th is a very sad day for Grunge fans 😢 RIP Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley

[@davidtaylor3300]

Serve the servants is like my go to song to play when I check my Eb tuning lol great video!

[@pietroenrico]

Great selection! Only a true guitarrist knows how Kurt was perfect and unique ♥

[@tylenoljunkie3231]

Amazing picks. Dive is always one of my favorite riffs to play, easily one of Kurt's best. Even In His Youth, Talk to Me, and Anorexorcist are sick as well.

[@Foxikaze]

What Kurt lacked in technical skill, he more than made up for with memorable songwriting. These days, I'm into more technical stuff, but I always love coming back to Nirvana

[@thrillvilled111]

From a riff point of view these are the top 10! You are a legend! Thank you so much for a video like this!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you for watching 🙂

[@thrillvilled111]

Love supporting the videos watch times 🙂

[@OIJMIO]

great shit!! i knew there was a reason for me having all the live perfmormances of nine month media blackout in my playlist

[@Ron-fg1kh]

IM SO HAPPY YOU INCLUDED TALK TO ME!!

[@shadowjuliuus]

So happy to see someone giving credit to Anorexorecist!! And the Hi-Flier tone in that song is absolutely spot on! Swap Meet too!!! You should do a full cover of anorexorcist? Is one of my favorite Early-Nirvana songs, and i always thought that could ended on Bleach

[@NirvanaGuitars]

YES i would love to do a full Anorexocist cover, now that you say that I don't know why I haven't done that yet! There were going to record it at the January 1988 Dale Demo session but ran out of the tape that they paid for and never got to it 😭 That's one of the biggest Nirvana "what ifs" for me. It would've sounded absolutely nuts with Dale's drumming, Endino's production and with how unhinged Kurt was doing his vocals at that session

[@RileySullivan]

I agree with your list 100%. Even though Aneurysms is probably my favorite riff, the riffs progressively got better as your list went on.

[@numburger]

I really appreciate that you condense the songs down to include in-depth playthroughs of almost every part instead of song length which in order to fit on a top 10 list, requires only small snippets of the songs which more often than not cut out their best parts in favor of the main riff

[@NirvanaGuitars]

It’s definitely all about the main riff BUT the context of what happens before & after it is important too 🙂

[@sadsbarn]

ABSOLUTELY AGREE ON RFUS SO FUN TO PLAY

[@radiogigolo]

Great playing on your top 10 riffs 🤘 Alot of people say,Nirvana songs are for beginners and anyone can play them. While yes,alot of people can play Nirvana songs,there is very few that can get Kurt's rhythm technic right. Why? Because Kurt's rhythm is not as easy to replicate as his chord structure is and that is why I would always say that kurt was a great guitar player. You only have to listen to Bleach to hear how technical Kurt was but decied to simplify things when he got to the Nevermind stage. Playing super fast solos is one thing but without a good rhythm technic you are at nothing. Again,we'll done on all the videos you've done. It's great to have someone that goes indepth to Kurt's playing and gear like you do. Keep them coming.

[@shadowedge729]

my top ten would be: 1. Scentless Apprentice 2. You Know You’re Right 3.Even In His Youth 4. Mexican Seafood 5. Blew 6. Sound of Dentage (not Nirvana but still a Kurt riff) 7. Lounge Act 8. On a Plain 9. Old Age 10. Floyd the Barber

[@johnmiller8670]

I need a Sunburst Jaguar like Kurt’s. It looks awesome!

[@rozzer666]

Man that sounded amazing. I'm not a huge fan of 10 and 9 but you still played them amazing. Wish my rig sounded like yours but I can't part with the money. Really good video

[@snorkman2]

Dude! I glad you rate Dive as high as you do! That's my favorite! Breed, You know you're right, Love Buzz and Aneurysm are also in my top 5.

[@aubreyshelton3217]

I had TICKETS to the Lollapalooza in Columbus that year .. the same one Nirvana was supposed to headline and pulled out from.... And when I found out he pulled out at the last minute.. I sold. My tickets

[@jinxheeats8287]

R.I.P Kurt Cobain. The songs Kurt wrote spoke to generations. They still speak to traumas and experiences we also face today. Almost 30 years after he died and we can relate to him.

[@RyanSinghI]

Rip kurt i wasn't around in his tiome but i love the music he wrote

[@DarthCrust66]

Man, hearing that makes me realize just how crazy the riff in Radio Friendly Unit Shifter is

[@Darklord-et9xz]

Kurt Cobain was a great guitarist and is my all time favorite guitar player.Kurt was the reason I picked up the guitar.I love Kurt’s simple guitar playing style.I think a lot of Nirvana songs are a great place to start for new guitar players because of there simplicity.I don’t care what the haters have to say Kurt Cobain is a legendary guitarist.

[@sethcallen-pb4hm]

This is a master piece eric great job keep it ❤️

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you so much!

[@sethcallen-pb4hm]

Thanks for replying so much ❤️

[@cadenbenton6235]

Very happy to see Talk to Me making the list, it's sadly not on the With The Lights Out comp but is featured on many bootlegs and I used to watch the Crocodile Cafe recording of it every day for two weeks straight but I think because of that I got burnout from the song My top 10 riffs have to be: 10. Serve the Servants 9. Very Ape 8. Been A Son 7. Spank Thru 6. Tourette's (love the Reading version too) 5. School 4. Lounge Act 3. Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle (specifically the intro is what I love) 2. All Apologies (I have this Silvertone Acoustic similar to Kurts Stella and so I love to play the home recording version all the time) 1. Drain You

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Nice list!! I didn't want Talk To Me to be the only song without a release listed so I just counted it being on the With The Lights Out DVD haha

[@cherrykoolaiddisasters]

Amazing video Eric!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you!

[@cherrykoolaiddisasters]

@@NirvanaGuitarsAlso, I think for a video, you should try and find something similar to a Lindell Electric, or Teisco FB-29M/Ibanez Destroyer. I’m really interested in Kurt’s guitars and I thought this would be cool.

[@iamshaggy3587]

I loved this type of video! Hope to see more like this! Also, hell yeah! Mexican Seafood appreciation!

[@adamn78]

It's hard to argue with any song of your list. Was really pleasantly surprised to hear Anorexorcist. That one is an absolute banger from the early Kurt catalog.

[@millennialanimal]

Ask any shredder to play Swap Meet and sing the melody Kurt did at the same time and they won’t be able to do it. Then ask them how good they think he was.

[@thqwibble]

ive always liked radio friendly's intro so much

[@handless_juggler]

Amazing song list here!

[@thebeetle1656]

Talk to Me is SOOO underrated Glad you included it!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

It truly is!! If there was a proper studio or demo recording of it I am confident it would be one of their most popular songs. It's that good

[@soapisnotedible]

I agree with the majority of the list honestly, really good video 👍

[@Communitis]

First off, I wanna say you match Kurt's guitar with pretty significant fidelity, in all of the key dimensions: Tone and settings, assemblage of equipment, and playing technique. That's really cool, and doing your best to recreate what he did with these riffs is the best way to show off and platform them for people to consider through the proper medium in isolation. Bravo! I couldn't comment without at least noting that, first and foremost. But with that out of the way, I wanted to humbly suggest and request a video where you talk about the evolution of Kurt's playing, tone and technique, songwriting, mainly with a view toward his instrumental accompaniment, and how it evolved from his beginning as an amateur musician, and was perfected into his own unique style as a developed and mature songwriter over time. I'm sure you have your own rhythm, and forgive me for suggesting a big and complicated topical piece of this nature, but I think that would be a fun and amazing one to watch, especially if you can simplify it and capture the most essential features and changes. I just saw your video on Illiteracy Will Prevail, and it was really excellent, engaging, and interesting to follow and hear; incredibly informative, and I don't see many videos longer than five minutes in general that keep me that interested for nearly twenty minutes, especially ones that feature a lot of demonstrations of instrumentation, equipment and tone. I think that using that method, and the same starting point and exploratory focus; looking at the existing documentation of his development as a player, and the equipment and techniques he used to do it, would be immensely intriguing, especially coming from you and the way you look at this subject. If you you read this, thanks for looking, and I look forward to your next project, whatever you choose to do with its creation!

[@jhonpatrick2965]

Excellent riff choices Eric!!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you my friend 😃

[@jesmarlesmar]

dude, i love yr channel!

[@user-xs6xj5uh2t]

Top 3 is absolutely awesome!

[@balloondog8]

It's so nice to see Mexican Seafood, I always thought it was a pretty sick sounding riff.

[@fefe9238]

Amazing video man and nice selection of riffs! As a hardcore Nirvana fan all your content is a blessing :) I also love Aero Zeppelin, Milk It, Curmudgeon, and I Hate Myself and Want To Die.

[@klovig1]

I didn’t expect it to make the list but one of my favorite riffs is from Breed. So basic but I love it

[@julienmarie7870]

Goooosh this sound on radio friendly is insaaaaaaaane

[@karelsliva1706]

Kurt was a really good songwriter, his guitar parts fit the songs very well. If you look at the guitar playing of Dimebag Darrel for example, just listen to solo and outro from Floods

[@douglasvaughn9349]

🔥 thank you Eric

[@Ian-qs3fz]

great video eric!

[@NirvanaGuitars]

Thank you!

[@DocterFweedy]

Rip Kurt his impact on music and society can’t be denied wish I was around to see him preform live but sadly didn’t and tho we may be sad that he is no longer with us we can remember him through his music and legacy RIP to a legend gone but never forgotten Kurt Cobain

[@garykramermusic]

Great playing and tones! We miss you so much Kurt!

[@cezqx8343]

i love your courage to break through the media shit wall of absolutely ignoring every other song other then slts and other hits, yes theyre all great songs but if youre gonna make a nirvana top 10 list, you cannot just base it off of the hits, i love that about this video, and i love every single song and riff on it. big respect!!

[@jarrodbrown747]

Man, I was looking forward to hearing milk it, you still have a great top 10 though

[@juliosas9535]

your distortion is amazing

[@mirata7748]

Great top 10 list, I love the bleach and incesticide riffs so much, they are so amusing and at the same time so dynamic and satisfying, Swap Meet for example is a simple but amazing riff, fabulous tone as well! Great video.

[@LuminaireNoire]

Outstanding choices, but where's Aero Zeppelin?! Definitely a top ten Nirvana riff. =)

[@sicarus3572]

Hell yeah I love these riffs, Aneurysm has to my favourite though 🤟🏻

[@snowbleef]

Hi, cool top and now we wait for Sappy and I Hate Myself guitar tone video🐢

[@syrefpudenismail3410]

Nice shirt bro 👍

[@geed5508]

Awesome vid! My personal top 10 (in no particular order) include: Radio Friendly Unit Shifter Breed Rape Me Pennyroyal Tea Dumb Been a Son Milk It School Negative Creep Aneurysm

[@mycawild]

Teen spirit not #1, a man with class great video ♥

[@carrie227]

I was hoping Radio Friendly Unit! 😻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️🕊❤️

[@B_H_J]

Incesticide is such a banger album

[@stickz4144]

Kurt Cobain will always be in our hearts. Peace. Love and emphaty 🤍