Nirvana - Lake Of Fire - Guitar Lesson

MTV Unplugged In New York

1994 2:56

Listen on Spotify

About Lake Of Fire

Originally written by the Meat Puppets, "Lake Of Fire" became widely known through the stripped-back acoustic performance by Nirvana on their 1994 MTV Unplugged set. The song sits in G minor and is played in Eb Standard tuning, so drop your whole guitar a half step before you start. At 120 BPM the feel is a steady, mid-tempo strum, but the character comes from dynamics rather than speed: light fingerpicking verses that swell into a harder strummed chorus. The chord shapes themselves are not difficult, but landing that contrast in touch consistently is where most players need work. The slightly dark, ringing quality of Eb Standard adds weight to the open chords, so let them ring fully rather than dampening early. If the transition between the picking pattern and the strummed sections is tripping you up, isolate that moment with the Practice Toolbar, loop it slowed down, and focus on your right hand rather than the fretting hand.

• The song is played in Eb Standard tuning, meaning every string is tuned down one half step from standard, giving open chords a slightly fuller, darker tone.
• The main challenge is controlling dynamics: the fingerpicked verse pattern must stay light and clean before shifting into the harder strummed chorus sections.
• At 120 BPM the tempo is approachable for intermediate players, making it a good piece for practising consistent right-hand alternation between picking and strumming.