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Nirvana - On A Plain - Guitar Lesson

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Nirvana - On A Plain - Guitar Lesson

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Nirvana - On A Plain guitar lesson video
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Nevermind (Remastered) album cover
Nevermind (Remastered)
1991 3:14
Listen on Spotify
Nirvana Grunge 1991 D major
Capo Advisor 0 D major · Original key

On A Plain

"On A Plain" is a track by Nirvana, written by Kurt Cobain and featured as the 11th song on their landmark second album, Nevermind, released in September 1991. The song showcases Cobain's signature approach to dynamic contrast, blending clean verses with distorted choruses, a technique central to Nirvana's sound. For electric guitarists, it offers a solid entry point into grunge-style rhythm playing and Cobain's characteristically raw, stripped-back riff writing.

  • Kurt Cobain wrote 'On A Plain,' making it a direct window into his rhythm guitar composition style.
  • The song appears on Nevermind, one of the most influential rock albums of the 1990s.
  • It demonstrates the quiet-to-loud dynamic shift that defines much of Nirvana's electric guitar approach.
Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Cobain used the Stratocaster on several Nevermind tracks, leveraging its bright single-coils to cut through dense arrangements. Though less iconic than his Mustang, the Strat provided tonal clarity for melodic passages within Nirvana's heavy sonic framework.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Cobain deployed the Twin Reverb's clean headroom and natural breakup for softer verses and intros, creating dynamic contrast against his saturated Mesa preamp tones. The amp's warm response complemented his sparse, dry-focused signal chain.

DiMarzio Super Distortion
Pickup

DiMarzio Super Distortion

Cobain swapped DiMarzio humbuckers into his Jaguars and Mustangs to fatten their typically bright single-coils, pushing harder into his Mesa preamp for compressed, fuzzy sustain. This high-output bridge pickup was essential to Nirvana's thick, aggressive midrange distortion.

Boss DS-1 Distortion
Pedal

Boss DS-1 Distortion

The DS-1 functioned as Cobain's heavy-hitting boost pedal, slamming the front end of his already-overdriven Mesa preamp to intensify saturation during explosive chorus sections. Its gritty character helped define Nirvana's raw, in-your-face distortion tone.

Electro-Harmonix Small Clone
Pedal

Electro-Harmonix Small Clone

Cobain's signature chorus voice, heard prominently on Come As You Are and clean passages of Smells Like Teen Spirit, added subtle wobble and width. The Small Clone's lush modulation provided dynamic relief against his otherwise aggressive, compressed overdriven tones.

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