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Nirvana - In Bloom - Guitar Tab

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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SECTIONS

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Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key Bb major
Nirvana - In Bloom guitar tab video
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Classic Rock

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Master7
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Nevermind (Remastered) album cover
Nevermind (Remastered)
1991 4:15
Listen on Spotify
Nirvana Grunge 1991 Bb major
Capo Advisor 0 Bb major · Original key

About In Bloom

Few Nirvana tracks reward close attention to rhythm guitar quite like "In Bloom." The riff is built around chunky, palm-muted power chords that lock in with the drums and give the song its lurching, stop-start momentum. Getting that push-pull dynamic right is the real challenge here, because sloppy muting turns the groove into mush. The song sits in Bb major, which means those power chord shapes fall in slightly awkward positions on the neck if you are used to open-position rock keys, so take time to get your fretting hand comfortable before worrying about speed. The verse and chorus each have their own strumming intensity, and the jump between them needs to feel explosive without rushing the tempo. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse riff slowed down until the muting is airtight, then work the chorus transition at a reduced speed before bringing it up to pace. Nirvana leaned hard into contrast between quiet and loud, and nailing that here is everything.

  • The palm-muted power chord riff is the backbone of the song, so clean muting technique is the single most important thing to get right.
  • The key of Bb major puts the chord shapes in less common fret positions, making it worth mapping out your fingering before running the full riff.
  • The verse-to-chorus dynamic shift is abrupt and intentional, so practise the transition as its own isolated section until it feels natural.

How to Play In Bloom

The song moves through: Intro, Verse, Chorus, Interlude, Solo, Outro.

Key: Bb major · Tempo: 117 BPM · Difficulty: Medium

The arrangement runs through 6 distinct sections, and the solo is the steepest jump, so isolate it on its own.

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 117 BPM to build it up to tempo.

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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