Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit - Guitar Tab

Nevermind (Remastered)

1991 5:02

Listen on Spotify

About Smells Like Teen Spirit

Few riffs in rock history have pulled as many people toward a guitar as this one, and the good news is that the core of it is genuinely approachable. Nirvana built the song around a four-chord pattern in F minor, cycling through F5, Bb5, Ab5, and Db5 power chords in a way that feels both heavy and melodic. The verse is played quietly with a clean or lightly compressed tone, then the chorus hits with full distortion, and nailing that dynamic contrast is really the central challenge. The picking hand matters as much as the fretting hand here: the staccato, palm-muted verses demand tight control, while the chorus rewards a looser, more aggressive strum. The transitional turnaround riff between sections trips up a lot of players at first, so use the Practice Toolbar to loop that passage slowed down until the position shifts become automatic. Once the mechanics are solid, focus on matching the feel, because the slightly ragged, behind-the-beat energy is exactly what makes it convincing.

• The song's signature riff uses F5, Bb5, Ab5, and Db5 power chords, making it a practical first study in moving shapes across the lower strings.
• The verse relies on palm-muted, staccato picking while the chorus opens up into full strumming, so controlling that dynamic shift is the key technique to practise.
• The short turnaround riff connecting the verse and chorus involves a quick position change that benefits from slow, looped repetition before you bring it up to tempo.