Here is my recording:
Intro:
Solo:
14 Likes
Thanks for sharing here, Vanessa.
Well done Vanessa, congratulations on your first upload here. 
Hi Vanessa,
congratulations on your first recordings 
, that is an important step in learning guitar … well done … on the first video the sound of your guitar is close to is gone here when starting the backing band what sounds so so 
… but that will work out fine later and is no big thing as we here you first … I look forward to your progress
Greetings ,Rogier
Well done Vanessađź‘Ť
Hi Vanessa,
I think you’ve nailed the rhythm pattern for the intro.
Maybe a little attention to what strings you’re hitting - seems to be a flat sounding note in there. But that’s just practice and repetition.
Great song. Nice progress.
Digger
Welcome to this part of the site Vanessa. I am glad you posted. Get that teen spirit going. One of my favorite bands of all time. 
Well done, Vanessa. Sounded cool, particularly the solo.
Well done for taking those first steps and hoisting your first AVYOP. A good foundation to start from. 
Good job on this deceptively simple song, Vanessa. It’s a tricky one to play and you did well.
From my experience of playing this song and just power chords in general, I can give you a bit of feedback.
First and main thing, try to have more arched fingers when playing power chords. If you need to play 3-strings one with an added octave, then just use your pinky. Barring two strings with a ring finger can work, but I feel like it’s much more straining on your ring finger, not that consistent with the clarity of your notes and the mutting isn’t as good too. And try to lower your thumb behind the neck to get a more relaxed hand position.
Can’t see your strumming hand here, so it’s hard to say anything about it.
As for the solo, I’d change the note positions you’re playing. It’s just unnecessary and not very efficient to play the first part of the solo on one string. You can get the same notes across a few strings without moving your hand along the neck that much. And try to get the rhythm down a bit better. I personally play it with alternate picking and can suggest you do the same, as it helps with maintaining the rhythm.
Thanks for sharing and hope to see more even better recordings in the future.
1 Like
Welcome to the AVOYP section!
Well done, Vanessa! 
That is how Kurt played power chords, Vanessa is emulating that. His playing was never about accuracy or efficiency, it was about energy. G string sometimes rings in his power chords. That is also what Justin explains in his lesson for this song.
This is again how Kurt plays it and how Justin teaches it, if I am not mistaken. All on one string. Kurt was not the most rational guitar player.
Edit.
Listen to his solo at 3:31 here. The best terrible solo ever.
Perhaps, I never studied his playing so up close, but is it worth emulating? I don’t think so.
But if there is one thing in my playing I’m actually a bit confident about, it’s power chords. And I’d rather try to play them in a more conventional and convenient way, as it’s easier, leads to better sound and uses the same shape as barre chords. But this is just my opinion, of course.
Maybe at some performances. He definitely wasn’t the most consistent player. But the tabs I’ve learned the solo from on Songsterr as well as some lessons on YouTube show that it’s played across the few string and never goes beyond the 6th fret for the first phrase and it’s definitely one of the ways Kurt was playing it as well, I’ve looked through several live performances when I was learning it this February.
I can’t disagree more. Did you listen to Justin’s explanation in his video lesson that I mentioned? By playing it properly, you play it wrong. You can hear wrong notes ring (i.e. G string in the first string power chord) on Nirvana records. You actaully want to emulate imperfection, as that is the nature od their playing.
And your recommended shape is go-to shape for 99.9% of power chord songs, but not for this one. That is my opinion.
Aww man. YES bro. The answer is yes, of course it is worth emulating. If someone want’s to play his music, that is. You don’t play the the Clash like the Sex Pistols just like you wouldnt play either of them like NOFX. Just like you don’t play Alice in Chains or The Screaming Trees like you play Sound Garden or Nirvana. None are the same. Each band and guitarist of these bands had a very different character and played very different, all have value.
That’s why that window was special. So In my opinion, absolutely if you play Nirvana you should try to play like Kurt Cobain or Pat Smear.
Depending on what you are playing. 
It doesn’t mean you play everything like that. But its ok to play Nirvana raw, you should actually unless its something you don’t. Its just like when I play hank william Jr I try to play like a Honky Tonk style guitar player. It’s just respect for the artist. I can put my own spin on it later but I need to learn the OG way first. I work hard to emulate the original for sure. At least in my mind. Its an individual thing amd not a crime.
Its hard to understand that music if you don’t understand the times then. We were Just coming out of the 80s and trying to get past what had happened to Rock and Metal was sad. Many of us respected it and even loved a lot of it, but a lot of us were tired of the decline. People needed something more raw than just another 5 years of power ballads and manicured barr chords. This was why it was called Alternative Rock. It was an alternative to the 2 decades of the normal Rock. Kurt did that with his style and his music, he lite a fire under millions of people, it really was an Audio revolution. It was not just him of course. People don’t have to like it or or listen to it but it should be respected if you want to play it.
You should cheak it out its really good stuff. Go deeper than just the “known” stuff.
You got that right, he did all sorts of crazy stuff on stage also.
They opened for RHCP one time I saw them and they had the crowd way harder. Belive itnor not but Pearl Jam was the 3rd act. My buddies girlfriend at the time asked “who the heck those guys are” and “Do we really get there so early to see them” 
this is pearl jam. Its crazy Eddie Vedder is the only front man of the big 5 “Grunge” (I dislike that term) bands of that is left alive today.
