View Full Version : (Guitar Tab Help) Smells Like Teen Spirit
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/n/nirvana/smells_like_teen_spirit_ver10_tab.htm
NOTE: Ignore the open strings chord in the beginning of bar 2, shouldn't be there, obv. this tab has a bit of mistakes, but I just ignore that one since it sounds weird with it.
Yeah, when I play those exact notes and everything, it sounds a bit messed up. Especially teh third chord and third chord for the second bar (as stated above, ignore the open strings chord). And even though the key is there, I still don't get what to with teh x? Does that mean I don't play anything there or what? Usually I just play, missing out the third chord and not doing whatever the x thing is meant to be. When I listened to it recently, it sounded a bit diff. from what i've been playing, there's just this one part which I think is the x things... Yeah I know there several guitarists here that should be able to help me here.
P.S. If this thread should be moved elsewhere then feel free to do so, just wasn't sure where to put it and all.
that tab is so wrong, I mean really... I can play this song well and I know exactly how to play it, let me find you the tab I learned from.
Ok I guess I can't find it now, but I'll write my own tab for it if I have to, it's a lot easier than those ones.
and an X is a dead note, a muted note, a rake. It's when you put your finger over any part of the string but don't push into the fret.
EDIT
Ok I tabbed out how I play it, try that.
EDIT
Upon further inspection this tab is actually pretty correct =/
I'm sorry but this is the way it is played ><
that tab is so wrong, I mean really... I can play this song well and I know exactly how to play it, let me find you the tab I learned from.
Ok I guess I can't find it now, but I'll write my own tab for it if I have to, it's a lot easier than those ones.
and an X is a dead note, a muted note, a rake. It's when you put your finger over any part of the string but don't push into the fret.
EDIT
Ok I tabbed out how I play it, try that.
EDIT
Upon further inspection this tab is actually pretty correct =/
I'm sorry but this is the way it is played ><
Thanks so much Grae.You really helped me here when I was thinking that Teen Spirit was wayy beyond me.I'll try it ASAP,thanks again.And the x as well,I didn't know much about that either.
Now to contribute to the thread: I'm going to add you on to my MSN dan.I think we can both learn stuff from each other.
no problem MTV head, it really is such a simple song to play when you get that main verse riff down, and so enjoyable to play.
MTV: You've already added me to your MSN, I remember gettin' an addy with your DOS email address O_o I accept, but never seen you on or anything lol.
Yeah that tab is right, except for the open strings chord, which shouldn't be there, but other than that, it's pretty correct.
And yeah, I still don't get that "dead note" part, it just sounds messed up when I try to play it the way you described (I put my fingers where they should be, but didn't push in into the fret as you said) lol. But I do hear something like that when I listen to the song AFTER the first chords (as in the 1 3 3 thing lol...), though I don't play the 3rd chord in the first tab as it also sounds weird.... prob. meant to go with teh dead notes yeah?
MTV: You've already added me to your MSN, I remember gettin' an addy with your DOS email address O_o I accept, but never seen you on or anything lol.
Yeah that tab is right, except for the open strings chord, which shouldn't be there, but other than that, it's pretty correct.
And yeah, I still don't get that "dead note" part, it just sounds messed up when I try to play it the way you described (I put my fingers where they should be, but didn't push in into the fret as you said) lol. But I do hear something like that when I listen to the song AFTER the first chords (as in the 1 3 3 thing lol...), though I don't play the 3rd chord in the first tab as it also sounds weird.... prob. meant to go with teh dead notes yeah?
Use your pinky to rake (and I mean my new email address) and just touch the string.I've tried it a couple of times while practicing.It's like that annoying and shrill B string was never there!
Use my pinky to rake? What? lol. I STILL DON'T GET IT ;_; The rest I can play perfectly fine, sounds bettter when I use a pick though (I can play with just my thumb, as I do with the bass strings, other fingers (just the index and middle finger, sometimes the one between the middle and pinky) for the last three), but yeah....
the X's is a rake, it's a dead note.
What you do is the chord you just played, release pressure on the strings so that your fingers are just touching the strings, and strum that.
Also, I notice that at the end of a bar there are 3 0's, is ithat what you mean by open chord?
Well that comes from the standard of playing. You see when you do open string chords (I mean real chords, like G, C, D, A, E) you have open strings on the chord, the finger combinations are usually complicated, so when switching to a new chord you strum the last chord open, this gives you time to switch your fingers into position for the new chord. But people usuallyl don't do that with Power Chords because they're so easy. so just ignore the 0's
strum the last chord open
So what you mean is,play the strings that are in the chord,OPEN?
let me throw it to you thisi way
lets take the song Knockin on Heaven's door by Bob Dylan for example
a simple song, 4 beats in a bar, 3 chords
G|D|A|A
(each cord has it's own bar)
on the last strum of G before switching to D, play all strings open, use that time to get your fingers in position for D, there is no name for this technique, it's just practice, but if you listen to any song with acoustic guitar you can hear this.
But this never usually happens with power chords.
When you read sheet music or a tab you won't see this technique being used, but in this tab it has been shown for you, that is unusual.
the X's is a rake, it's a dead note.
What you do is the chord you just played, release pressure on the strings so that your fingers are just touching the strings, and strum that.
Also, I notice that at the end of a bar there are 3 0's, is ithat what you mean by open chord?
Well that comes from the standard of playing. You see when you do open string chords (I mean real chords, like G, C, D, A, E) you have open strings on the chord, the finger combinations are usually complicated, so when switching to a new chord you strum the last chord open, this gives you time to switch your fingers into position for the new chord. But people usuallyl don't do that with Power Chords because they're so easy. so just ignore the 0's
That's what I said >< (as in previously I said to ignore the chord with the open strings, TWICE actually =P lol) and okay that's what I tried and it still says weird. Maybe cause it's an accoustic and all, might sound proper (as it does on the song) on an electric (which I am yet to have ;_;). And yeah I get what you mean with that thing, but I don't really need to play it, but I could be a bit faster with moving my fingers to that next chord, but it's not liek it takes minutes, just a few seconds ><
well power chords are too easy so you dont need to do the 0's thing, only with full chords you do
G|D|A|A
(each cord has it's own bar)
on the last strum of G before switching to D, play all strings open, use that time to get your fingers in position for D, t
man I feel like a pain,thanks in advance.
You said "play all strings open".Do you mean play all 6 strings or the strings of that chord?
Pandemonia
15-04-2006, 04:27
I don't really like playing this song unless I can use my amp, or have my guitar perfectly tuned. The only song I like playing right now is Polly, by Nirvana. Smells Like Teen Spirit is a very easy song to play if you're used to playing the same frets but on different string. PooP :P
Man it's the hooteanny feature that it has,very newbie un-friendly.Upstroke and downstroke.
This song is pretty easy once you get used to it or try it for a bit. Still sounds okay on accoustic aswell, prob. better on electric, but still okay. Though I can't get the rake part right, it just sounds weird or maybe that's how it's meant to sound and i'm just thinkin' it's wrong, again prob. sounds right/better one electric.
Pandemonia
16-04-2006, 21:36
You need and electric guitar, and a distortion pedal to make this song sound good.
You only need a distortion pedal with a few parts of the song, not the whole thing. But with the intro. part you play with a clean guitar and though it does sound proper and better on electric, that doesn't mean you CAN'T play on accoustic - it still sounds pretty good =/
the rake won't sound decent unless you have distortion or overdrive, on acoustic rakes are a rare thing
basically the note doesnt sound like a note at all, it's just a sound
No wonder is sounds really weird o_o
Okay well i'll just go back to playing it the way I did before until I get an electric and all that. Which was basically normally, but without the rake xD. And obv. not the whole song cause of the distortion parts.
well try the rake when you get an electric, it will sound a lot better
rakes are very common in punk music
as well as grunge
metal
and funk bands like RATM, infact Tom Morello uses rakes a lot during his sounds.
I'd show you an example but all the tabs I can find of the song are wraaaaawwwng ><
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