Session 20: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Duration: 50 minutes

This is the song. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana is the anthem that defined a generation and made millions of people pick up a guitar. It is built on four power chords with a dynamic structure that alternates between quiet, restrained verses and explosive, full-volume choruses. Today you learn the complete arrangement — the signature riff, the verse restraint, the chorus explosion, and the muted “chucka” pattern that ties it all together. This is the most complex single-song arrangement you have tackled, and it uses nearly every technique you have learned.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Play the four power chords used in “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5)
2. Perform the signature riff with the correct rhythm and muted strums
3. Play quiet verse sections with palm muting and dynamic control
4. Play explosive chorus sections with full-volume open power chords
5. Perform the complete song arrangement from intro to ending

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• Reference: Power Chord Technique

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Finger Stretches

1. Finger spread — 3 times, hold 5 seconds each.
2. Wrist circles — 5 each direction per wrist.
3. Spider crawl — Frets 1-2-3-4, all six strings, up and down.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE).

Warm-Up

Play the “Paranoid” riff (Session 13) at 75 BPM for 2 cycles. This activates your power chord and palm muting skills — exactly what you need today. Then play the syncopated strumming pattern on Em for 4 measures at 70 BPM to activate your muted strum technique.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Moveable Power Chords (10 minutes)

Power Chords Beyond E5 and A5

In Session 9, you learned E5 and A5 — power chords that used open strings. Today you learn moveable power chords — shapes you can slide anywhere on the neck.

The Moveable Power Chord Shape (Root on String 6)

Moveable power chord:

Finger 1 (index): String 6, any fret (this is the root note)
Finger 3 (ring):  String 5, two frets higher than finger 1
Finger 4 (pinky): String 4, same fret as finger 3

Example — F5 (root on fret 1):
e|---x---|
B|---x---|
G|---x---|
D|---3---|
A|---3---|
E|---1---|
Fingers: 1 on string 6 fret 1
         3 on string 5 fret 3
         4 on string 4 fret 3

Strum only strings 6, 5, and 4.

The beauty of this shape: slide it to any fret and you get a different power chord. The root note (string 6) gives the chord its name.

The Four Power Chords of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Chord	Root Fret (String 6)	Fret (Strings 5+4)	Note
F5	1	3	F
Bb5	6	8	Bb
Ab5	4	6	Ab
Db5	9	11	Db

F5: Bb5:         Ab5:         Db5:


e|---x---|   e|---x---|   e|---x---|   e|---x----|
B|---x---|   B|---x---|   B|---x---|   B|---x----|
G|---x---|   G|---x---|   G|---x---|   G|---x----|
D|---3---|   D|---8---|   D|---6---|   D|---11---|
A|---3---|   A|---8---|   A|---6---|   A|---11---|
E|---1---|   E|---6---|   E|---4---|   E|---9----|

Learning the Chord Positions

F5 (fret 1): Finger 1 on string 6 fret 1, finger 3 on string 5 fret 3, finger 4 on string 4 fret 3. This is the hardest position — fret 1 has the most string tension.

Ab5 (fret 4): Same shape, slide to fret 4. Finger 1 on fret 4, fingers 3+4 on fret 6. Easier — less tension.

Bb5 (fret 6): Slide to fret 6. Finger 1 on fret 6, fingers 3+4 on fret 8.

Db5 (fret 9): Slide to fret 9. Finger 1 on fret 9, fingers 3+4 on fret 11. Your Saga’s cutaway body makes fret 11 accessible.

Transition Drill

The song’s chord sequence is: F5 → Bb5 → Ab5 → Db5

Practice moving between them:

1. F5 (strum) → Bb5 (strum): Slide the entire shape from fret 1 to fret 6. Your fingers stay in the same relative position — just slide up the neck.
2. Bb5 (strum) → Ab5 (strum): Slide back from fret 6 to fret 4.
3. Ab5 (strum) → Db5 (strum): Slide from fret 4 to fret 9.
4. Db5 (strum) → F5 (strum): Jump back from fret 9 to fret 1.

Drill: Play the sequence slowly, one strum per chord, no metronome. 10 complete cycles. Focus on clean slides and landing on the right frets. Use the dot markers on the side of the neck as landmarks (dots at frets 3, 5, 7, 9).

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Segment 3 — New Learning: The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Arrangement (15 minutes)

The Signature Riff

The famous opening riff uses the four power chords with a rhythmic pattern that includes muted “chucka” strums between the chords:

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" — Main Riff


Strum: D  D  chk chk  D  D  chk chk  D  D  chk chk  D  D  chk chk
Count: 1  &   2   &   3  &   4   &   1  &   2   &   3  &   4   &
Chord: F5  F5  x   x  Bb5 Bb5 x   x  Ab5 Ab5 x   x  Db5 Db5 x   x



TAB:
e|--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--|
B|--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--|
G|--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--x--|
D|--3--3--x--x--8--8--x--x--6--6--x--x--11-11-x--x---|
A|--3--3--x--x--8--8--x--x--6--6--x--x--11-11-x--x---|
E|--1--1--x--x--6--6--x--x--4--4--x--x--9--9--x--x---|
    1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &

x = muted strum (lift fretting fingers, strum for percussive "chk")

How the riff works:

• Each chord gets 2 strums (on the beat and the “and”)
• After the 2 chord strums, you get 2 muted “chucka” strums
• Then the next chord, 2 strums, 2 chuckas
• The pattern cycles through all four chords in 2 measures

This is the syncopated muted strum technique from Session 13 applied to moveable power chords.

The Verse — Quiet and Restrained

In the original recording, the verse is much quieter than the intro riff. On acoustic guitar, play the same chord sequence but palm-muted and quiet:

Verse — palm muted, soft dynamics:

D|--3--3--3--3--8--8--8--8--6--6--6--6--11-11-11-11--|
A|--3--3--3--3--8--8--8--8--6--6--6--6--11-11-11-11--|
E|--1--1--1--1--6--6--6--6--4--4--4--4--9--9--9--9---|
    1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &  1  &  2  &  3  &  4  &
    PM throughout — soft dynamics

All eighth notes, palm muted, very quiet. This creates the tension that explodes in the chorus.

The Chorus — Full Volume

The chorus uses the same chords but open (no palm muting) and LOUD:

Chorus — open, full volume:

Strum: D D U U D U | D D U U D U |

Count: 1 2 & 3 4 & | 1 2 & 3 4 & |

Chord: F5 Bb5

 

Strum: D D U U D U | D D U U D U |

Count: 1 2 & 3 4 & | 1 2 & 3 4 & |

Chord: Ab5 Db5

Hit the chords hard. This is the explosive moment — the energy release after the quiet verse.

Complete Song Arrangement

[Intro Riff — play twice (4 measures): chord-chord-chk-chk pattern]
[Verse — play twice (4 measures): palm muted, soft]
[Pre-Chorus — 2 measures: gradually increase volume, same chord pattern]
[Chorus — play twice (4 measures): D D U U D U, full volume]
[Intro Riff — play once (2 measures): return to the "chucka" pattern]
[Repeat from Verse]

How to Learn This

Step 1 — Chord positions: Memorise where F5, Bb5, Ab5, and Db5 live on the neck. Play each chord in isolation until clean.

Step 2 — Riff pattern at 60 BPM: Play the chord-chord-chk-chk pattern slowly. Get the muted strums crisp and the chord strums clean.

Step 3 — Verse at 60 BPM: Palm-muted eighth notes on the same chord sequence. Focus on keeping it quiet and tight.

Step 4 — Chorus at 60 BPM: Open strums, D D U U D U pattern. Hit hard.

Step 5 — Dynamic contrast: Play verse (quiet) → chorus (loud). The contrast should be dramatic — like a whisper turning into a shout.

Step 6 — Build to 70 BPM: Gradually increase tempo.

What it should sound like: The riff is punchy and rhythmic. The verse is menacing and tense. The chorus explodes with energy. Even on an acoustic guitar, the dynamic contrast between verse and chorus is thrilling. This is the song that proved power chords and dynamics could change the world.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: Full Performance (15 minutes)

Use this time to build and perform the complete arrangement.

Run 1 (sections): Play the intro riff, verse, and chorus separately. Make sure each section is clean before connecting.

Run 2 (connecting): Play intro → verse → chorus. The critical moments:

• Intro to verse: Same chords, but switch from the “chucka” pattern to palm-muted eighth notes. The dynamic drops dramatically.
• Verse to chorus: Release palm muting, increase volume, switch to D D U U D U pattern. This is the explosive moment.

Run 3 (full performance): Play the complete arrangement. Rules:

1. Count yourself in at 70 BPM.
2. Do NOT stop if you miss a chord change — slide to the next chord and keep going.
3. The dynamic contrast between verse and chorus is more important than perfect chord changes. If you can only focus on one thing, focus on volume control.

Performance Notes

• The slides between chords (e.g., fret 1 to fret 6) should be quick and decisive. Do not lift your fingers off the strings — slide along them. You may hear a faint sliding sound — that is normal and adds to the rock feel.
• Use the neck dot markers: fret 3, fret 5, fret 7, fret 9. Bb5 lives just above the fret 5 dot. Db5 lives at the fret 9 dot.
• The muted “chucka” in the riff should be crisp. Lift your fretting fingers just enough to stop the notes but keep contact with the strings. Your strumming hand never stops moving.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

• Moveable power chord shape (root on string 6)
• Four new power chord positions: F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5
• The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” riff with muted strums
• Dynamic contrast: palm-muted verse vs open chorus
• Complete song arrangement with multiple sections

Common Mistakes

1. Landing on the wrong fret after a slide — Use the dot markers. Bb5 starts on fret 6 (one fret above the fret 5 dot). Db5 starts on fret 9 (on the dot). Ab5 starts on fret 4 (one fret below the fret 5 dot).
2. No dynamic difference between verse and chorus — This is the soul of the song. The verse must be noticeably quieter than the chorus. Exaggerate the difference in practice — whisper-quiet verse, shout-loud chorus.
3. Strumming too many strings on power chords — Only strings 6, 5, and 4. If you hear higher strings ringing, narrow your strum or mute the upper strings with your fretting hand by lightly touching them.
4. Losing the “chucka” rhythm in the riff — The pattern is chord-chord-chk-chk, not chord-chord-chord-chk. Two clean strums, two muted strums. Count: “CHORD-and-chk-and.”
5. Tensing up during high-fret power chords — At frets 9–11 (Db5), the frets are closer together and the string tension is lower. You need less pressure than at fret 1. Relax your grip as you move up the neck.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play all four power chords (F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5) cleanly?
2. Can you slide between them in the correct sequence without looking at the fretboard?
3. Can you play the riff with crisp muted strums at 65 BPM?
4. Is there a clear dynamic difference between your verse (quiet) and chorus (loud)?
5. Can you play the complete arrangement (intro → verse → chorus) without stopping?

Practice Plan (Daily, 25–30 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	Finger stretches + spider crawl + tune
Power Chord Navigation	4 min	F5 → Bb5 → Ab5 → Db5, one strum each, 10 cycles. Use dot markers for navigation
Riff Pattern	5 min	Chord-chord-chk-chk at 60–70 BPM. Focus on crisp muted strums. 4 full cycles
Verse (Quiet)	4 min	Palm-muted eighth notes at 65 BPM. Focus on keeping volume LOW and even
Chorus (Loud)	4 min	D D U U D U at 65 BPM. Hit hard. Let it ring
Full Arrangement	6 min	Intro → verse → chorus → riff. 2 complete runs

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” takes you up to fret 11 (Db5) — the highest you have played. On your Saga SF-600C-BK, fret 11 sits just where the cutaway scoop begins. You can feel the body of the guitar transition from a hard edge to the cutaway curve right around frets 12–14. This means your hand has clear, unobstructed access to fret 11. On a non-cutaway dreadnought, your hand would start bumping into the upper bout around frets 12–13. The cutaway design was built exactly for moments like this — reaching higher power chord positions comfortably on an acoustic guitar.