Session 20: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Duration: 50 minutes

Break: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 30 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 a simplified 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. Play a simplified version of the opening riff, in even eighth notes with muted strums, at 60 BPM
3. Play quiet verse sections with palm muting and dynamic control
4. Play explosive chorus sections with full-volume, un-muted power chords (no palm muting)
5. Perform the course’s simplified arrangement (intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, ending) without stopping

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• A phone or other device that records sound
• A way to play the recording of the song
• Reference: Power Chord Technique
• Reference: Chord Chart
• Reference: Glossary

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

Before You Play

Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings (EADGBE). Before you look at the tuner, guess: too low, too high or right? Then look.

Warm-Up

1. Play the “Paranoid” verse riff (Session 13) at 75 BPM, two notes per click (eighth notes), twice through (8 measures). This activates your power chord and palm muting skills — exactly what you need today.
2. Play the syncopated strumming pattern on Em for 4 measures at 65 BPM to activate your muted strum technique.
3. Play the A minor pentatonic scale (open position) ascending and descending, one note per click (quarter notes), at 75 BPM and then at 80 BPM.
4. Spider crawl: frets 1-4, one finger at a time, all six strings, up and down. Stop if it pulls or aches.

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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. A moveable shape uses no open strings, so the same finger pattern makes a different chord at each fret.

Pain rule: tender fingertips are normal. Pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles, numbness or tingling, any sharp pain, or pain that lasts into the next day means stop. The full rule is in START HERE.

The Moveable Power Chord Shape (Root on String 6)

• 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 (little finger): String 4, same fret as finger 3

Example — F5 (root on fret 1): finger 1 on string 6 fret 1, finger 3 on string 5 fret 3, finger 4 on string 4 fret 3.

F5 (root on string 6, fret 1)
e|----------|
B|----------|
G|----------|
D|------3---|
A|------3---|
E|------1---|

Strum only strings 6, 5, and 4. The top three lines of the TAB are empty: those strings are not played.

The beauty of this shape: move it to any fret and you get a different power chord. The root note, under finger 1, gives the chord its name.

The Same Shape with the Root on String 5

Move the whole shape one string towards the floor and it is still a power chord:

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

Example — Bb5 (root on fret 1): finger 1 on string 5 fret 1, finger 3 on string 4 fret 3, finger 4 on string 3 fret 3.

Bb5 (root on string 5, fret 1)
e|----------|
B|----------|
G|------3---|
D|------3---|
A|------1---|
E|----------|

Strum only strings 5, 4 and 3. String 6 must stay silent: let the tip of finger 1 lean lightly against it.

The Four Power Chords of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Three of the four chords are named after flat notes. A sharp (#) is the note one fret higher than the letter; a flat (b) is the note one fret lower. Each in-between note has two names: A# and Bb are the same fret. Your tuner may show either name.

Chord	Root note	Finger 1 (root)	Fingers 3 and 4	Strum strings
F5	F	string 6, fret 1	strings 5 and 4, fret 3	6, 5, 4
Bb5	Bb (A#)	string 5, fret 1	strings 4 and 3, fret 3	5, 4, 3
Ab5	Ab (G#)	string 6, fret 4	strings 5 and 4, fret 6	6, 5, 4
Db5	Db (C#)	string 5, fret 4	strings 4 and 3, fret 6	5, 4, 3

Chord:  F5  Bb5 Ab5 Db5
e|----------------------|
B|----------------------|
G|----------3-------6---|
D|------3---3---6---6---|
A|------3---1---6---4---|
E|------1-------4-------|

Each column is one chord. Where a string’s line is empty in that column, that string is not played. Your hand never goes above fret 6.

Learning the Chord Positions

Place each chord, then pick its three strings one at a time with the tuner on.

• F5: finger 1 on string 6 fret 1; finger 3 on string 5 fret 3; finger 4 on string 4 fret 3. Strum strings 6, 5 and 4. Tuner check, string 6 to string 4: F, C, F.
• Bb5: finger 1 on string 5 fret 1; finger 3 on string 4 fret 3; finger 4 on string 3 fret 3. Strum strings 5, 4 and 3. String 6 must stay silent: let the tip of finger 1 lean lightly against it. Tuner check, string 5 to string 3: A# (Bb), F, A# (Bb).
• Ab5: finger 1 on string 6 fret 4; finger 3 on string 5 fret 6; finger 4 on string 4 fret 6. Strum strings 6, 5 and 4. Tuner check, string 6 to string 4: G# (Ab), D# (Eb), G# (Ab).
• Db5: finger 1 on string 5 fret 4; finger 3 on string 4 fret 6; finger 4 on string 3 fret 6. Strum strings 5, 4 and 3. String 6 must stay silent here too. Tuner check, string 5 to string 3: C# (Db), G# (Ab), C# (Db).

F5 and Bb5 are the hardest of the four: right next to the nut the strings feel stiffest, and the frets are at their widest. Ab5 and Db5 feel a little less stiff.

Transition Drill

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

Practice moving between them:

1. F5 (strum) → Bb5 (strum): keep the shape and the frets; move all three fingers one string towards the floor.
2. Bb5 (strum) → Ab5 (strum): go back to string 6 and up three frets (finger 1 from fret 1 to fret 4).
3. Ab5 (strum) → Db5 (strum): one string towards the floor again, same frets.
4. Db5 (strum) → F5 (strum): back to string 6 and down three frets (finger 1 from fret 4 to fret 1).

Drill: Play the sequence slowly, one strum per chord, no metronome. 10 complete cycles. For each move: ease the pressure, keep your fingertips just touching the strings as a guide, move, then press again. Look at the dot markers on the side of the neck before your hand moves: the dot at fret 3 marks fingers 3 and 4 for F5 and Bb5; for Ab5 and Db5 they sit one fret above the fret 5 dot.

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

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” — Simplified Arrangement

Credits: Written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl. Recorded by Nirvana on Nevermind (1991).

Listen first: Find Nirvana’s recording of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Nevermind, 1991) and listen to the opening, the first verse and the first chorus (about the first minute and a half) three times before you pick up the guitar. Listen for: (1) the opening: the guitar plays the four-chord riff alone, twice, then the whole band crashes in with the same riff; (2) the verse: the loud chords stop, and the guitar plays only two quiet notes while the bass plays the chords; (3) the chorus: the loud riff comes back. That quiet-then-loud shape is what this arrangement copies. Notice too that the riff on the record is quicker and more jagged than the version below: three hits on each chord, with the second chord of each measure arriving early.

What this version is: This is a simplified arrangement written for this course. It has not yet been play-tested against the recording. It keeps the record’s four chords, in the record’s order and at the record’s places on the neck, but with an easier, even eighth-note rhythm and three-string power chords. The palm-muted verse is this course’s own acoustic adaptation.

Key and tuning: The record is in F minor in standard tuning at about 116 BPM: the same key, tuning and chords as here. Your version is slower and its rhythm is simplified, so it will not fit the record strum for strum, but your chords are at the record’s pitch.

Tempo: Start at 55 BPM and work up to 70 BPM, strumming D/U (down on the click, up between clicks). 60 BPM is the goal for today; 70 BPM is the end-of-week target.

The Signature Riff

This is a simplified version of the famous opening riff: the record’s four chords with an easier, even rhythm and muted “chk” strums between the chords.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit": opening riff, simplified rhythm (2 measures)
Chord:  F5              Bb5                 Ab5             Db5
e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|----------------------3---3---x---x---|-------------------6---6---x---x---|
D|------3---3---x---x---3---3---x---x---|---6---6---x---x---6---6---x---x---|
A|------3---3---x---x---1---1---x---x---|---6---6---x---x---4---4---x---x---|
E|------1---1---x---x-------------------|---4---4---x---x-------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   chk chk D   U   chk chk     D   U   chk chk D   U   chk chk

x = a muted strum on the three strings of the chord, written chk in the Strum row: keep the chord shape, relax your fretting fingers so they touch the strings without pressing, and strum the same three strings for a dry “chk”. The chk on 2 and 4 is a downstroke; the chk on an & is an upstroke.

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

You met the muted strum in Session 13, where the strumming hand did the muting. These shapes have no open strings, so here the fretting hand does it. The muted strums fall on the beat, so this simplified pattern is not syncopated.

What the record does differently: the strumming hand moves twice as fast (sixteenth notes, four to a beat). Each chord is struck three times, and the second chord of each measure comes in early, on the ”&” of 3. Learn the simplified version first; the record’s rhythm is a later stage.

The Verse — Quiet and Restrained

In the original recording, the verse is much quieter than the intro riff. On the record the guitar plays only two notes in the verse while the bass plays the chords. The palm-muted chords below are this course’s acoustic adaptation: play the same chord sequence, but palm-muted and quiet:

Verse and pre-chorus pattern, palm muted throughout (2 measures)
Chord:  F5              Bb5                 Ab5             Db5
e|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
G|----------------------3---3---3---3---|-------------------6---6---6---6---|
D|------3---3---3---3---3---3---3---3---|---6---6---6---6---6---6---6---6---|
A|------3---3---3---3---1---1---1---1---|---6---6---6---6---4---4---4---4---|
E|------1---1---1---1-------------------|---4---4---4---4-------------------|
Count:  1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
Strum:  D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U       D   U   D   U   D   U   D   U

PM throughout: rest the edge of your strumming-hand palm lightly on the strings just where they cross the saddle (the thin strip on the bridge), as in Session 9.

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

The Chorus — Full Volume

The chorus is the riff again, at full volume and un-muted (no palm muting), six times through (12 measures). On the record the chorus is the riff too.

Use a bigger, faster strum with the same loose grip. Loud does not mean tense. This is the explosive moment — the energy release after the quiet verse.

The Whole Arrangement

This is the course’s simplified form. The section lengths are those of the first verse and chorus on the record.

1. Intro: the riff, twice (4 measures). Loud.
2. Verse: the palm-muted pattern, four times (8 measures). Quiet.
3. Pre-chorus: the same palm-muted pattern, four times (8 measures), growing gradually louder.
4. Chorus: the riff, six times (12 measures). Loud, no palm muting.
5. Ending: one F5 downstroke on beat 1, left to ring for the whole measure (1 measure). This ending is the course’s own.

Total: 33 measures: about 1 minute 53 seconds at 70 BPM, 2 minutes 12 seconds at 60 BPM.

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, then play them in order, one strum per chord, with no metronome.

Step 2 — Riff pattern at 55 BPM: Play the chord-chord-chk-chk pattern slowly. Get the muted strums crisp and the chord strums clean.

Step 3 — Verse at 55 BPM: Palm-muted eighth notes on the same chord sequence. Focus on keeping it quiet and tight.

Step 4 — Chorus: The riff again, loud, with no palm muting. Use a bigger, faster strum with the same loose grip.

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

Step 6 — Reach 60 BPM today: Raise the metronome to 60 BPM for the riff and the verse. 65 BPM and then 70 BPM are for the practice week: 70 BPM is the end-of-week target. Do not chase the record’s 116 BPM with this version: at that speed the record’s own rhythm is different.

What it should sound like: Three checks you can make alone. (1) Recording check: record the riff four times through and listen once: every chk is a dry click with no note you could hum. (2) Click check: play the riff four times through with the metronome; you never stop and you finish with the click. (3) Recording check: record the verse pattern followed by the riff; on the playback the chorus is clearly louder than the verse.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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

Use this time to build and perform the simplified 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 → pre-chorus → chorus → ending. The critical moments:

• Intro to verse: Same chords, but switch from the “chucka” pattern to palm-muted eighth notes. The dynamic drops dramatically.
• Pre-chorus: the same palm-muted pattern, getting a little louder each time through.
• Pre-chorus to chorus: Release palm muting, increase volume, go back to the riff. This is the explosive moment.

Run 3 (full performance): Play the complete arrangement (33 measures). Rules:

1. Today, play it slowly, without the metronome. 70 BPM is the end-of-week target.
2. Do NOT stop if you miss a chord change — move 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

• Moving between chords: F5 to Bb5 and Ab5 to Db5 keep the same frets and move one string across; Bb5 to Ab5 and Db5 to F5 move three frets and back to string 6. Ease the pressure, keep your fingertips just touching the strings as a guide, move, then press again. Make the move during the muted strums.
• Use the neck dot markers: the fret 3 dot marks fingers 3 and 4 for F5 and Bb5. For Ab5 and Db5, finger 1 is one fret below the fret 5 dot and fingers 3 and 4 one fret above it.
• 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: down on the numbers, up on the &s.

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

This session has more new material than most. If your end-of-week check is not all ‘yes’ after one week, take a second week on this session before you move on. The course then takes a week longer, which is normal.

What You Learned Today

• Moveable power chord shape (root on string 6 or string 5)
• Four new power chord positions: F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5
• The “Smells Like Teen Spirit” riff with muted strums (simplified rhythm)
• Dynamic contrast: palm-muted verse vs un-muted, full-volume chorus
• A simplified arrangement in five parts: intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus and ending

Common Mistakes

1. Landing on the wrong string — F5 and Bb5 both have finger 1 at fret 1; Ab5 and Db5 both have finger 1 at fret 4. Only the string changes: string 6 for F5 and Ab5, string 5 for Bb5 and Db5.
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 — Three strings only: 6, 5 and 4 for F5 and Ab5; 5, 4 and 3 for Bb5 and Db5. If you hear other strings ringing, narrow your strum or mute them with your fretting hand by lightly touching them.
4. Losing count of the muted strums — In this simplified version each chord gets two clean strums and two muted strums. Count: “CHORD-and-chk-and.”
5. Squeezing too hard — Use only enough pressure for a clean sound, and relax your hand during the muted strums.

Self-Check Questions

1. Can you play all four power chords (F5, Bb5, Ab5, Db5) cleanly? Check: pick the three strings of each chord one at a time with the tuner on; it shows the letters listed under “Learning the Chord Positions” and no string buzzes. If not: move finger 1 right up behind the fret wire and check that chord again.
2. Can you move between them in order and land on the right fret each time, with only a glance at the side dots? Check: four times round, one strum per chord, without stopping. If not: in the Power Chord Navigation row of the practice plan, drill the pairs F5–Bb5 and Ab5–Db5 (same frets, one string across) for two days, then join them and try again.
3. Can you play the riff with crisp muted strums at 65 BPM? Check: record the riff four times through; every chk is a dry click with no note you could hum, and you finish with the click. If not: go back to 60 BPM for two days, then try again.
4. Is there a clear dynamic difference between your verse (quiet) and chorus (loud)? Check: record the verse pattern followed by the riff; on the recording the chorus is clearly louder. If not: play the verse as quietly as you can for two days, then record again.
5. Can you play the complete arrangement (intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, ending) without stopping? Check: all 33 measures with the metronome at 65 BPM; you never stop and you finish with the click. If not: take a second week on this session, as the note at the top of Segment 5 says.

Practice Plan for Week 20 (each practice day, 26 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune. On practice days that means the hand movements and items 1, 2 and 3 of the warm-up list; item 4 (the spider crawl) is for the session itself
Power Chord Navigation	3 min	F5 → Bb5 → Ab5 → Db5, one strum each, no metronome. Use dot markers for navigation. Repeat until the time is up
Riff Pattern	4 min	Chord-chord-chk-chk, strumming D/U. Start the week at 55 BPM, then 60, 65 and 70 BPM, moving up only after three clean runs in a row. Focus on crisp muted strums. Repeat until the time is up
Verse (Quiet)	3 min	Palm-muted eighth notes at the same metronome setting as today’s riff. Focus on keeping volume LOW and even. Repeat until the time is up
Chorus (Loud)	3 min	The riff, loud and un-muted (no palm muting), at the same metronome setting. Use a bigger, faster strum with the same loose grip. Loud does not mean tense. Repeat until the time is up
Full Arrangement	5 min	Intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, ending (33 measures) at the same metronome setting. 2 complete runs
Concert Pieces	5 min	Piece 2 of your three pieces, from memory as far as you can; check the page afterwards

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 3 4, Week 20.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

Power chords at fret 1 need more finger pressure than anywhere else on the neck. If F5 or Bb5 buzz, move finger 1 right up behind the fret wire before you press harder.