How to Play Smells Like Teen Spirit on Guitar (Easy Tab)
Nirvana
To play Smells Like Teen Spirit on guitar, follow the one-string tab below. The main riff is a short repeating pattern — learn it slowly with the interactive player, then loop until the grunge rhythm feels natural.
Step-by-step
- 1
Use one string
The beginner tab shows fret numbers on a single string — no power chords required yet.
- 2
Learn the main riff
Play through at 0.5× speed. Focus on steady timing between frets.
- 3
Loop the hook
Repeat the riff until you can play several cycles without stopping.
- 4
Increase tempo
Bring speed up gradually to match the original energy.
Interactive tab — play along
Scroll horizontally to see upcoming notes
The easiest way to learn this song is on one string — follow the highlighted frets above. For the full melody page with extra tips, open the complete Smells Like Teen Spirit tab →
Similar easy guitar tabs
Frequently asked questions
Is Smells Like Teen Spirit easy on guitar?
The full song uses chords, but this one-string version teaches the famous riff melody first.
More tips, common mistakes, and the same interactive player on the melody page.