Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit": A Closer Look
(Dave Grohl: Drums)

Released in 1991, Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit"—from their landmark album "Nevermind"—effectively marked the end of the 80s (and the careers of most "hair metal" bands) in one fell swoop. From the underground of the Seattle music scene, Nirvana brought to the forefront an aggressive, yet dynamic style of "no-frills" hard rock music that would later come to be known as "grunge".

Dave Grohl, who now fronts the very popular rock band "Foo Fighters", was the drummer on the "Nevermind" album. His powerful—if not bombastic—playing really propels "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and reflects the aggression and anger in the song's lyrics. However, in contrast to his furious attack, Grohl also manages to play very dynamically and smartly, laying down some cool beats and fills in the process.

I'd have to say that since its release in 1991, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has consistently been the song most frequently requested by my students. In this lesson, we'll take a look at some of Dave's work from "Smells Like Teen Spirit".

Intro Fill

The first thing Dave plays in the song is the great intro fill, which occurs at the beginning of the 4th bar of the guitar intro.

My advice is to play left (or secondary) hand flams on the snare. This will allow you time to get your right (or primary) hand over to the hi-hat in between each flam.

Main/Chorus Groove

Immediately following the intro fill, Dave breaks into the ferocious, syncopated main beat of the song, which hits like a ton of bricks. This groove appears in the intro, each chorus, and the guitar solo. Take note of the quarter note hi-hat part (played with the hi hats half open), with cymbal crashes on the first beat of each measure; many people mistakenly play this beat with 8th notes on the hi-hat. The quarter notes add to the "gravity" of the downbeats and the heaviness of the music in a way that 8th notes just can't.

NOTE: In the second half of each chorus, Dave switches from quarter notes on the hi-hat to quarter notes on a crash cymbal.

Verse Groove

After the furious instrumental intro runs its course, Nirvana brings things down for the first verse. Grohl leads the dynamics by tightening up the hi hat and playing a very simple, repeating two bar groove, which is punctuated at the end by an open hi hat on the "and" of beat 4.

Pre-Chorus

After each verse and before each chorus, appears what is often referred to as the "pre-chorus". The pre-chorus of a song usually builds anticipation for the chorus. Notice how Dave builds the dynamics of the song by loosening the hi-hats and increasing the volume and intensity of his groove (be careful not to miss the repeat sign after the second measure). The groove segues into a powerful one bar fill that builds the dynamics even further, and prepares the listener for the "explosion" that occurs when the chorus hits.

Fill to Chorus

(A closer look at the fill that leads into the chorus)

Post Chorus

At the completion of the first and second choruses appears an instrumental section that leads back into the verse and the guitar solo, respectively. Notice Dave Grohl's use of quick bass drum double strokes in the first and third measures.

Stay Tuned!

I hope you've enjoyed this closer look at Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Stay tuned for future installments of "A Closer Look", coming soon. As always, I welcome comments, requests, and suggestions for future lessons and articles. Thanks for reading!