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In this lesson, we'll learn how to play About a Girl by Nirvana on acoustic guitar. As well as the chords, rhythm, and technical stuff, we'll also learn how to play About A Girl just like Kurt - and guess what? It's not that hard to mimic him!
Warning - you probably got this song wrong if you tried to learn it from a random guitar website!
We won't copy the exact chords or the proper strumming patterns. If you try that, you won't sound like Nirvana - you won't get the vibe.
The key is the feel - you must make it sound sloppy and relaxed. Kurt Cobain was very sloppy but in such an incredible way. It made all his songs very unique. You won’t sound like Nirvana if you don't bring that sloppiness into your playing - so that's the big deal here!
Let's see how to play like Kurt. :)
Something special happens with the chords in the intro, and it makes a huge difference. Most of the sheets and guitar tabs out there say that Kurt plays either E to G or Em to G, but that's not right!
He's actually playing an E5! The third string is muted, so the chord is neither Major nor minor. You can see that very clearly on Nirvana's live videos. :) This means the sequence is E5 to G, and we do this eight times for the intro.
To play the E5, we do a mini-barre with finger 1 to fret strings 5 and 4 at fret 2 while muting string 3. This is Kurt's signature fingering, and this unusual grip leads to his unique sound. For the G chord, the two-finger grip is your best friend.
🔥 Authentic Version: You'll find that finger 1 often presses down on string 3 and the note A (at fret 2 of string 3) rings out. This happens in live versions and the original recording. It's the "wrong" note, but it's one of the little elements that makes it sound authentic! Don't deliberately hold it down, but let it ring out whenever it does. It adds to the character.
For the chorus, we go:
|C#5 C#5/G# |, |F#5 F#7 | x2 E5, |A C |
Once more, we have to pay attention to what Kurt did. He played C# with fingers 1 and 3, doing a mini-barre with 3.
You can think of this C# chord as sometimes a 5 and sometimes a Major, depending on how much finger 3 lies down! It often lays down on the next string, and you get the full Major chord! Don't target that note, but don't worry if it rings out either - it's part of Nirvana's sound. And if you find this grip tricky, go for the conventional power-chord fingering and ignore the other strings. :)
🚨 Power Chords: need some extra help with power chords? Find everything you need to know in my Ultimate Guide to Power Chords for Beginners.
To get C#/G#, we simply move finger 1 up to string 6. Easy. :) F#5 is a root-6 power chord, which we play with fingers 1 and 3. Again, sometimes you'll get the note on the next string, which is okay - it's part of Kurt's sound! To get the F#7, we just need to add little finger to fret 5 of string 2.
The rhythm varies throughout the song, but all the patterns use eighth notes and should be pretty easy for you. :)
In the video lesson, we check out the classic Kurt solo. Once you can play the notes right, it's all about feel. Relax into it. The sloppiness and laziness are what make it so good! You can count it, but it's better to listen to the original so you can feel the rhythm and mimic it.
That's all there is to About A Girl. It's pretty easy to get the notes and chords right, but nailing the feel is trickier. I recommend listening lots to the Nirvana original so you can absorb their unique style. Laters! :)
Check out the original