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F., 778d ago

March 10, 2023

Nirvana song writing

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Melodic sense

Melodic sense

It seems like Kurt Cobain's songwriting process almost always started with a melody or riff that he would hum over. He would then fill in the lyrics afterwords [4] . He was known to take phrases from his poetry and fit them into the songs [6] . Often times he would write the guitar part first and then come up with vocal melodies and lyrics later [7] . His bandmates have noted that he was great at vocal phrasing and could craft perfect melodies for his simple guitar riffs [2] [4] .
Writing in one's own unique style

Writing in one's own unique style

Writing in one's own unique style seems to be the key to creating a Nirvana-like song. People say that Kurt Cobain blended classic rock, scummy punk, pop hooks, and indie twee [5] , while using humor and satire to critique institutions [5] . He intuitively had an understanding of music theory that most people have to learn in a classroom [8] , and was capable of crafting perfect melodies to accompany his simple guitar riffs [8] . It is important not to try and emulate Kurt Cobain but rather consume all of his influences and learn to play the music he grew up learning to play [9] . Making a habit of writing every day and not being afraid to write weird things is also important [7] [10] . Ultimately it is best if you sound nothing like Kurt Cobain [7] .
Writing with the muse and inspiration

Writing with the muse and inspiration

Writing with the muse and inspiration seems to have been an important part of Kurt Cobain's songwriting process. He would often come up with a guitar part first and then hum a vocal melody over it as he wrote lyrics afterwards [4] . He also liked to use the cut-up technique to put together his lyrics from random poetry he had written [4] . People say that his songs were often written from just one riff or series of riffs that formed an entire song [7] [9] and that he would take these ideas to the band so they could jam on them and refine them until it became a Nirvana song [4] . It seems like Kurt Cobain was able to draw out extreme emotion from his songs through his intuitively led conclusions that most people learn in classrooms, his blending of punk, metal and pop sensibilities, and his mastery of vocal melodies [2] [5] .
Jamming

Jamming

From what I can tell, it seems jamming was an important part of Nirvana's song writing process. It seems Kurt Cobain would come up with a guitar part first, then hum a vocal melody over it and add lyrics afterwards [4] . He and the other members of Nirvana would work on the song together, by playing it over and over and deciding how long it should be [6] [7] . Bass and drums were figured out during these jams [7] , which usually also included some revisions to the lyrics [4] . Some of Kurt's riffs were derived from other sources, but they were more inspired than ripped off [8] . It is clear that jamming was integral to Nirvana's songwriting process.
Guitar riff or series of riffs

Guitar riff or series of riffs

It seems that Kurt Cobain's song writing process often started with a guitar riff or series of riffs which he then hummed a vocal melody over and wrote lyrics afterwards. He would woodshed these songs and bring them to the band for them to jam on and refine into full blown Nirvana songs [2] [4] . He was very good at vocal phrasing and could craft perfect melodies to accompany his simple guitar riffs [5] . From what I understand, he was also very good at improvising both instrument and voice melodies [7] [8] so his songs were never quite the same twice. He was also known for ripping lines from his poetry for his songs [4] and using the cut-up technique [3] .
All answers

All answers

  • Melodic sense
  • Writing in one's own unique style
  • Writing with the muse and inspiration
  • Jamming
  • Guitar riff or series of riffs
  • Chord progressions
  • Humming vocal melodies
  • Writing with paper and pencil
  • Cut-up technique
  • Poetry
  • Vocal phrasing
  • Bring something new into the world.

    • Mood

    When crafting a song in the style of Nirvana, it is important to start with the mood of the song [1] . Nirvana's music blended classic rock, scummy punk and pop hooks, and indie twee [5] . Their songs captured rage at the cultural landscape and juxtaposed reverence and irreverence using humor and satire to critique institutions [5] .

    Chords

    When it comes to chords, Kurt Cobain preferred powerchords as well as occasionally going down a semitone for a more unique feel [3] . While writing songs in the style of Nirvana, one should take inspiration from the guitar riffs from Spank Thru, the chord progression of Sappy, and some parts of Pennyroyal Tea [3] .

    Lyrics

    Kurt Cobain would often write his lyrics by taking random lines from his poetry or other writings and piecing them together with no real meaning in mind [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] . He also believed that music should come before lyrics, so he would create vocal melodies over a guitar part first before adding words to them [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] .

    Guitar Riffs and Series

    Kurt Cobain was an incredibly talented songwriter who wrote his songs by humming vocal melodies over a guitar part or riffing on guitar chords before adding words to them [6] [7] [8] . He was also known to use small pieces or excerpts from other sources for his own songs when he needed inspiration such as Come As You Are, Milk It, Very Ape, About A Girl, Been A Son etc. [8] .

    Melodic Sense

    When writing songs like Nirvana's it is important to have the desire and need to write along with having an idea of how you want your song to sound musically before you put words to it [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] . To get an idea of how Kurt crafted his melodies one can listen to demos or live recordings for inspiration as well as learn about William Burroughs cut-up technique which Kurt was interested in replicating in his own writings [4]

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    Research

    Source: "If Kurt's songwriting was so "simple" and "easy..." (from reddit, r/Nirvana)

    • Kurt Cobain was an incredibly talented songwriter
      • His songs were “deceptively simple”, yet still managed to draw out extreme emotion
      • He was intuitively led to conclusions that most people have to sit in a classroom to learn
      • He was a one-of-a-kind, genius, culture-redefining artist with some of the most sophisticated melody composition of any rock band
      • He blended punk, metal, and pop sensibilities to appeal to almost any demographic
      • He was also a masterful vocalist, capable of crafting perfect melodies to accompany his simple guitar riffs
    • His success was due to a combination of factors
      • He was young and grew up with punk but loved bands with mass appeal like The Beatles and Aerosmith
      • He was fluent in both audio and visual media
      • He had a clear vision and worked very hard for it
      • He was a good-looking guy with bright blue eyes who died young
    • He was often mistakenly seen as lazy or sloppy in his craft
      • He would play and write all the time and he was a control freak
    • Some of his riffs were derived from other sources
      • However, they were more inspired than ripped off
      • Songs included in this were: Come as You Are, Milk It, Very Ape, About a Girl, Been a Son, etc.

    Source: "How did Kurt Cobain write songs?" (from reddit, r/Nirvana)

    • Melody and/or riff first and built on that
      • Directly from Krist Novoselic: There were songs that Kurt would woodshed. He would come in with it, and we would work it out, build it up. There were songs that were made up on the spot, coming out of jams, which took a few rehearsals to come together. But they would find form. That was another thing with Kurt – he could have a riff, but then he was so good at vocal phrasing. He would usually write the lyrics at the last minute.
      • Pretty sure Kurt wrote On a Plain in a van outside the studio….
      • Chad said he has seen Kurt writing Swap meets lyrics in the van and Jack Endino has also said he has seen Kurt writing lyrics in the studio but it’s more like he was choosing from stuff he had in his mind and what he had used liven and in previous sessions.
      • He would write guitar chords and mumble a melody over them and then fill the lyrics in most of the time.
      • He literally uses parts of his poems and excerpts for his songs. Lithium is one of the few songs he actually tried to write.
    • Music first, probably a riff to start
      • Messing around with chord progressions, make some vocal melodies, write temporary lyrics (sometimes), get his band mates together, figure out the bass and drums, jam out, then eventually, usually write finalized lyrics or lyrics in general before recording happens.
      • He did the guitar parts first.then applied the melody.
      • Do re mi From montage of heck is the perfect example,he is just improvising both instrument and voice melodies.

    Source: "How does Kurt Cobain write a song?" (from reddit, r/Nirvana)

    • Kurt Cobain wrote his songs by humming vocal melodies over a guitar part
      • He would come up with a guitar part first, then hum a vocal melody over it and add lyrics afterwards
      • He often wrote poetry and would rip lines from his poetry for songs
      • He also did the technique of singing gibberish along to the melody before finding the words
      • He and the other members of Nirvana would come up with a song by playing it over and over and deciding how long it should be
    • Writing in one’s own unique style
      • Do not try to emulate Kurt Cobain, as there is only one of him
      • Consume all of Kurt Cobain’s influences and learn to play the music he grew up learning to play
      • Make a habit of writing every day, don’t be afraid to write weird things
      • Make up your own melodies based off of ones that make you feel good to sing and guitar riffs that sound cool
    • Writing with paper and pencil
      • Ask Black Francis jokingly
    • Writing with the muse and inspiration
      • Have the desire and need to write
      • Write something on an instrument that makes you feel
      • Listen to Kurt’s demos and live recordings
    • Kurt Cobain didn’t know how to write songs in the beginning
      • He was just trying to emulate and fake it until he made it
      • He was trying to figure out how the Beatles wrote songs
      • He was trying to transmit the insane drive he had when he was in his teens
    • Bring something new into the world
      • In the end, it’s best if you sound nothing like Kurt

    Source: "How to Write a Song Like Nirvana: 8 Steps (with..." (from web, www.wikihow.com)

    • Pick a mood to guide the song
      • Start with the music, usually a simple, catchy riff
      • Work on the chords, mostly power chords and occasionally arpeggios and simple single notes
      • Concentrate on one specific album for inspiration (e.g. Bleached for heavier riffs, Nevermind or In Utero for more pop influences)
    • Write a solo
      • For Bleached, focus on heavier sounding solos with noise and “strangling the guitar”
      • For Nevermind or In Utero, focus on more upbeat and musical solos, copying the vocal melody
    • Be patient with writing lyrics
      • Give yourself some artistic liberties, don’t think of it as a linear process
      • Delve deep with confusing metaphors
    • Pay attention to the bass
      • It should be funky and chunky, but simple at the same time
    • Take breaks and come back to it
      • Contrasting dynamics (from quiet to loud)

    Source: "Songwriting a Nirvana-like song : r/Songwriting..." (from web, www.reddit.com)

    • Smash together various parts of favorite music and your own ideas
      • Try piecing together various parts or small bits of your favorite music and smash them and your own ideas together to form something
      • Develop your own style
    • Don’t make a song that resembles Nirvana 100%
      • It felt good thinking that I finally made something that doesn’t resemble Nirvana 100% all the way through.

    💭  Looking into

    What are the major elements of Nirvana's song writing style?

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    What are the most common topics for Nirvana's song writing?

    💭  Looking into

    How can I piece together parts/bits of my favorite music to create something original?

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    What techniques should I use when trying to develop my own style?

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    What are the specific songs Kurt recorded during each period?

    Source: "Best Nirvana Songs, Ranked - Vulture" (from web, www.vulture.com)

    • Nirvana’s song writing style
      • Blended classic rock, scummy punk, pop hooks, and indie twee
      • Captured rage at the cultural landscape
      • Juxtaposed reverence and irreverence
      • Used humor and satire to critique institutions
    • Nirvana’s song writing topics
      • Body and its attendant horrors
      • Machismo
      • Masturbation
      • Politics
      • Vegetarianism

    Source: "Did anyone ask Kurt about HOW he writes songs?" (from reddit, r/Nirvana)

    • Music comes first, lyrics are secondary
      • Kurt says this in Live! Tonight! Sold Out!
      • Butch Vig said it on Nevermind: Classic Albums
    • Lyrics are random poetry put together
      • Kurt would write his lyrics in the style of poems and would put the words to the music
      • A lot of his lyrics are just some of his random poetry put together
    • Melody of songs first before he put words to them
      • Kurt would always come up with the melody of the songs first before he put words to them
      • He would write his lyrics in the style of poems and would put the words to the music
    • Cut-up technique
      • Kurt was interested in William Burroughs cut-up technique and tried to replicate it in his own writings
      • Kurt wanted Burroughs to appear in the Heart-Shaped Box video
    • Guitar riff or series of riffs
      • Kurt would come up with a guitar riff or series of riffs that forms a whole song
      • Montage of heck shows this in the Tracy Mirander segment
    • Melodic sense, then pulling from phrases of his poetry
      • Kurt would come up with the melodic sense, then pull from phrases of his poetry and various writings that worked with the song
      • Not necessarily to form a coherent meaning, but to form a “vibe” or a “feel” that fits together and makes sense even if the lyrics don’t
    • Taken to the band
      • Idea is taken to the band which then they jam on it and refine it till it becomes a full blown Nirvana song
      • Usually with some revisions to the lyrics included

    Source: "Songwriting a Nirvana-like song" (from reddit, r/Songwriting)

    • Develop your own style
      • Take inspiration from the guitar riffs from the stop/start part of Spank Thru, the chord progression of Sappy, and some parts of Pennyroyal Tea
      • Commonly go down a semitone (e.g. play a powerchord, for example a G and move it down a fret so you get an F#)
      • Don’t copy bands too much, try to make it your own
    • Listen to the song “Verse Chorus Verse”
      • Also listen to Lithium, Dumb and Rooster (Alice in Chains)
    • Piecing together various parts or small bits of your favorite music and smash them and your own ideas together
      • This can help create something that doesn’t resemble Nirvana 100% all the way through

    Source: "Nirvana's songwriting evolution from 1987 throu..." (from reddit, r/Nirvana)

    • Kurt Cobain’s songwriting evolution from 1987 through early 1989
      • Kurt recorded songs like “If You Must”, “Downer”, “Floyd The Barber”, “Paper Cuts”, “Hairspray Queen”, “Aerozeppelin”, “Beeswax”, “Mexican Seafood”, “Pen Cap Chew”, and “Annoexorist” during the first period (roughly up through the end of 1987)
      • Songs like “Big Cheese”, “Blew”, “School”, “Mr. Moustache”, and “Sifting” were written and recorded during the second period (from the beginning of January 1989 through the middle of 1989)
      • Songs like “Scoff”, “Polly”, “About A Girl”, “Negative Creep”, “Dive”, “Swap Meet”, and “Big Long Now” were written and recorded during the third period (mid 1988 through mid 1989)
      • Listening to Nirvana’s recordings in chronological order helps to see the evolution of their songwriting
      • Nirvana’s songs became better and better from 1987 through 1988

    Source: "help with lyrics : r/Songwriting" (from web, www.reddit.com)

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    💭  Looking into

    What is the best Nirvana song writing?