Nirvana · Nevermind · song 1
Smells Like Teen Spirit tuning.
Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana, 1991) is in E Standard, about 14 cents sharp (A ≈ 444), measured by TuneLit from the record.
Measured by TuneLit
14 ¢ sharp
The album's value, measured on the CD: Tune moves every string +14 ¢.
Nirvana · Nevermind · 1991
About Smells Like Teen Spirit
Smells Like Teen Spirit opens Nevermind (1991) and is the song that broke Nirvana worldwide. It is in E Standard (E A D G B E), built on four power chords, F5, B♭5, A♭5 and D♭5, with sparse verses and a crashing chorus. Kurt Cobain's riff never touches the open low E, so the lowest guitar note you hear is the F.
TuneLit measured the Nevermind CD about 14 ¢ sharp (A ≈ 443.6) on the songs from the May 1991 sessions, and this song reads +14 ¢ as well. Its Tune button sets E Standard +14 ¢. That is not a different tuning, but against held chords a guitar at A 440 sits slightly under the record, and bends seem to land a little short.
A popular C♯ Standard version on Songsterr is the main tab with every string tuned lower, made for singing the song lower; it does not match the record. From 1992 the band played it live a half step down, so live tabs sit lower too. TuneLit's own audio check hears F as the lowest note, but only because the open E never sounds; the E Standard tab's notes match the record.
Tip: Tap Tune for E Standard +14 ¢ and check the first F5 chord of the riff against the record, since the open low E never rings.
Step by step
Tune your guitar like the record
- Tap Tune like this: the tuner switches to E Standard, every string +14 ¢, the notes Smells Like Teen Spirit was recorded in.
- Turn String 6 to String 1 until each shows ✓ in tune. Smells Like Teen Spirit sits 14 cents sharp on the record: at A 440 your guitar would sound that much flat against it, which Tune already corrects.
- Then play Smells Like Teen Spirit along with the record: its lowest open note and your String 6 should ring together without a wobble.
Or the other way round
Move the record into your tuning
Rather keep your guitar as it is? Let Play along move Smells Like Teen Spirit instead. Add your own copy, for example from your CD (it never leaves your device); the link already says the song is in E Standard +14 ¢. Choose E Standard at A 440 and Smells Like Teen Spirit moves down 14 cents, at its own speed. Slow it down or loop a few bars to learn it, and save the result as a WAV file.
Questions
What tuning is Smells Like Teen Spirit in?
E Standard +14 ¢: E A D G B E, low to high, at the pitch TuneLit measured on the record.