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Old April 20th, 2007
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Kirk Lorange Kirk Lorange is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2004
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Location: Tamborine Mountain, Australia
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You picked the odd-one-out with 'Smells like Teen Spirit', dedvendies. I just bought it from iTunes to have a listen as I haven't heard it in years. It's not really in any one key and breaks the usual rules in many places. The main riff seems to built around the chords F-Bb-Ab-Db. Those chords together are not related in any way I've ever heard of; the other bit seems to be more of a minor F going on with the vocal turning it into Fm9 chord ... Nor do I hear any one scale that's being used. It seems to me they were out to make it as weird sounding as possible, and the easiest way to do that is not adhere to any of the usual 'rules' songwriters follow, to pick chord changes that are jarring and uncomfortable. Most composers want the end result to be harmonious and generally pleasing to the ear. That's obviously not what Nirvana were after.

Do you know any other 'famous songs' that would be more appropriate? There are a few in my Lessons Forum that already have some explanations in the written commentary about their construction.


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