Six-string virtuoso disagrees with several colleagues who point out the Nirvana leader’s limited skills on the instrument: “he was a great guitarist”
Although he is recognized as one of the greatest icons in rock history, Kurt Cobain he never managed to convince part of the public of his musical talent. In particular, the leader technique is discussed. Nirvana on the guitar. He himself acknowledged that it was limited – intentionally, strangely – but a reference to the tool revealed that he believed this was not the case.
In the opinion of Joe Satrianione of the most skilled guitarists of all time, Cobain was a “great guitarist”. And he claims to have evidence that the musician mastered his instrument.
The topic was discussed in an interview with Classic rock (go Music Radar). Satriani was asked about the emergence of grunge and particularly Nirvana in the early 1990s. The segment took attention away from the more hard rock and heavy metal oriented sound practiced by Joe and many of his colleagues, but he, notably, was not influenced by it. Indeed: he immediately began to like the band.
“I was very happy with those Nirvana records. Him [Kurt Cobain] He was a great guitarist.”
Later, Satriani pointed out how he had noticed that Cobain was a great guitarist. According to the virtuoso, the grunge icon didn’t even look at his instrument while playing, which indicated a dominant position.
“If you go back and watch Nirvana videos, you realize this guy is playing everything he’s supposed to play. He doesn’t even look at what he’s playing, so obviously he really knows the instrument.”
Another irrefutable point concerns another member of Nirvana. According to Joe, Dave Grohl — then drummer and now singer/guitarist of Foo Fighters – it wouldn’t have worked in the band if Kurt hadn’t been competent.
“He played with one of the greatest drummers of all time [Dave Grohl]so it wouldn’t have worked if he wasn’t a good guitarist.”
Finally, Satriani revealed something curious: he became aware of the “grunge phenomenon” only after the album was released The extremist (1992), which he calls “a love letter to the classic rock era.”
“I didn’t pay attention to it, I guess. The extremist It came out as my love letter to the classic rock era, so it was still a comeback record, but when I left the studio I realized, “Oh, this is it.” Nirvana AND Soundgarden‘.”
Kurt Cobain didn’t want to improve as a musician
In essence, Kurt Cobain He was a punk musician. That’s why it surprised many people that your band, i Nirvanathey achieved enormous commercial success, as many of the singer’s and guitarist’s practices seemed, at least from an initial perspective, anti-commercial.
One of them was even about his improvement as a musician. The artist who died in 1994 said he was careful not to evolve technically in his tasks. And depending on your point of view, his explanation was even convincing.
In a 1993 interview with the journalist Edgar Klusener (go Lontano magazine), Cobain He explained why he wanted to remain limited, especially as a guitarist. For him, mastering a wide range of techniques affects originality, so much so that his compositions would no longer be so spontaneous.
“I have no desire to become a better guitarist. I don’t like anything about that side of musicianship. I have no respect for such musicianship, I just hate it. Learning to read sheet music, or understand arpeggios and Dorian modes and everything else is a waste otherwise of time. This hinders originality.”
And how to do it Kurt Have you learned to play the guitar? According to him, on the basis of “imitation”.
“I never learned to read music. When I was younger, I simply copied other people who took the time to learn to read. I was so simple. Even at that age, I saw no point in learning something that someone else had composed “
Also in his statement, Kurt Cobain He commented that he didn’t even know how to play major or minor chords on the guitar. His playing was intuitive, based on what he thought would sound best.
“I don’t have the slightest idea that I’m a musician. I don’t know the name of the chords to play, I don’t know how to make major or minor chords on the guitar. Everyone knows more than me.”
However, this does not mean this Kurt he didn’t have what it took to become a successful musician. And one of these characteristics has been little noticed by the public, at least according to the entrepreneur of Nirvana, Danny Goldbergwho spoke about the topic in a podcast interview Whatever, it doesn’t matter (go Igor Miranda’s website).
“They came to me because of the ambitious side he had. Even though he didn’t show it, it was part of what made Art a success. It was obvious from the first meeting that he had very strong ideas about where he wanted the band to go go, and this was reinforced every time I spoke to him. […] Kurt was very intense when it came to his art. He insisted on rehearsing every day, and if you look in his journals, he had all these drawings from when he was a kid, imagining Nirvana headlining and playing arenas. He had an exact vision of what Nirvana would become: a hugely successful band that spoke the international language of mass rock ‘n’ roll, but was rooted in the cultural values and intimacy of American punk.”
+++ READ MORE: What was it like working with Nirvana in the studio? The producer of Nevermind reveals it
+++ READ MORE: Because Kurt Cobain insisted he wasn’t improving as a musician
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Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
