Tabs
Nirvana
"About a Girl"
Bleach (SP34a)
Copyright 1989 Sub Pop
Transcribed by Chris Mosher
-------------------------------------------------
This is a close approximation of the way I play Nirvana's
"About a Girl", which is a close approximation of how
Nirvana plays it on their Bleach album.
The chords are generally 5's (i.e., no 3rd),
not minor or major, except for the open 
G+G in the verse
(but even that omits the 3rd usually played on the
5th string and has only the 3rd on the 2nd string).
The chords played during the chorus are "power chords"
in the true sense on the phrase. In the second measure
(during "...vantage while."), note that the 
F#5F#5 is
strummed twice and then the strings are muffled with the
palm of the picking hand on the second count, during
which time there is feedback. This is cool.
There are two different forms of the 
E5E5 chord played one
after the other in the chorus (during "I can't see you").
First is the "open" E5E5 (022xxx). He then slides up to the
alternate E5' at the 7th fret (x799xx). This is really cool.
I play the 
A5A5 at the 5th fret (577xxx). This is what it
sounds like to me on the album, although I know Kurt seems
to play an open 
A augmentedA (x022xx) often, so it may be that way
instead. Also, I think it's easier to play (577xxx).
This stuff can all be heard clearly after the lead, when
there's no singing over top of it.
The first note in the lead is an open 
E MajorE (6th string) held
for a full count. There are two slides-up. The first slide,
from 7 to 9, is "slow"; play the 7, but don't slide up to
9 until the next beat. The second slide, from 9 up to 12,
is "fast"; play the 9 and slide up to the 12 right away
during that beat. On the next beat, play the 12 on the
3rd string (letting both notes ring). Play 12 on 4th string
and 12 on 3rd string again, letting them ring, and then
slide both notes down on the last up-beat in the measure.
Just before the lead starts, he turns up the distortion, and
seemingly leaves it up during the remainder of the song.
I lifted the lyrics from some other messages posted
to A.G.T. They're the best I can do; I never could
understand what Kurt was saying!
ANY CORRECTIONS OR COMMENTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.
Thank you and have fun.
TAB
---
part A augmentedA (verse):
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5 G+G | E5E5 G+G |
E MajorE|-----------0-----3--3--3-|-----0--0--0-----3--3--3-|
BB|-----------0-----0--0--0-|-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-|
G+G|-----------x--0--0--0--0-|--x--x--x--x--0--0--0--0-|
D MajorD|--2--h--2--2--0--0--0--0-|--2--2--2--2--0--0--0--0-|
A augmentedA|--2--h--2--h--x-----x----|--2--h--2--h--x-----x----|
E MajorE|--0--h--0--h--3--h--3----|--0--h--0--h--3--h--3----|
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5 G+G | E5E5 G+G |
E MajorE|-----0--0--0-----3--3--3-|-----0--0--0-----3--3--3-|
BB|-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-|-----0--0--0-----0--0--0-|
G+G|--x--x--x--x--0--0--0--0-|--x--x--x--x--0--0--0--0-|
D MajorD|--2--2--2--2--0--0--0--0-|--2--2--2--2--0--0--0--0-|
A augmentedA|--2--h--2--h--x-----x----|--2--h--2--h--x-----x----|
E MajorE|--0--h--0--h--3--h--3----|--0--h--0--h--3--h--3----|
part BB (chorus):
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| 
C#5C#5 
G#5G#5 | F#5F#5 |
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G+G|--6--h--6--6-------------|-------------------------|
D MajorD|--6--h--6--6--6--h--6--6-|--4--4-----4--h--4--4--x-|
A augmentedA|--4--h--4--4--6--h--6--6-|--4--4-----4--h--4--4--x-|
E MajorE|--------------4--h--4--4-|--2--2-----2--h--2--2--x-|
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| C#5C#5 G#5G#5 | F#5F#5 |
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G+G|--6--h--6--6-------------|-------------------------|
D MajorD|--6--h--6--6--6--h--6--6-|--4--4-----4--h--4--4--x-|
A augmentedA|--4--h--4--4--6--h--6--6-|--4--4-----4--h--4--4--x-|
E MajorE|--------------4--h--4--4-|--2--2-----2--h--2--2--x-|
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5 E5' | A5A5 
C5C5 |
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G+G|-----------x/-9--9--9--x-|-----------5--h--5--5--x-|
D MajorD|--2--h--2--x/-9--9--9--x-|--7--7--7--5--h--5--5--x-|
A augmentedA|--2--h--2--x/-7--7--7--x-|--7--7--7--3--h--3--3--x-|
E MajorE|--0--h--0----------------|--5--5--5----------------|
part 
C majorC (lead):
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5 G+G | E5E5 G+G |
E MajorE|-------------------------|------------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|------------------------------|
G+G|-------------------------|-----------------12--h-12--h\-|
D MajorD|--------------5--7--7--7-|/(9)-9--9--9/(12)-h-12--h--h\-|
A augmentedA|--------5--7-------------|------------------------------|
E MajorE|--0--h-------------------|------------------------------|
(turn up distortion just before lead)
part D MajorD (coda):
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5 E5' | A5A5 C5C5 |
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|-------------------------|
G+G|-----------x/-9--9--9--x-|-----------5--h--5--5--5-|
D MajorD|--2--h--2--x/-9--9--9--x-|--7--7--7--5--h--5--5--5-|
A augmentedA|--2--h--2--x/-7--7--7--x-|--7--7--7--3--h--3--3--3-|
E MajorE|--0--h--0----------------|--5--5--5----------------|
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + |
crd| C5C5 | |
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------|
BB|-------------------------|-------------|
G+G|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-|--5--5--5--x-|
D MajorD|--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5-|--5--5--5--x-|
A augmentedA|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3--3-|--3--3--3--x-|
E MajorE|-------------------------|-------------|
(slows down a bit here)
part E MajorE (coda):
beat| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
crd| E5E5
E MajorE|-------------------------|
BB|-------------------------|
G+G|-------------------------|
D MajorD|--2--h--h--h--h--h--h--h-| (hold for about four measures total)
A augmentedA|--2--h--h--h--h--h--h--h-|
E MajorE|--0--h--h--h--h--h--h--h-|
TAB 🏷Legend:
h = hold fretted note (or let open note ring), do not pick
m/(n)= pick note at fret m, slide up to fret n (do not pick twice)
n\ = pick note at fret n, slide down (to wherever)
x = pick string, but muffle with finger so note doesn't sound
CRD chart
---------
E MajorE A augmentedA D MajorD G+G BB E MajorE
E5: 0 2 2 x 0 0
G: 3 x 0 0 0 3
C#5: x 4 6 6 x x
G#5: 4 6 6 x x x
F#5: 2 4 4 x x x
E5': x 7 9 9 x x
A5: 5 7 7 x x x
C5: x 3 5 5 x x
LYR
---
verse 1:
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
| I need an | ea---sy ...
verse 2:
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
| I'm stand-ing | in your light ....
chorus:
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
| I'll take a---ad--|-van--tage ...
coda:
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
| I'll take a---ad--|-van--tage ....
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + |
| ----------(t) | |
| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + | 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + |
| Free | I |
| do | I |
| do | I |
| do | I |
| do | |
ARRANGEMENT
-----------
LYR TAB part
--- --------
intro - A augmentedA 
A majorA
verse verse 1 A augmentedA A majorA
chorus chorus BB A augmentedA
verse verse 2 A augmentedA A majorA
chorus chorus BB A augmentedA
lead - C majorC C C majorC C
chorus - BB A augmentedA
verse verse 1 A augmentedA A majorA
chorus/coda coda BB D MajorD A augmentedA A majorA E MajorE
Other versions of About A Girl
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for About a girl acoustic by Nirvana
