Plateau Tab by Nirvana

Plateau tab by Nirvana

Guitar Tab

"Plateau" by Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets
    from Nirvana Unplugged

Tune your strings down a half step to match the CD.


This song is pretty easy once you get the hang of the fingerstyle, because
the whole thing is based on two chord fingerings just moved around the
fingerboard. Here they are:  G:320033  Bb:113331

Intro:
|--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1----------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------1-----
|------------------------------------------------------0--------0---
|------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0--------------------
|----2-------5-------2-------5-------2-------5----------------------
|--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-------1--------

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Accuracy Rating: - Votes: -

Play the above 3 times and then once more with the ending like this:

|-------------1------
|--1-----------------
|------0--------0----
|--------------------
|--------------------
|--1-------1---------


The verse is just like the intro except little variations in the fingerstyle
are thrown in:

|--3-------6-------3-------------    -3---------------1-----------------
|--------------------------6-----    ---------6------------------1------
|-------------------------------- or ---------------------0--------0----
|------0-------0-------0-------0-    -----0-------0---------------------
|----2-------5-------2-------5---    ---2-------5-----------------------
|--3-------6-------3-------6-----    -3-------6-------1-------1---------

Also, there is some variation in the ending of the main phrase (like the
intro). Listen to the CD if you want to get all these little quirks exactly.

End the verse with:

|--4---------------|
|------------4-----|
|------0-----------|
|------------------|
|----------3-------|
|--4---------------|


Chorus:

|--3-------3-3-------------------------------------------------------------
|--------3----------------3-------3-------------------------3--------------
|----0--------------------3-------3-------------------------3--------------
|----------------3-3------3-------3---------------3-------3-----3----------
|---------------------1-------------------------------1-------------1------
|--3---3----------------------1-------3---3--------------------------------

|--------3-------------------------------3---------------------------------
|------------3---------3-------3---3---------3---------3-------------------
|------0---------------3-------3-------0---------------3-------------------
|----0---------3-------3-------3-----0---------3-------3-------------------
|------------------1-------------------------------1-----------------------
|--3-----------------------1-------3-----------------------1---------------



Outro:

|--4---------------------4---------6----------------------6\---------------
|------------4-------4-----------------------6-------6---------------------
|----------------0-------------0-----------------0-------------------------
|--------------0-------------------------------0---------------------------
|----------3-------3-------3---------------5-------5-----------------------
|--4-------------------4-----------6---------------------------------------


Guitar 1
|----------------------------------------------------------------0---------
|------2-------0-------3-------0-1-----2-------0-------0-------1-----------
|----2-------2---2---2-------2-------2-------2---2---2-------2-------------
|--2-------2-------0-------0-------2-------2-------3-------0---------------
|--------0---------------3---------------0---------------3-----------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Guitar 2
|--------0-----------2---------0---------0---------------------0-----------
|------2-----2---------2-------1-------2-----2-------1-0-------1-----------
|----2---------2---------------0-----2---------2-----2-2-------0-----------
|--2-------------2-0-------0-2-----2-------------2-3-------0-2-------------
|------------------------3-------------------------------3-----------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Play this 4 times and end with an Asus2 chord.  Asus2:x02200

.

David Lowenfels
ellipsis@anc.ak.net



"Plateau" - Nirvana with the Meat Puppets
From Nirvana's Unplugged
Tab transcription by Mark van 't Zet (tmvtzet@cs.vu.nl)



INTRO - Main riff

  --3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-----
  ------------------------------------------------------1-
  ----------------------------------------------------0---
  ------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0---------
  ----2-------5-------2-------5-------2-------5-----------
  --3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-----

  This is played with the following (movable) shapes:
  G        320x33
  Bb       650x66
  Fsus2    1xx011
  Sometimes the riff is varied by playing the highest note
  on string 2 (B) instead of string 1 (E). Takes a bit of
  practising at first. Play it fingerstyle and use you thumb
  to rake the E, A and D strings.


VERSE - w/ main riff


PRE-CHORUS - 2/4 time, chordshape is similar to main riff.

  --4---------
  ---------4--
  -------0----
  ------------
  ------------
  --4---------


CHORUS

  'Nothing on top but a bucket and a mop and an..

  --1/3--------------------------------------------------
  --1/3------------------------3---------3---------------
  -----------------------------3---------3---------------
  ------------5---x------------3---------3---------------
  ------------5---x-----1--------------------------------
  ---------3-------------------------1-------------------

   ..illustrated book about birds'

  ---------------3---------------------------------------
  ---------------3-----------------6---------------------
  ---------------------------------7---------------------
  ---------------------------------8---------------------
  ---5---------------------------------------------------
  ---3----------------------/6---------------------------

  etc.


PRE-OUTRO

  --4----------------4---6-----------------6-------------
  ---------4-------4------------6--------6---------------
  -------------------------------------------------------
  ------0-------0------------0-------0-------------------
  ----3-------3------------5-------5---------------------
  --4--------------------6-------------------------------


OUTRO

          *                                 repeat from *
  ------------------------------0-----|------------------
  --------------0-------2---------1p0-|-----2------------
  ------2-----2---2---2-------2-------|---2--------------
  ----2-----2-------0-------0---------|-2----------------
  --0-----0---------------3-----------|------------------
  ------------------------------------|------------------

  While the line above is played by a Meat Puppet, Krist plays:

  --------0-------------2-------0-----
  ------------2-----------3-----1-----
  --------------2---------------------
  ----------------2-------------------
  ------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------

Last updated: August 5, 2025

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