Heart Shaped Box By Nirvana
The absolute horror-filled opening riff of “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana is the reason why it is still captivating guitarists to this day, even though the song was released in 1993.
“Heart Shaped Box” was written by Kurt Cobain, in which he transferred his emotion, simplicity, and sonic tension into words. From this guitar lesson by Mike Walker, you will learn far more about how to actually grasp the feel and mood of the song, in addition to learning scales or speed, which is a set requirement for this song.
Mike Walker, your guitar instructor for this song lesson, shares the reason why the song lives in the gray space between masterclass and dissonance. The tempo of the song is pretty sluggish at 84 BPM, which results in a hypnotic and unsettling tone to the entire song.
There’s no denying the fact that the main riff of the song is still pretty catchy; it is minimalist and catchy. Cobain made sure that he didn’t fill in the gap between silence, which helped the song to build a certain atmosphere, as notes are able to breathe slowly and distort naturally.
Why Learn Heart Shaped Box By Nirvana On Guitar?
“Heart Shaped Box” is the epitome of the grunge era of the 90s; the song is packed with emotions while being deceptively simple. Apart from this, here are a few reasons that show why it’s a staple song for every budding guitarist:
It is a perfect introduction to Drop D tuning. In this guitar lesson, Mike Walker will show you different techniques that make you comfortable with one-finger power chords, palm muting, and a droning sound that separates the grunge from alternative rock.
Soft verses with loud choruses are a repeating theme of Nirvana songs, which is what you are going to learn from this song. To master it, you will be changing volume, tone, and picking intensity, which transforms how a specific part of the song feels to the audience.
This guitar lesson covers skills like palm muting, which results in rhythmic tension, string slides for eerie transitions, and controlled feedback
FAQs – Heart Shaped Box By Nirvana Song Guitar Lesson
Q1. Are there any chromatic elements that I need to know about when practicing “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana on guitar?
Ans. Yes, there are some chromatic passing notes, which you mainly get in the intro section of the song; this will give the riff a slightly dissonant feeling.
Q2. What is the role of note spacing in the song “Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana?
Ans. With proper spacing in notes, composers create suspense; using it will improve your musical phrasing and timing awareness.
