How to Play Come As You Are by Nirvana (Guitar Lesson)
What are you waiting for? Get your membership now!
Come As You Are
Released in 1991 by American grunge band Nirvana, this song is still a staple on rock radio to this day and a must learn for many beginning guitarists.
Taught by Allen Van Wert in Songs With Allen seriesLength: 16:57Difficulty: 0.5 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Songs With Allen
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsLearn rock songs with Allen Van Wert.
Lesson 1
Turkish March
Allen Van Wert teaches his neo-classical rendition of this Mozart masterpiece.
Length: 33:18 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
Allen Van Wert covers the ZZ Top classic "Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers."
Length: 24:58 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Angry Again
Allen Van Wert teaches this Megadeth classic.
Length: 41:01 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Seventeen
Learn this classic hair metal song by the band Winger.
Length: 67:00 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
Hangar 18
Allen Van Wert teaches this epic Megadeth song that has no less than 11 guitar solos.
Length: 120:00 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
Come As You Are
Allen teaches this song from the great American grunge band Nirvana.
Length: 16:57 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Lithium
Allen Van Wert teaches this classic grunge song from the album Nevermind.
Length: 20:17 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Endless Sacrifice
Resident JamPlay metallurgist Allen Van Wert tackles the 11 minute epic "Endless Sacrifice" by Dream Theater. Allen meticulously explains all of John Petrucci's guitar parts in this 80 minute lesson. If...
Length: 79:14 Difficulty: 5.0 Members Only
Pull Me Under
Here is a lesson on Dream Theater's most popular song. Recognizable by its brooding clean intro and brutal distorted rhythms, this song is a must learn for metal guitarists. Chances are if you want to...
Length: 120:06 Difficulty: 4.0 Members Only
House Of The Rising Sun
Allen returns to his song lesson series with an in-depth look at the classic rock tune "House Of The Rising Sun" from The Animals. Allen provides a beginner version, the original recorded version, and...
Length: 40:37 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Dead
Allen Van Wert is back once again with a look at a great rock tune. This lesson covers the song "Dead" by Buckcherry.
Length: 87:16 Difficulty: 3.5 Members Only
It's A Party
Allen Van Wert provides another great rock tune for his song lesson series! This time, he takes a look at the Buckcherry tune "It's A Party"!
Length: 55:23 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Home
Allen Van Wert returns to his songs series with a metal tune from the band Three Days Grace. "Home" is a hard hitting song, with a lot heavy tones going on. Crank up the distortion on this one!
Length: 22:41 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Still Frame
Allen Van Wert takes an in depth look at the song "Still Frame" from the band Trapt. This is a a simpler rock song with a catchy melody to put under your fingers.
Length: 30:08 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Gel
Allen Van Wert is back with a look at another 90's rock tune! This time around he teaches the rhythm and lead to "Gel" by Collective Soul.
Length: 20:04 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Dance Dance
Allen Van Wert continues his song learning series with a 2000's pop rock anthem from venerable rockers "Fallout Boy!" Dance Dance is a complex rhythmic tune with lots of overdubbing and driving guitars!
Length: 17:31 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Where's Your Boy Tonight
Continuing with his look at modern pop rock songs, Allen brings a lesson on Fall Out Boy's "Where's Your Boy Tonight". This tune has layered guitars in multiple tunings.
Length: 30:19 Difficulty: 3.0 Members Only
Face to the Floor
Allen is back to his song series with a heavier tune. In this lesson, you'll learn "Face to the Floor" by modern metal band Chevelle.
Length: 14:22 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
The Red
Allen is back again with a look at another song from modern rockers Chevelle. In lesson 21, he covers the popular hit "The Red".
Length: 15:30 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About Allen Van Wert
View Full Biography
Allen Van Wert got the nickname "ROBOT" from his unusual guitar tapping techniques that often sound like a video game more than a guitar. He has studied and played a wide variety of genres. His experimental and eclectic amalgamation of music combining shred guitar, crazy tapping techniques, and electronically infused composition contrasted by a highly emotional soft melodic side, make his debut album a really fun and interesting listen for just about anyone.
Allen has recorded guitar for the famed video game soundtrack composer Jesper Kyd (Composer of Hitman, Splinter Cell and many other big title games) as well as composing and recording for movie trailers and TV commercials. He has also been producing, recording and co-writing for local artists in his small home/project studio.
His three books on guitar technique, ear training and songwriting have helped many students over the past couple of years. Allen has also played in various cover bands in many genres since the age of 16 and has played to over 5000 on a few occasions. He was a featured guest musician on the album "West Coast Shred Fest".
In his spare time, Allen programs video games for fun. Wooo!
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Freebo
In this lesson, Freebo covers the basics of right hand technique. This lesson is essential for all up and coming bassists.
Free LessonSeries Details
Peter Einhorn
JamPlay is proud to introduce jazz guitarist Peter Einhorn. In this lesson series, Peter will discuss and demonstrate a way...
Free LessonSeries Details
Don Ross
New fingerstyle instructor Don Ross introduces himself, his background, and what you should expect in this series.
Free LessonSeries Details
Miche Fambro
Miche introduces several new chord concepts that add color and excitement to any progression.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Lincoln
Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
Free LessonSeries Details
Alan Skowron
Alan shares his background in teaching and sets the direction for his beginning bass series with simple ideas and musical...
Free LessonSeries Details
Rich Nibbe
Rich Nibbe takes a look at how you can apply the pentatonic scale in the style of John Mayer into your playing.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mitch Reed
Mitch teaches his interpretation of the classic "Cannonball Rag." This song provides beginning and intermediate guitarists...
Free LessonSeries Details
Mario DaSilva
Free LessonSeries Details
Trevor Gordon Hall
Fingerstyle guitar is a broad term that can incorporate percussive elements of playing as well as Chet Atkins/Jerry Reed...
Free LessonSeries DetailsElectric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Jeff Gunn
Now that we have explored the various distances needed to sound artificial harmonics, will learn how to move between artificial...
Free LessonSeries Details
Tony MacAlpine
Free LessonSeries Details
Rex Brown
Dive into the playing of Rex Brown. As the bass player for Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill, Brown's real world experience...
Free LessonSeries Details
Nick Kellie
Nick explains how to use scales and modes effectively when soloing over a chord progression.
Free LessonSeries Details
Steve Stevens
Steve Stevens shows some of his go-to licks and ideas while improvising over a backing track he made.
Free LessonSeries Details
David Wallimann
This is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.
Free LessonSeries Details
Steve Smyth
JamPlay sits down with veteran fret grinder Steve Smyth of Forbidden and The EssenEss Project. He talks about how he got...
Free LessonSeries Details
Brent Mason
Learn Nashville style country guitar from one of the most recorded guitarists in history. Check out rhythm grooves, solos,...
Free LessonSeries Details
Billy Sheehan
Billy starts his artist series off with a lesson on something he gets asked the most to explain: right hand 3 finger technique.
Free LessonSeries Details
Dan Sugarman
Dan Sugarman gives us an introduction and preview to his series - Sugarman's Shredding Revolution.
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin over 515041 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Unlimited Lesson Viewing
A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.Live Lessons
Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.Interactive Community
Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.Chord Library
Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.Scale Library
Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.Custom Chord Sheets
At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.Backing Tracks
Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.Interactive Games
We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.Beginners Welcome.. and Up
Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
 |
||||
| Price Per Lesson | < $0.01 | $4 - $5 | $30 - $50 | Free |
| Money Back Guarantee | Sometimes | n/a | ||
| Number of Instructors | 126 | 1 – 3 | 1 | Zillions |
| Interaction with Instructors | Daily Webcam Sessions | Weekly | ||
| Professional Instructors | Luck of the Draw | Luck of the Draw | ||
| New Lessons | Daily | Weekly | Minutely | |
| Structured Lessons | ||||
| Learn Any Style | Sorta | |||
| Track Progress | ||||
| HD Video | - | Sometimes | ||
| Multiple Camera Angles | Sometimes | - | Sometimes | |
| Accurate Tabs | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Scale/Chord Libraries | ||||
| Custom JamTracks | ||||
| Interactive Games | ||||
| Community | ||||
| Learn in Sweatpants | Socially Unacceptable | |||
| Gasoline Needed | $0.00 | $0.00 | ~$4 / gallon! | $0.00 |
Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Awesome!
The part you said people always play wrong drives me crazy hahaha. I just can't seem to get that transition fluid.
tab for that first power chord is wrong. should be xx2450, or if you want to add that low E, then 0x2450. Either way, I don't see most people being able to play something like 022450. That is a stretch and a half...
tab for that first power chord is wrong. should be xx2450, or if you want to add that low E, then 0x2450. Either way, I don't see most people being able to play something like 022450. That is a stretch and a half...
tab for that first power chord is wrong. should be xx2450, or if you want to add that low E, then 0x2450. Either way, I don't see most people being able to play something like 022450. That is a stretch and a half...
I think I was doing it to fill in two guitar recordings at the same time. Not sure if I mentioned that in the video but I tend to do these things in most bands as the only guitarist.
Hey, Allen! Can you please tell us the set up you are using in the guitar / amp etc.? Can't reproduce that sound properly... Thanks!
you teach very fast...hold on
Is the tuning on the tab incorrect you say it is tuned a whole step down which would be DGCFAD and the tab shows DAFCGD
It is correct, the string numbers show 6th string as D, 5th string as G, and so on.
Nice lesson Allen. What pickups do you have in that tele?
sweet guitar, is it a strat? cant quite tell
Custom Fender Telecaster
How the heck does he do the part right before the solo? It sounds so good but for some reason I can't replicate it!
I am scratching the pick back and forth against the string really fast while sliding it gradually down the string
I'm guessing you are picking the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings?
I'm guessing you are picking the 6th, 5th, and 4th strings?
Actually I think I just got it. I was trying to do the effect with the pic but I think he is doing it only with his knuckles going up and down. Does that make sense?
Actually I think I just got it. I was trying to do the effect with the pic but I think he is doing it only with his knuckles going up and down. Does that make sense?
How the heck does he do the part right before the solo? It sounds so good but for some reason I can't replicate it!
pick scrape on side of pick like a strum
I don't get this lesson then again maybe I need to go back to the beginner section
Take your time and go through all of the lessons you need to get to where you want to be.
How about Aqoustic
how about acoustic...?
What does it mean when the notes are in parenthesis ? (0)
Probably ghost notes.. they are quieter but slightly there.. like when you strum a chord and only lightly catch one of the strings or it simply resonates from being fretted but not struck when the other strings vibrate.
He say 2 guitars which I find strange cause there only 3 people in the band 1 bassist 1 guitarist/vocal 1 drummer
in the studio they often record multiple guitars even if there is only one guitarist. they can be different parts completely, or the same part but panned differently to make the song sound "big".
Saw the song explained by Danny Gill, he also does a good version of it.
thanks for this lesson Allen it helped me to be a step closer to my goal
thanks for this lesson Allen it helped me to be a step closer to my goal
Now that I have turned my attention to my electric guitar, I have to start to pick up on all this amp, pedals, effects, gear stuff - so I was pleased that Allen gave instructions on how to get the right sound. Fortunately I have a little practice amp that 'models' other ones and comes with a set of effects - so I was able to turn on the chorus. My daughter and I both said " ooh, that does sound better now." That was a thrill.
And get ready to spend money, money, money! :-)
It sounds like a flanger to me on the recording. I could be wrong though...Chorus and flanger are very similar effects though, so either will get you close to the tone you're looking for.
Rotary with chorus.
Thanks. I'll take our chat as incentive to explore - I have delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, tremolo, plus the ability to mix some of them together. No wah. hmm I'll have to get a wah pedal.
Tremolo is very similar to rotary and should work out the same way except it is usually volume altering instead of panning. Use that and chorus and it should be close to this with the proper settings of depth and speed.
Well, something like this? http://www.amazon.com/BBE-Analog-Univibe-Guitars-Keyboards/dp/B000RLF7GO
Yeah, a univibe may do the trick some.
I remember when this record hit the airwaves in the fall of 1991. It changed everything, and I think I listened to Nevermind for a year straight without listening to anything else.
"You don't want a change like that...that SUUUUCCCKKKS" hilarious LOL
man do i feel out of sorts,seems like the notes on the tab page are a little off whats there are [dafcgd] i got [dacead]
Thanks for the great lesson, you present songs very accurately and in a way that is easy to follow. Hopefully you do some more lessons in the future on songs that aren't as daunting as the songs you typically do so I can make use of more of them. Thanks again.
voice and instruction are audible but I can barely hear the guitar with speakers and content turned up to max. had to quit lesson due to not being able to hear it
Great for me also.
This appears to be a technical issue on your end. I tested the file in mono and reversed the phase and it is clearly audible on my machine. Is it only this video that you are having problems with?
Odd, it sounds perfect for me.
weird that they removed some of the other nirvana song lessons but allow this one? I guess not all of their songs are owned by the same company?
Nope they aren't! Really if I recall the issue is one company owns 5% of some songs and they can block the whole process. This licensing stuff is really a huge, huge mess.
Nice lesson Allen, been playing it wrong for all that time, nice big fat E power chord! This song was one of my first to learn on guitar, really easy. Now with you teaching people can't go wrong :-) Will there be TABS/supplemental content?