Steve Vai explains why Kurt Cobain was actually “virtuosic”
On the face of it, Steve Vai and Kurt Cobain represent two very different spectrums of guitar playing. Yet, the former still thinks the late Nirvana frontman’s playing is some of the best out there, despite people not widely deeming him a virtuoso. Vai explained that Cobain’s brilliance lay in finding “his comfort zone with his technique” and trusting his instincts as all the greats do. He even labelled one element of Cobain’s playing as “virtuosic” in an inversion of the usual dialogue surrounding the Nirvana frontman.
Vai discussed Cobain’s skills as a guitarist in a special live stream event with fans on Facebook (Per Rock and Roll Garage). This wasn’t the first time he had outlined what made Cobain such a great player or, more interestingly, compared him to Green Day frontman and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong.
After a fan mentioned that many players are technically proficient but that there is “only one Kurt Cobain”, they asked Vai if something specific made his music more “impactful” than other players at his level. The guitar hero replied: “Yes. Their intention. When the intention is strong, nothing will stop them. Kurt Cobain is a good example of that. He just did the music he wanted to do. That’s what my take is on it.”
“When I hear him, and I hear that band, I don’t know how much music theory or anything like that he knew. But he was able to develop enough technique to get his point across. He didn’t have a virtuoso technique. But he didn’t need it,” Vai continued. “You’ve got to keep in mind his style of playing. Those chords, and the way he would arpeggione chords and then go into that blasting kind of thing. All the years I spent practising scales and virtuoso-type riffs. He was locking onto these chords in a very connected way. I see that with guys like [Green Day singer/guitarist] Billie Joe Armstrong too.”
Despite Kurt Cobain not being a virtuoso in the traditional sense, Vai believes that the late Nirvana mastermind was “virtuosic” in how he strummed chords as it “sounds like an orchestra“, just like when Billie Joe Armstrong lets rip. Vai asserted: “When you see that guy strumming chords, it’s virtuosic in a sense because it sounds like an orchestra when he slams that guitar. Every string has its own zip code; you know what I mean? Kurt was like that too.”
“A lot of people might not look at him as a virtuoso. But he had a connection with the thing he was doing. He found his comfort zone with his technique. Everyone is doing that.”
Frank Zappa’s former guitarist then looked to players such as John McLaughlin and Bob Dylan as examples, as they developed a distinctive technique that became a crucial part of their work. He explained: “You can look at someone like John McLaughlin. Who has required a different technique to get his point across. And Bob Dylan, who required his own technique on guitar to get his point across.”
Vai concluded: “Everybody needs some kind of technique, and they will naturally gravitate to the thing that is most appropriate for them. If they don’t get too confused with what everyone in the outside world is telling them. They’ve got to trust their instincts.”
Watch Steve Vai praise Cobain on another occasion below.
