5 Definitive Ways To Master 'Come As You Are' Tabs: The Secret Tuning And Gear For Nirvana's Iconic Riff

As of December 11, 2025, Nirvana's "Come As You Are" remains one of the most requested and debated guitar riffs in rock history, a cornerstone of the grunge era and the band's monumental Nevermind album. While the main riff seems simple, achieving the exact, murky, and iconic studio sound requires a deep understanding of the specific guitar tuning and effects pedal that Kurt Cobain used—details often missed in basic online tabs.

This comprehensive guide cuts through the confusion, providing the definitive, updated tabs and lessons for electric guitar, acoustic fingerstyle, and bass, ensuring you can replicate the song's signature sound with perfect accuracy. From the essential D Standard tuning to the crucial chorus pedal, we break down every element you need to master this grunge anthem.

The Essential Entities: Nirvana's 'Nevermind' and the Architects of Grunge

To truly understand the "Come As You Are" tabs, you must first appreciate the context of the band and the album that made it famous. This song is a direct product of the musical genius and specific choices of Nirvana's core members.

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• Artist: Nirvana
• Album: Nevermind (Released September 24, 1991)
• Songwriter: Kurt Cobain (Music and Lyrics)
• Guitarist/Vocalist: Kurt Cobain
• Bassist: Krist Novoselic
• Drummer: Dave Grohl
• Producer: Butch Vig
• Genre: Grunge, Alternative Rock
• Key Song Element: The distinctive, watery chorus effect on the main riff.
• Legacy: The song is often cited as a major factor in breaking grunge into the mainstream and is one of the band's most enduring tracks.

Unlocking the Riff: The Definitive Electric Guitar Tabs and Tuning

The biggest mistake guitarists make when learning "Come As You Are" is playing it in standard E tuning. The album version uses a specific, lower tuning that is absolutely essential to getting the correct, heavy sound and the correct note positions. Mastering the riff is a gateway into the sound of Kurt Cobain and the entire grunge movement. The song's structure is deceptively simple, built around a powerful, repetitive motif.

The Crucial Tuning: D Standard (DGCFAD)

The studio version of "Come As You Are" is played in D Standard Tuning. This means every string on the guitar is tuned down a full step (two frets) from standard E tuning (EADGBe).

• Low E String: Tuned down to D
• A String: Tuned down to G
• D String: Tuned down to C
• G String: Tuned down to F
• B String: Tuned down to A
• High E String: Tuned down to D

This lower tuning provides the song's signature deep, resonant tone, which is a hallmark of the Nevermind sound. For the acoustic version on MTV Unplugged in New York, the band used a slightly different tuning—Eb Standard (Half Step Down).

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The Main Riff (D Standard Tab)

The iconic, cyclical riff is played on the lowest two strings (D and G, now tuned to D and G). It uses a simple pattern of open strings and notes on the second and fourth frets. The tab is typically presented as follows, read from the low D string (D) to the G string (G):

D|----------------------| A|----------------------| F|----------------------| C|----------------------| G|--2--2--4--4--0--0----| D|--0--0--0--0--0--0----| 

This pattern repeats throughout the verses. The notes are played with a heavy, yet clean, sound, which brings us to the next critical element: the gear.

The Tone Recipe: Gear and Effects for the Iconic Sound

The "Come As You Are" riff is instantly recognizable not just for the notes, but for the sound itself. This distinctive, "underwater" or "wobbly" tone is achieved by one specific piece of gear used by Kurt Cobain: a chorus pedal.

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The Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus

The key to the song's tone is the Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus pedal. This analog chorus effect creates a subtle doubling and detuning of the guitar signal, giving the riff its watery, shimmering quality. Cobain used this pedal almost exclusively for the verses, switching it off for the heavier, distorted chorus sections.

Recommended Settings:

• Rate/Speed: Set to a slow-to-medium speed to achieve a gentle, pulsing modulation.
• Depth/Intensity: Set to a medium depth to ensure the effect is noticeable but not overpowering.

For the chorus section, Cobain would stomp on a distortion or fuzz pedal (like a BOSS DS-1 or an Electro Harmonix Big Muff) and turn off the chorus, switching from the clean, melodic riff to a massive, overdriven wall of sound. This contrast between the quiet, clean verse and the loud, distorted chorus is the essence of the song's dynamic power, a key feature of the loud-quiet-loud songwriting style.

Beyond the Electric Guitar: Acoustic and Bass Tabs for 'Come As You Are'

The song is versatile and sounds fantastic on other instruments, providing excellent material for both acoustic fingerstyle guitarists and bass players. Learning these variations adds tremendous topical authority and depth to your understanding of the track.

Acoustic Fingerstyle Tabs

Playing "Come As You Are" on an acoustic guitar requires adapting the main riff to incorporate the melody and bass notes simultaneously. Many modern tutorials and fingerstyle arrangements are available, often requiring a capo on the 1st fret for easier playing in standard tuning, or playing in Eb Standard (Half Step Down) to match the live Unplugged version.

A popular fingerstyle approach involves using the thumb for the bass notes and the index/middle/ring fingers for the melody and higher strings. This transforms the driving rock riff into a more introspective piece, showcasing the song's melodic strength. Searching for "Come As You Are acoustic fingerstyle tab" will yield detailed sheet music and video tutorials with specific voicings and patterns.

Accurate Bass Tabs: Krist Novoselic's Role

Krist Novoselic's bass line is the backbone of "Come As You Are." The bass follows the guitar riff closely, but its rhythm is more foundational and driving. Like the guitar, the bass is also tuned down a whole step to D Standard (DGCF), though many tabs on sites like Ultimate-Guitar present it in standard tuning (EADG) for simplicity, which will sound a whole step higher than the record.

The Bass Riff (D Standard Tab)

The main bass riff is played on the lowest two strings, mirroring the guitar's pattern:

G|----------------------| C|----------------------| G|--2--2--4--4--0--0----| D|--0--0--0--0--0--0----| 

The bass is crucial for the song's heaviness and groove. Novoselic's playing is simple, powerful, and perfectly complements Cobain's guitar work, creating the solid foundation that Dave Grohl's drumming builds upon. The bass tone is typically clean with a slight amount of overdrive or compression to cut through the mix, a signature of the Seattle sound.

Mastering the Dynamics: From Verse to Chorus

The true mastery of "Come As You Are" lies not just in hitting the right notes, but in capturing the song's dynamic shift. This loud-quiet-loud dynamic is the signature of Nirvana's sound and a key component of the alternative rock genre.

1. Verse (Quiet): Use the D Standard tuning, the main riff tab, and the Electro Harmonix Small Clone Chorus pedal. Use a clean or only slightly overdriven amplifier setting.
2. Pre-Chorus (Build-up): The intensity begins to rise here. Maintain the riff but prepare for the volume shift.
3. Chorus (Loud): Switch off the chorus pedal and engage a high-gain distortion pedal. Strum the power chords with aggressive downstrokes. The chords are often played as D5, F#5, B5, and E5, though the exact voicings in D Standard can vary slightly.

Understanding this dynamic contrast is what separates a novice player from someone who truly understands the song's arrangement and emotional impact. By utilizing the correct tuning, the specific gear, and the accurate tabs provided here, you are not just learning a song, but fully engaging with the legacy of Nirvana's Nevermind era.