Kurt Cobain

**Timi** on Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:33 pm

Voice type: High baritone
Vocal range: (F1-)E♭2-D5(-C6)
Best showcase of range: "Spank Thru" (G2-C5)

Significant high notes (Falsetto):

C6: "Spank Thru"
B5: "Beeswax"
F♯5: "Scoff"
F5: "Blew", "Mr. Moustache"

Significant high notes (Full):

D5: "Help Me, I'm Hungry"
C♯5: "Beeswax", "Scentless Apprentice"
C5: "Spank Thru", "Lounge Act"
B4: "School", "Ain't It a Shame", "Sound of Dentage", "Sifting", "Rape Me", "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip", "Milk It" ,"Lake of Fire (Live)"
B♭4: "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Scoff", "Love Buzz", "Swap Meet"
A4: "About a Girl", "Sliver", "Stay Away", "Scoff", "Endless Nameless", "Milk It", "Oh the Guilt", "The Eagle Has Landed", "Endless Nameless", "Here She Comes Now (Demo)", "Pay to Play (Demo)", "Plateau (Live)"

Significant low notes:

E♭2: "Smells Like Teen Spirit (Live)"
E2: "Downer (85' version)", "Plateau (Live)"
F2: "Moist Vagina", "Love Buzz"
F♯2: "Sappy"
G2: "Spank Thru"
G♯2: "I Hate Myself and Want to Die", "Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam"
A2: "Hairspray Queen", "Here She Comes Now", "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through the Strip", "The Other Improv"
B♭2: "In Bloom", "Downer"
B2: "Sliver (Live)"

KeithMoonIsGod on Thu Jan 13, 2011 10:07 pm

Cobain couldn't sing. As simple as that. Even he admits that

**Timi** on Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:54 pm

Well, I disagree on that but he wasn't the best singer out there. Still, he has great singing performances like "Heart-Shaped Box", "Something in the Way" or "In Bloom". I love his singing when he sings either in that lower, melancholic tone or does the raspy singing and (maybe) screaming if he manages to do it right without sounding bad. His best vocals are easily on Nirvana's ballads, where he actually sounds good.

**Dance Champion** on Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:30 pm

There's a "Smells Like Teen Spirit" performance where he's purposely singing in a dark low voice to take the piss, hits a few G#2s and maybe a G2 iirc.

**Timi** on Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:31 pm

Yeah, I totally forgot that one. I remember it going down to F2...

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtehDIWrX5U Here it is, he goes down to great F2s in "Hello, hello, hello, hello, HOW LOW..." part! Laughing

I love how he pretends to play the guitar like some 50's country-artist there. Laughing

**That One Asian Guy** on Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:54 am

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOtckJpsZb4 2:23 F#5 in falsetto?

Yep.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKwvCN4BmgI&feature=related This song is filled with lows, both full and fry.

I think I'm gonna have to leave this one to Ray...

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcMSsHU0oRI (At least) B4s here.

Couldn't be bothered to include some time-stamps? But yeah, really strained B4s.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP06kxW_M3I&feature=related 1:28 Really silent speaking passage, I wonder how low it tops?...

"how low it tops"...nice oxymoron, guy. Laughing

That's practically impossible to hear, though, so I frankly have no idea.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfgbV1ZB0Ds 2:26 HMMMMMM???

Non-modal C♯...can't tell if it's C♯5 or C♯6.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faJdBl0_e-I 1:14 Does that go up to C5 and then A4? How about 2:06?

I agree with as much as A4 at 1:14, but I think the top notes are non-modal. 2:06 tops at something like G♯4 in full voice; and anything higher is a crack.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QGTlyPlzhI&feature=related Starting at 1:45 there are high notes (there are some before too), how high and register?

Nothing higher than like A4 in full voice. Falsetto F5.

Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DG8yO8qMRc 4:16 Could these be Kurt's highest notes, how high?

Dude, these are BLATANT falsetto. G5 is the top note.

**Timi** on Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:33 am

Maxim wrote:
Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP06kxW_M3I&feature=related 1:28 Really silent speaking passage, I wonder how low it tops?...
"how low it tops"...nice oxymoron, guy.

Maxim wrote:
Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DG8yO8qMRc 4:16 Could these be Kurt's highest notes, how high?
Dude, these are BLATANT falsetto. G5 is the top note.

I meant highest note, falsetto and full notes counted.

**That One Asian Guy** on Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:12 pm

Timitzii wrote:
Maxim wrote:
Timitzii wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DG8yO8qMRc 4:16 Could these be Kurt's highest notes, how high?
Dude, these are BLATANT falsetto. G5 is the top note.

I meant highest note, falsetto and full notes counted.

The highest in full voice is like a really short A4...

**That One Asian Guy** on Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:43 am

Take a listen to this...I never realized just how high it was until now. "SMILE on your brother" is a D5, but the whole passage sounds oddly unstrained...do you think he's actually hitting these notes, or could the pitch be altered or something?

**Timi** on Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:05 am

It doesn't sound altered to me at all (and Cobain hated editing and effects) but I know what you mean. I'm wondering if that is Cobain or not?

**Dance Champion** on Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:31 pm

Maxim wrote:Take a listen to this...I never realized just how high it was until now. "SMILE on your brother" is a D5, but the whole passage sounds oddly unstrained...do you think he's actually hitting these notes, or could the pitch be altered or something?

Krist Novoselic always does it live.

Guest on Sat Mar 19, 2011 3:44 am

Wait a second. Cobain a High Baritone? I think he's a Low tenor, he can barely hit E2s. He's much more comfortable in his high range, till A4 with no problem. You know that unplugged cover of Plateau? Well, the low notes are going till like F#2, but he avoids them like plague. He's more comfortable hitting A4's. He's got a real tenorish voice too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVeVCwI4VV0 Listen to this interview, at 0:03 his voice sounds like a complete tenor Wink

**Timi** on Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:16 pm

I disagree. You are right that he had problems with that E2 in the live version of "Plateau" but he isn't just tenorish at all. He has highish speaking voice, actually a bit mumbly, but like Ray said (one year ago), his timbre is purely baritonish in many songs. He also strains A LOT on G#4s in certain songs like "Oh the Guilt". Maybe he just had bad day with lows?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtehDIWrX5U He sings the verses one octave lower here and hits lots of solid lows bottoming around F2, "Hello, hello, hello, how low?"-part is good and strong. Maybe it was just his singing style how he chose to be mumblier and more obnoxious.

Curiosity on Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:20 pm

That speaking voice isn't high at all. He's a baritone. I bottom at B1 but if my voice is in bad shape I struggle to hit notes like E2 and even F2.

btw Kurt had a spinal condition (scoliosis) which would likely have effected his breath support and limited his range due to the impact it has upon posture and breathing ability.

Guest on Sun Mar 20, 2011 4:43 pm

Curiosity wrote:That speaking voice isn't high at all. He's a baritone. I bottom at B1 but if my voice is in bad shape I struggle to hit notes like E2 and even F2.

btw Kurt had a spinal condition (scoliosis) which would likely have effected his breath support and limited his range due to the impact it has upon posture and breathing ability.

My bad. But Kurt had Scoliosis? Really? Shocked

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