Editing Grunge (section)

== Instrumentation ==
=== Electric guitar ===
[[File:MikeMcCready2013.JPG|thumb|right|alt=A male electric guitar player, Mike McCready, onstage with an electric guitar plugged into a guitar amplifier.|[[Pearl Jam]] guitarist [[Mike McCready]]]]
Grunge guitarists like [[Kurt Cobain]] often used "offset" guitars like the Fender Jaguar, Fender Jazzmaster, or Mustang. They used primarily offset guitars because at the time they were unpopular enough to offer a new image as opposed to more frequently seen Gibson Les Pauls or Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster used by mainstream pop & rock bands. Being unpopular when grunge started, offset guitars also offered excellent value for money.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://guitar.com/guides/essential-guide/best-grunge-bands-gear-players-guitars/ | title=The Guitarist's Guide to Grunge: Essential bands, gear and players }}</ref>  
Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy [[electric guitar]] sound with a thick middle register and rolled-off treble tone and a high level of [[Distortion (music)|distortion]] and fuzz, typically created with small 1970s-style [[effects unit|stompbox]] pedals, with some guitarists chaining several fuzz pedals together and plugging them into a [[tube amplifier]] and speaker cabinet.<ref name="gibson.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/grunge-guitar-0426-2011.aspx |title=Serve the Servants: Unlocking the Secrets of Grunge Guitar |website=Gibson.com |date=April 26, 2011 |access-date=April 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331190319/http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/grunge-guitar-0426-2011.aspx |archive-date=March 31, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Grunge guitarists use very loud [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] guitar amplifiers<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/plug-it-in-the-top-pedals-named-after-musical-genres/|title=PLUG IT IN: The Top Pedals Named After Musical Genres|date=September 3, 2013|access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref> and some used powerful [[Mesa-Boogie]] amplifiers, including Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl (the latter in early, grunge-oriented [[Foo Fighters]] songs).<ref name="Bloomer">{{cite web |url= https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/blog/2015/04/10/what-the-heck-top-10-essential-grunge-guitar-gear/|title=What the Heck: Top 10 Essential 'Grunge' Guitar Gear |last=Bloomer |first= Richard|date= April 10, 2015|website=pmtonline.co|publisher= Professional Music Technology |access-date= March 1, 2017}}</ref> Grunge has been called the rock genre with the most "lugubrious sound"; the use of heavy distortion and loud amps has been compared to a massive "buildup of sonic fog".<ref>Moody, Fred. ''Seattle and the Demons of Ambition: A Love Story.''</ref> or even dismissed as "noise" by one critic.<ref>Whitehead, John W. '' Grasping for the Wind: The Search for Meaning in the 20th century''. 2001. p. 171</ref> As with metal and punk, a key part of grunge's sound is very distorted [[power chord]]s played on the electric guitar.<ref name="Felix-Jager, Steven 2017. p. 135">Felix-Jager, Steven. ''With God on Our Side: Towards a Transformational Theology of Rock and Roll''. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017. p. 135</ref>

Whereas metal guitarists' overdriven sound generally comes from a combination of overdriven amplifiers and distortion pedals, grunge guitarists typically got all of their "dirty" sound from overdrive and fuzz pedals, with the amp just used to make the sound louder.<ref name="Bloomer" /> Grunge guitarists tended to use the [[Fender Twin Reverb]] and the [[Fender Champion 100]] combo amps (Cobain used both of these amps).<ref name="Bloomer" /> The use of [[Effects unit|pedals]] by grunge guitarists was a move away from the expensive, studio-grade [[rackmount]] [[effects unit]]s used in other rock genres. The positive way that grunge bands viewed stompbox pedals can be seen in [[Mudhoney]]'s use of the name of two overdrive pedals, the [[Univox Super-Fuzz]] and the [[Big Muff]], in the title of their debut EP ''[[Superfuzz Bigmuff]]''.<ref name="Shepherd 2012. p. 23">Shepherd, John and Horn, David. ''Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Volume 8: Genres: North America''. A&C Black, 2012. p. 23</ref> In the song "Mudride", the band's guitars were said to have "growled malevolently" through its "Cro-magnon slog".<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/62q4/ |title = Mudhoney Superfuzz Bigmuff Review (Archived) |author = Chick, Stevie |date =2009 | website = BBC.co.uk |publisher =BBC|access-date = March 15, 2017}}</ref>
[[File:Boss turbopedal used.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A small effect unit pedal, painted in orange paint that is scuffed from heavy use.|The relatively affordable, widely available [[Boss Corporation|Boss]] DS-2 distortion pedal was one of the key effects (including the related [[Boss DS-1|DS-1]]) that created the growling, overdriven guitar sound in grunge.]]
Other key pedals used by grunge bands included four brands of distortion pedals (the [[Big Muff]], [[DOD Electronics|DOD]], and [[Boss DS-1|Boss DS-2]] and [[Boss DS-1]] distortion pedals) and the [[Small Clone]] [[chorus effect]], used by Kurt Cobain on "[[Come as You Are (Nirvana song)|Come As You Are]]" and by the [[Screaming Trees]] on "[[Nearly Lost You]]".<ref name="Bloomer" /> The DS-1 (later DS-2) distortion pedal played a key role in Cobain's switching from quiet to loud and back to quiet approach to songwriting.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/03/what-makes-an-electric-guitar-sound-like-an-electric-guitar/386441/|title=What Makes an Electric Guitar Sound Like an Electric Guitar |last=Jackson |first=Robert |date=March 4, 2015 |website=theatlantic.com/ |publisher=The Atlantic |access-date=May 20, 2017 }}</ref> The use of small pedals by grunge guitarists helped to start off the revival of interest in boutique, hand-soldered, 1970s-style analog pedals.<ref name="gibson.com" /> The other effect that grunge guitarists used was one of the most low-tech effects devices, the [[wah-wah pedal]]. Both "[Kim] [[Kim Thayil|Thayil]] and [[Alice in Chains]]' [[Jerry Cantrell]] ... were great advocates of the wah wah pedal."<ref name="gibson.com" /> Wah was also used by the Screaming Trees, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and [[Dinosaur Jr]].<ref name="Bloomer" />

Grunge guitarists played loud, with Kurt Cobain's early guitar sound coming from an unusual set-up of four 800 watt [[PA system]] [[power amplifier]]s.<ref name="gibson.com" /> [[Audio feedback|Guitar feedback]] effects, in which a highly amplified electric guitar is held in front of its speaker, were used to create high-pitched, sustained sounds that are not possible with regular guitar technique. Grunge guitarists were influenced by the raw, primitive sound of punk, and they favored "... energy and lack of finesse over technique and precision"; key guitar influences included the [[Sex Pistols]], [[the Dead Boys]], [[Celtic Frost]], [[King's X]], [[Voivod (band)|Voivod]], [[Neil Young]]<ref>Wilkes, David. "Neil Young: Heart of Grunge?" ''[[New York Times]]'': 1. December 6, 1992. ProQuest. Web. October 5, 2015</ref> (''[[Rust Never Sleeps]]'', side two), [[The Replacements (band)|the Replacements]], [[Hüsker Dü]], [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]], and [[Melvins|the Melvins]].<ref name="Prown 1997. p. 242-243">Prown, Pete and Newquist, Harvey P. ''Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists''. Hal Leonard Corporation, 1997. p. 242-243</ref> Grunge guitarists often [[downtuned guitar|downtuned]] their instruments for a lower, heavier sound.<ref name="gibson.com" /> [[Soundgarden]]'s guitarist, [[Kim Thayil]], did not use a regular [[guitar amplifier]]; instead, he used a [[Bass amplifier|bass combo amp]] equipped with a 15-inch speaker as he played low riffs, and the bass amp gave him a deeper tone.<ref name="gibson.com" />

=== Guitar solos ===
[[File:Soundgarden @ McCallum Park (522012).jpg|thumb|right|alt=A male electric guitarist, Kim Thayil, onstage with an electric guitar. He has a beard.|[[Soundgarden]] guitarist [[Kim Thayil]]'s punk attitudes encouraged him to downplay soloing in the 1980s; however, when other leading grunge bands such as Nirvana started to de-emphasize the role of the solo during the early 1990s, he began to do solos again.]]
Grunge guitarists "flatly rejected" the virtuoso [[shred guitar|"shredding"]] [[guitar solo]]s that had become the centerpiece of [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] songs, instead opting for melodic, [[blues]]-inspired solos – focusing "on the song, not the guitar solo".<ref>Cataldo, Tomas. ''Rock Licks Encyclopedia''. Alfred Music Publishing, 2001. p. 75.</ref> [[Jerry Cantrell]] of Alice in Chains stated that solos should be to serve the song, rather than to show off a guitarist's technical skill.<ref>{{cite web|quotation="I'm not saying I do bad shit, but I do what fits the part. I'm more interested in what the whole picture is instead of a big vehicle for Cantrell to wank off all over on everybody"|title=Grunge : Jerry Cantrell|url=https://www.guitar.com/articles/jerry-cantrell-unshackling-chains-depression|website=Guitar.com|access-date=April 1, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203204023/https://www.guitar.com/articles/jerry-cantrell-unshackling-chains-depression|archive-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> In place of the strutting guitar heroes of metal, grunge had "guitar [[anti-hero]]es" like Cobain, who showed little interest in mastering the instrument.<ref name="Prown 1997. p. 242-243" />

In Will Byers' article "Grunge committed a crime against music—it killed the guitar solo" in ''The Guardian'', he states that while the guitar solo managed to survive through the punk rock era, it was weakened by grunge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://theguardian.com/music|title= Grunge committed a crime against music—it killed the guitar solo|last=Byers |first=Will |date=July 30, 2008 |newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> He also states that when Kurt Cobain played guitar solos that were a restatement of the main vocal melody, fans realized that they did not need to be a [[Jimi Hendrix]]-level virtuoso to play the instrument; he then says this approach helped to make music feel accessible by fans in a way not seen since the 1960s folk music movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://andphilosophy.com/2014/12/01/grunge-and-philosophy/ |title=Grunge and Philosophy Grunge and Philosophy: What Nirvana Can Teach Us about the Philosophy of History |last=Tillman|first=Micah |date=December 2014 |publisher=Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series |access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> The producer of Nirvana's ''Nevermind'', [[Butch Vig]], stated that this album and Nirvana "killed the guitar solo".<ref name="Gonzalez">{{cite web |url=http://newnoisemagazine.com/genre-benders-the-shabby-dirty-grunge/# |title= Genre Benders: The Shabby, Dirty Grunge|last=Gonzalez |first=Sean |date=November 20, 2015 |work=New Noise Magazine |access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> [[Soundgarden]] guitarist [[Kim Thayil]] stated he feels in part to be responsible for the "death of the guitar solo"; he said that his [[punk rock]]er aspects made him feel that he did not want to solo, so in the 1980s, he preferred to make noise and do [[Audio feedback|feedback]] during the guitar solo.<ref name="Leslie">{{cite web |url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/kim-thayil/13759 |title=Kim Thayil |last=Leslie |first=Jimmy |date=July 7, 2011 |work=Guitar Player |access-date=February 25, 2017 |archive-date=June 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605211625/http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/kim-thayil/13759 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Baeble Music calls the grunge guitar solos of the 1990s "raw", "sloppy", and "basic".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baeblemusic.com/musicblog/10-7-2015/the-top-5-guitar-solos-of-2015-so-far.html |title=The Top 5 Guitar Solos of 2015 So Far |last=Stalker-Wilde  |first=Max |date=October 7, 2015 |website=baeblemusic.com |publisher=Baeble Music |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref>

Not all sources support the "grunge killed the guitar solo" argument. Sean Gonzalez states that [[Pearl Jam]] has plentiful examples of guitar solos.<ref name="Gonzalez" /> [[Michael Azerrad]] praises the guitar playing of Mudhoney's [[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]], calling him the "[[Eric Clapton]] of grunge", a reference to the British blues guitarist<ref name="Azerrad">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grunge-city-the-seattle-scene-19920416 |title=Grunge City: The Seattle Scene |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |date=April 16, 1992 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> who ''Time'' magazine has named as number five in their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players".<ref name="Tyrangiel-Time2009-08-14">{{cite magazine |last=Tyrangiel |first=Josh |title=The 10 Greatest Electric Guitar Players |date=August 14, 2009 |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1916544_1921860,00.html |access-date=April 26, 2011}}</ref> [[Pearl Jam]] guitarist [[Mike McCready]] has been praised for his blues-influenced, rapid licks.<ref name="Harris">{{cite web |url=http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-grunge-guitarists.php |title=Top 10 Grunge Guitarists |last=Harris |first=Shell |date=July 20, 2009 |website=toptenz.net |publisher=Toptenz |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> [[The Smashing Pumpkins]]' guitarist [[Billy Corgan]] has been called the "arena rock genius of the '90s" for pioneering guitar playing techniques and showing through his playing skill that grunge guitarists do not have to be sloppy players to rebel against mainstream music.<ref name="Harris" /> Thayil stated that when other major grunge bands, such as Nirvana, were reducing their guitar solos, Soundgarden responded by bringing back the solos.<ref name="Leslie" />

=== Bass guitar ===
The early Seattle grunge album ''[[Skin Yard (album)|Skin Yard]]'' recorded in 1987 by the [[Skin Yard|band of the same name]] included [[fuzz bass]] ([[Distortion (music)|overdriven]] bass guitar) played by [[Jack Endino]] and [[Daniel House (musician)|Daniel House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skin-yard.com/skinfirstdetail.htm|title=SKIN YARD :: 1st record :: Skin-Yard.com|website=skin-yard.com|access-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref> Some grunge bassists, such as [[Ben Shepherd]], layered [[power chord]]s with distorted low-end density by adding a fifth and an octave-higher note to a bass note.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2017/05/20/bass-transcription-ben-shepherd-bass-line-on-soundgarden-pretty-noose/ |title=Bass Transcription: Ben Shepherd's Bass Line on Soundgarden's "Pretty Noose" |last=Wroten |first=Brian |date=May 20, 2017 |website=notreble.com|publisher=No Treble |access-date=May 20, 2017}}</ref>

An example of the powerful, loud [[bass amplifier]] systems used in grunge is [[Alice in Chains]] bassist [[Mike Inez]]'s setup. He uses four powerful [[Ampeg SVT]]-2 PRO tube amplifier heads, two of them plugged into four 1×18" [[subwoofer]] cabinets for the low register, and the other two plugged into two 8×10" cabinets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bassplayer.com/artists/1171/mike-inez/25886 |title=Mike Inez |last=Jisi |first=Chris|work=Bass Player Magazine |access-date=October 1, 2009}}</ref> Krist Novoselic and Jeff Ament are also known for using Ampeg SVT tube amplifiers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://reverb.com/ca/news/6-classic-amps-every-bassist-should-know |title=6 Classic Amps Every Bassist Should Know|last=Garland |first=Eric |date=October 30, 2015 |website=Reverb |access-date=March 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.uberproaudio.com/who-plays-what/185-pearl-jams-jeff-ament-bass-gear-rig-and-equipment |title=Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament Bass Gear Rig and Equipment|author=<!--Not stated--> |website=uberproaudio.com|publisher=ÜberProAudio |access-date=May 21, 2017}}</ref> Ben Shepherd uses a 300 watt all-tube Ampeg SVT-VR amp and a 600 watt [[Mesa/Boogie]] Carbine M6 amplifier.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Rig_Rundown_Soundgardens_Kim_Thayil_Chris_Cornell_and_Ben_Shepherd |title=Rig Rundown – Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Chris Cornell, and Ben Shepherd |last=Kies |first=Chris |date=February 18, 2013 |newspaper=Premier Guitar |access-date=May 21, 2017}}</ref> Ament uses four 6×10" speaker cabinets.<ref name="auto1" />

=== Drums ===
[[File:Dave Grohl 1989.jpg|alt=Dave Grohl playing drums circa 1989|left|thumb|Drummer [[Dave Grohl]], who played with [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]] and later went to form the band [[Foo Fighters]]]]
In contrast to the "massive [[drum kit]]s" used in 1980s [[pop metal]],<ref>Weinstein, Deena. ''Rock'n America''. University of Toronto Press, 2015. p. 223</ref> grunge drummers used relatively smaller drum kits. One example is the drumkit used by Soundgarden drummer [[Matt Cameron]]'s set-up. He uses a six-piece kit (this way of describing drumkits counts only the wooden drums, and does not count the [[cymbals]]), including a "12×8-inch rack [[Tom-tom drum|tom]]; 13×9-inch rack tom; 16×14-inch [[floor tom]]; 18×16-inch floor tom; 24×14-inch [[bass drum]]" and a [[snare drum]] and, for [[cymbals]], [[Zildjian]] instruments, including "... 14-inch K Light [Hi-][[Hi-hat|hats]]; 17-inch K Custom Dark [[Crash cymbal|crash]] [cymbal] and 18-inch K Crash Ride; 19-inch Projection crash; a 20-inch Rezo crash; ... and a ... 22-inch A Medium [[Ride cymbal|ride]] [cymbal]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/drums/matt-camerons-pearl-jam-drum-setup-in-pictures-562870 |title=Matt Cameron's Pearl Jam drum setup in pictures |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 24, 2012 |website=musicradar.com |publisher=Music Radar|access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref>

A second example is Nirvana drummer [[Dave Grohl]]'s set-up during 1990 and 1991. He used a four-piece [[Tama Drums|Tama]] drumset, with an 8" × 14" birch snare drum, a 14" × 15" rack tom, a 16" × 18" floor tom, and a 16" × 24" bass drum (this kit "was demolished at the Cabaret Metro, Chicago, 10/12/91").<ref name=livenirvana>{{cite web |url=http://www.livenirvana.com/equipment/dave.php |title=Live Nirvana Equipment Guide: Dave Grohl |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=livenirvana.com |publisher=LiveNirvana! |access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref> Like Matt Cameron, Dave Grohl used Zildjian cymbals. Grohl used the company's A Series Medium cymbals, including an 18" and a 20" crash cymbal, a 22" ride cymbal, and a pair of 15" hi-hat cymbals.<ref name=livenirvana />

=== Other instruments ===
Although other instruments are generally not included in grunge, Seattle band Gorilla created controversy by breaking the "guitars only" approach and using a 1960s-style [[Vox (musical equipment)|Vox organ]] in their group.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19931119/1732607/powerful-melodic-gorilla-rises-above-a-sea-of-grunge | work=The Seattle Times | first=Cathy | last=Ragland | title=Powerful, Melodic Gorilla Rises Above A Sea Of Grunge | date=November 19, 1993}}</ref>
In 2002, [[Pearl Jam]] added a keyboard player, [[Boom Gaspar|Kenneth "Boom" Gaspar]], who played [[piano]], [[Hammond organ]], and other keyboards; the addition of a keyboardist to the band would have been "inconceivable" in the band's "grungy" early years, but it shows how a group's sound can change over time.<ref>Corbett, Bernard M. and Harkins, Thomas Edward. ''Pearl Jam FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Seattle's Most Enduring Band''. Hal Leonard Corporation, 2016</ref>

=== Vocals ===
[[File:PearlJam-9-23-06-8.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A male singer, Eddie Vedder, onstage and singing into a vocal microphone. He has an emotional look on his face as he sings.|Vocalist [[Eddie Vedder]], from [[Pearl Jam]], is noted for his expressive singing style.]]
The grunge singing style was similar to the "outburst" of loud, heavily distorted electric guitar in tone and delivery; Kurt Cobain used a "gruff, slurred articulation and gritty timbre" and [[Eddie Vedder]] of Pearl Jam made use of a "wide, powerful [[vibrato]]" to show his "depth of expression."<ref name="Shepherd 2012. p. 23" /> [[Layne Staley]] voiced lyrics with a "heaviness" and [[tremolo]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sola |first=David de |date=2012-04-05 |title=How Alice in Chains Found the Most Memorable Voice in Grunge |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/how-alice-in-chains-found-the-most-memorable-voice-in-grunge/255469/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US}}</ref>  In general, grunge singers used a "deeper vocal style" which matched the lower-sounding, downtuned guitars and the darker-themed lyrical messages used in the style.<ref name="gibson.com" /> Grunge singers used "gravelly, raspy" vocals,<ref name="Felix-Jager, Steven 2017. p. 135" /> "... growls, moans, screams and mumbles"<ref>Moody, Fred. ''Seattle and the Demons of Ambition: A Love Story''. 2004. p. 171.</ref> and "plaintive groans"; this range of singing styles was used to communicate the "varied emotions" of the lyrics.<ref>Fournier, Karen. ''The Words and Music of Alanis Morissette.'' ABC-CLIO, 2015. p. 44</ref> Cobain's reaction to the "bad times" and discontent of the era was that he screamed his lyrics.<ref name="Talley, Tara pp. 228">Talley, Tara. "Grunge and Blues, A Sociological Comparison:How Space and Place Influence the Development and Spread of Regional Musical Styles". ''Chrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research, School of Humanities and Social Sciences'', College of Charleston Volume 4, 2005: pp. 228–240. p. 233</ref> In general, grunge songs were sung "simply, often somewhat unintelligibly"; the virtuoso "[[opera]]tics of hair-metal were shunned."<ref name="Talley, Tara pp. 228" /> Grunge singing has been characterized as "borderline out-of-tune vocals".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bullz-eye.com/music/deep_cuts/2007/grunge.htm   |title=GRUNGE Deep Cuts |last=Clark |first=Bill |date=September 4, 2007 |website=bullz-eye.com |publisher=Bullz-eye |access-date=March 1, 2017 }}</ref>