How It Is: Guitar TAB Digital Sheet Music

Rush's catalog provides guitarists with genuinely challenging material that pushes technique without sacrificing musicality. "How It Is" sits in that sweet spot where students encounter sophisticated rhythmic and harmonic ideas within a rock context they actually want to learn. TAB format makes complex Rush passages accessible while still requiring real musicianship to execute them well.

A guitar line with real substance and architectural clarity. Rush writes parts that sit comfortably in the hands while still demanding precision and musicality, balancing the satisfying weight of a complete composition with the accessibility that TAB provides.

Guitarists at the intermediate to advanced level who are ready for Rush's technical demands and want to study rock composition through the lens of a master player. This works equally well for students pursuing electric guitar in a private lesson setting or for ensemble members looking to expand their solo repertoire.

• Lock into the rhythmic feel before worrying about speed. Rush's precision comes from understanding the groove first.
• Use the recorded version as a reference for tone and articulation, not just as a speed target.
• Practice sections slowly with a metronome, paying attention to how Lifeson voices chords and transitions between positions.
• Map out the TAB layout before playing so you understand the fret positions and can anticipate hand shifts.

Feature this in a guitar recital when you want to showcase student progress on material that sounds impressive and reads as genuinely sophisticated. It also works well as a summer practice project or as a bridge between classical/folk repertoire and original rock composition studies.

• Reading and executing complex rhythmic figures in a rock context
• Translating TAB to finger positions while maintaining musical phrasing
• Understanding harmonic movement in rock arrangements
• Building speed and accuracy on repeating technical passages
• Listening for and reproducing nuanced tone and articulation choices