Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin': Authentic Guitar TAB

This collection captures some of the most iconic rock guitar work of the 1980s in accurate, readable transcriptions. Students get to study how melodic sensibility and technical command can coexist in rock music, and the variety of songs (from power ballads to driving rockers) ensures there's something rewarding for guitarists at different levels.

These songs capture the sweep and drama of arena rock at its height. You'll find soaring, singable melodies layered over driving rhythms, emotional power ballads that demand sustain and control, and the kind of guitar-forward arrangements that made Journey's records impossible to ignore on FM radio.

Intermediate to advanced rock guitarists who want to study authentic transcriptions of a major influence on 1980s rock music. This book works well for students building a repertoire of classic rock songs or exploring how lead guitar and songwriting intersect in commercially successful rock music.

• Notice how Schon layers his parts across different octaves and registers. Pay attention to which notes sit higher or lower in the voicing, as this shapes the overall voice leading and emotional impact of each phrase.
• Many of these songs sit comfortably on the electric guitar neck but demand clean, sustained tone. Dial in your amp settings before you start learning the transcriptions so you can hear the natural sustain and feedback characteristics Schon relied on.
• Work through the rhythm parts alongside the lead lines. Journey's signature sound comes from how the rhythm and melody work together, so understanding the harmonic foundation helps you lock the lead work into place.
• Use a metronome for passages with syncopated rhythms or unusual phrasing. Songs like 'Separate Ways' have rhythmic subtleties that feel natural when they're tight but muddy when they drift.

Assign individual songs from this collection as solo recital pieces or as part of a rock repertoire unit. The variety of styles means you can program these across multiple students, or use one song as a centerpiece for a lesson on how lead guitar serves the song rather than overshadowing it.

• Reading and executing accurate TAB transcriptions of rock guitar work
• Translating rhythmic notation into authentic rock phrasing and dynamics
• Understanding voice leading and octave displacement in melodic guitar lines
• Developing tone control and sustain on electric guitar
• Analyzing how rhythm and lead guitar parts interact in arena rock arrangements