Runnin' With The Devil: Lead Sheet

This collection captures the guitar-forward arrangements that made Van Halen essential in rock music education. Students encounter authentic transcriptions of songs that demand both technical precision and musical phrasing, giving them concrete models for how to build speed, accuracy, and style simultaneously.

Energetic, technical, and deeply satisfying. These songs carry the swagger of arena rock while demanding genuine finger dexterity and rhythmic control. Playing through this collection feels like unlocking secrets to electric guitar mastery one note at a time.

Guitar students working toward intermediate and advanced playing levels who want to master rock techniques through music they already know. This collection appeals to self-taught players, students in formal lessons, and ensemble guitarists looking for substantial solo repertoire.

• Study the picking patterns closely; Van Halen's signature sound depends on consistent attack and articulation, not just speed. The rhythmic precision underneath the flashier passages keeps the songs locked in.
• Use a distortion tone that cuts through clearly rather than getting lost in gain. These transcriptions reveal note-for-note clarity, which means your tone needs to match.
• Build the faster passages at a tempo where you can execute every note cleanly, then gradually increase speed over weeks of practice. Rushing these sections destroys the musicality Eddie Van Halen prioritized.

Assign individual selections as solo recital pieces that give students measurable technical goals and recognizable musical contexts. The range of tempos and styles lets you match songs to student level and interest, while the sheer catalog ensures you can keep assigning from this collection across multiple years of instruction.

• Sweep picking and rapid single-note passages
• Harmonic techniques and controlled distortion tones
• Right-hand attack and consistent picking articulation
• Interval work and fretboard navigation at higher positions
• Syncopated rhythm guitar parts under lead lines
• Reading and interpreting guitar TAB with stylistic notation