Sympathy for the Devil: Interm./Easy Guitar TAB

This collection captures 61 landmarks of rock history in arrangements that respect the original recordings while remaining genuinely playable at the intermediate and easy levels. The song selection spans multiple decades and styles, giving students exposure to blues-based rock, folk-rock, soul, and early psychedelic material all in one book. Teachers appreciate the balance between recognizable hits and deeper cuts that illustrate how rock music evolved during its most formative period.

A guitar journey through the birth and adolescence of rock and roll. You'll move through swaggering blues-based grooves, soaring folk-rock melodies, funky soul rhythms, and experimental psychedelic textures, all anchored by the unmistakable Stones aesthetic that runs through the era.

Intermediate and easy-level guitarists who want exposure to rock history through songs that actually shaped the genre. This book works for students transitioning from simplified arrangements to fuller versions, as well as for adult learners seeking to build repertoire from material they already know and love.

• Pay attention to the rhythmic feel of each era represented here. A 1950s song like 'Rock Around the Clock' requires a different swing and energy than the heavier grooves of late 1960s material like 'Sympathy for the Devil.' Let the arrangement guide your approach.
• Use the tablature to identify which strings and positions work best for your hand. Since these arrangements preserve important guitar parts from the originals, the tab notation clarifies which voicings matter most for capturing the song's character.
• Study the dynamic range across the collection. Some songs sit in single-note riffs, while others need chord work and embellishments. Switching between these textures will strengthen your versatility.
• Reference the original recordings when available. Hearing how the guitar parts function in context helps you understand phrasing, timing, and when to lock into the groove versus when to space out notes for clarity.

Create a rock history unit where students play songs chronologically and discuss how guitar styles and production techniques shifted decade by decade. These arrangements work well in showcase recitals or as supplementary material alongside a guitar course focused on genre and era. You might also assign individual songs as performance projects that let students explore different subgenres within a single historical period.

• Reading guitar tablature and standard notation simultaneously
• Adapting rhythmic feel and swing to match historical context (1950s through late 1960s styles)
• Transitioning between single-note riffs, chord voicings, and combined textures
• Understanding fundamental rock guitar techniques: riffs, 12-bar blues progressions, and rhythm-section interlock
• Recognizing melodic and harmonic patterns across blues, soul, and early rock traditions