Sympathy for the Devil: Lead Sheet
Sympathy for the Devil Sheet Music Preview

Sympathy for the Devil: Lead Sheet

The Rolling Stones

Item: 00-PS-0012279
Digital Download
$4.99

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Description
The Rolling Stones Fake Book includes 167 classic Stones songs recorded between 1963 and 1971 -- from early blues covers (Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly songs) to the psychedelia of Their Satanic Majesties Request. All songs are in complete, professional-style lead sheets with fundamental instrumental riffs and figures included. There is also a special guitar TAB section, featuring the pivotal guitar riffs and solos from 29 of their most legendary songs, an introductory essay, a full-color ABKCO years discography (with album art), and 40 pages of classic early sheet music covers reproduced in full color. The comb binding creates a lay-flat book that is perfect for study and performance. The ultimate Rolling Stones songbook!

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Additional Details
Series: Just Real Books Series
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 432
SKU: 00-PS-0012279

More about this title

About the Composer: Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger co-wrote "Sympathy for the Devil" with Keith Richards during a period of extraordinary creative output for The Rolling Stones. The song emerged in 1968 as one of rock music's most provocative compositions, blending blues traditions with avant-garde studio techniques and lyrical ambition that challenged conventional songwriting.

Jagger's work as a composer across the Stones' catalog from the mid-1960s onward fundamentally shaped rock music education and repertoire. His ability to absorb American blues, country, and R&B while creating distinctly original material made him a model for understanding how rock songwriters adapt and transcend their influences.

Why we love this

This lead sheet captures one of rock's most structurally interesting songs, with its distinctive samba-influenced rhythm and layered arrangement. The inclusion of instrumental riffs makes it genuinely useful for ensemble learning, not just solo study. Guitarists get to grapple with how a song's character comes from more than melody alone.

What to expect

Menacing yet hypnotic, driven by a samba beat that feels both driving and unsettled. The harmonic movement is restless and the melody sits in spaces between comfort and unease, creating a song that rewards close listening and reveals new details with each encounter.

Who it's for

Guitar students and ensemble players working with early rock repertoire, especially those building chops in groove-based material and studying how blues-rooted compositions can expand into sophisticated arrangements. Teachers programming rock or music history units will find this lead sheet a reliable resource for classroom performance.

How to get the most out of it

  • Lock the rhythmic foundation first. The samba feel is essential; play the percussion-influenced strumming pattern cleanly before adding the melodic elements.
  • Study the riff notations alongside the lead sheet chords. Understanding how the guitar figures interact with harmonic movement clarifies the song's architecture.
  • Reference the recorded original to absorb the arrangement's details; the lead sheet provides the skeleton, but the Stones' version shows how dynamics and texture build the menace.

How to use it

Program this as part of a rock history unit examining the Stones' stylistic evolution or as a centerpiece for exploring how non-Western rhythms shaped 1960s rock. It works well alongside other songs from the same era that experimented with form and instrumentation, offering guitarists a chance to play something sophisticated and repertorially significant.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading and performing samba-influenced rhythmic feels
  • Interpreting chord changes with strong groove awareness
  • Connecting lead sheet symbols to recorded arranging choices
  • Building consistency in syncopated strumming patterns

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