Sympathy for the Devil: Guitar TAB

This collection captures Keith Richards' fingerprint guitar work across two decades of Stones classics in arrangements that preserve the character of each riff without overwhelming intermediate players. The TAB includes proper tunings and fingerings for each song, so players aren't reverse-engineering the parts or guessing at alternative voicings. It's a masterclass in how iconic rock guitar can be both recognizable and learnable.

Swaggering, bluesy, and immediately recognizable, these arrangements deliver the attitude and swagger of the Stones in playable form. Each riff carries the weight of its era while remaining fresh, balancing the rawness of rock with moments of genuine sophistication in tone and phrasing.

Intermediate guitarists ready to tackle iconic rock parts with historical depth and guitarists who want to understand how these songs actually sit under the fingers. This is ideal for players building a repertoire of recognizable material for recitals, ensemble projects, or simply the satisfaction of playing the exact parts that shaped modern rock guitar.

• Pay attention to the tuning notation for each song; several pieces use open tunings that dramatically change the feel and available voicings, so switching between standard and alternate tunings is part of mastering these arrangements.
• Use the fingering suggestions as written rather than substituting your own; they're designed to position your hand efficiently for the transitions and ornaments that define each riff.
• Listen to the original recordings while learning, focusing on tone and sustain choices as much as note placement. Richards' approach to dynamics and attack shape the character of these parts.
• Work through the arrangement at a slower tempo first, particularly on pieces with rapid fingerpicking or complex rhythm figures, to lock in the articulation before building to performance speed.

Feature individual songs as solo performance pieces in a recital or guitar showcase, or build a thematic concert around the evolution of rock guitar across the 1960s and 1970s by combining selections from this collection. These pieces also work well as performance incentives or curriculum touchstones for intermediate students learning how classic rock riffs translate from ear to notation.

• Reading full notation and TAB simultaneously
• Transitioning between standard and open tunings
• Executing classic rock phrasing and dynamics
• Interpreting fingering suggestions for efficiency and musicality
• Understanding chord voicings and inversions in rock contexts
• Building finger independence for rhythmic figures and ornaments