What a Shame: Lead Sheet

This lead sheet collection captures the essential DNA of early rock and roll through songs that defined an era. Having the riffs and guitar solos notated alongside melody and changes means players can study how the Stones built their sound, moving from direct blues interpretations to increasingly sophisticated arrangements.

Raw energy meeting deliberate craft. These songs pivot from stripped-down blues adaptations to densely layered productions, capturing a band discovering what it could do with chord changes, rhythmic tension, and attitude.

Guitarists and bandleaders programming rock repertoire, jazz ensembles covering popular classics, and musicians building a working knowledge of foundational rock songwriting. This collection serves both players who want to comp changes accurately and those studying how early rock songs were constructed.

• Study the included instrumental riffs as written. These figures are part of the song's identity, not decoration; locking them in with the rest of the band anchors the arrangement.
• Reference the guitar TAB section for solos and signature riffs to understand the voicings and techniques that give each song its character.
• Use the full-color discography as a listening guide. Hearing the original recordings while reading the lead sheets reveals how arrangement decisions shaped each composition.

Feature individual songs in a rock or popular music unit, or extract a medley of contrasting eras to show how the Stones' approach evolved between 1963 and 1971. This collection works equally well as a reference for a working band and as analytical material for a history or theory seminar.

• Reading lead sheets with instrumental figures and riffs notated
• Identifying blues changes and their variations across rock repertoire
• Understanding chord substitutions and reharmonization in popular music
• Sight-reading from TAB and standard notation simultaneously
• Studying how riffs and solos define a song's arrangement