Whatever It Takes: Authentic Guitar TAB

This folio captures 35 contemporary rock hits in authentic TAB, giving guitarists immediate access to the exact voicings and techniques heard on the original recordings. The collection spans a wide range of contemporary rock subgenres and artists, so you can build setlists that reflect your students' actual listening habits while teaching them real-world rock technique. Guitar students are far more motivated to learn music they recognize and love.

Raw, energetic, and emotionally direct. These arrangements capture the driving rhythms, soaring solos, and stadium-sized power of modern rock radio, with moments of introspection and restraint that remind you why these songs stuck around. You'll hear both the heaviness of post-grunge influence and the melodic sensibility that made this era's rock songs genuinely memorable.

Intermediate to advanced rock guitarists who learn best from authentic transcriptions of music they already know. This collection works equally well for self-taught players building their repertoire and for instructors who want to bridge the gap between classical technique and contemporary styles their students actually want to play.

• Study the original recordings alongside the TAB to understand picking patterns, dynamics, and tone choices that aren't always notated in tab alone.
• Pay close attention to alternate tunings listed for each song; many contemporary rock tracks use dropped D or lower tunings that fundamentally change hand position and technique.
• Use the TAB as a roadmap for finger placement, but develop your ear by matching the recorded timbre and attack rather than playing mechanically note-for-note.
• Experiment with amplifier settings and effects to approximate the studio sound; many of these songs rely on specific gain structures and modulation that shape the overall character.

Build a contemporary rock concert featuring cuts from this collection; students can perform individual songs or combine them into a cohesive set that demonstrates the breadth of 21st-century rock. You can also use individual tracks as supplemental repertoire in lessons to reinforce technique within music students are motivated to master.

• Reading and executing accurate guitar TAB notation
• Identifying and playing common rock tunings and alternate tunings
• Translating recorded guitar tone into finger technique and equipment choices
• Developing rhythmic precision in power chord progressions and syncopated patterns
• Building repertoire across multiple contemporary rock subgenres and artist styles