You Can't Always Get What You Want: Interm./Easy Guitar TAB

This collection captures 66 songs from the era that shaped modern rock guitar playing. Students encounter the exact songs that inspired generations of guitarists to pick up the instrument, making the music inherently motivating. The TAB arrangements preserve the essential character of each track while remaining accessible to intermediate and early-advanced players.

Playing through this book is like walking through the sonic landscape of a transformative era. You'll move between blues-based grooves, folk-influenced fingerpicking, psychedelic textures, and straightforward rock power, each song offering a different guitar vocabulary to absorb. The variety keeps practice sessions fresh while building a comprehensive understanding of how guitarists approached the instrument across multiple subgenres.

Intermediate to early-advanced guitarists ready to tackle the songs that define rock guitar history. Students drawn to classic rock will find immediate, practical application; the TAB format removes the transcription work so they can focus on tone and interpretation. This collection works equally well for self-directed practice and structured lesson sequences.

• Study the original recordings alongside the TAB to understand the tone and feel each song requires; the guitar voicings and rhythmic phrasing matter as much as hitting the right notes.
• Pay attention to dynamics and muting techniques, especially on rhythm parts; many of these songs rely on crisp articulation rather than volume to cut through a mix.
• Use a capo strategically. Many of these arrangements use open positions that may require capos to match original keys; experiment to find what sounds best under your hands.
• Work the turnarounds and fills section by section rather than rushing through them; they're often the most distinctive elements that make each song recognizable.

Build a unit around decade-specific styles by pairing songs from the same artists or era. Students preparing for recitals or informal performance opportunities can select pieces at their individual level from the 66 options. Use this as a supplementary resource throughout the year alongside method work; the repertoire reinforces technique while maintaining engagement through music students already know and respect.

• Reading TAB notation fluently across six-string arrangements
• Recognizing and executing common rock rhythm patterns and strumming techniques
• Interpreting chord voicings and understanding why specific fingerings create particular tones
• Building ear training by comparing TAB to recorded versions and identifying variations
• Developing fingerstyle and pick-based techniques appropriate to different song styles