Rock sheet music

Transcription or songbook

A note-for-note transcription reproduces the recorded parts, usually in notation and tab together, including solos. It is the expensive option and the only one that lets you play the record. Guitar recorded versions is the standard publisher label for this.

A chord songbook gives lyrics with chords above and expects you to supply the rest. It is a fraction of the price, covers many more songs per volume, and is the right purchase if you want to sing and strum rather than reproduce a solo.

Tuning, and why an arrangement can sound wrong

Rock arrangements frequently assume a non-standard tuning — drop D, half a step down, or open tunings. If a transcription sounds a semitone off against the record, the tuning note at the top of the first page is usually the reason.

Bass and drum editions follow the same conventions. Bass tab uses four lines rather than six; drum notation places each part of the kit on its own line or space and includes a legend, which differs slightly between publishers.