THE ROLLING STONES SWEET VIRGINIA – How To Play on Guitar and Harmonica

Sweet Virginia – Exile On Main Street MP3 Downloads and Some Other Stones Stuff

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A Quick History, Sheet Music, Lyrics, Chords, Harmonica Tabs, Plus Musical Instruments and Recording Setup

Sweet Virginia – The Rolling Stones Exile On Main Street
Released May 12, 1972

Most of the Exile on Main Street album was recorded in the south of France in the villa Nellcote, in Villefranche-sur-Mer, where Keith was living to be away from the English taxman.

This was a bad period for Keith and drugs. It’s amazing that the album turned out as well as it did. There are some great songs on the album (double album really) including Tumbing Dice, Happy, Rocks Off, Rip This Joint and Sweet Virginia.

Some facts about Exile On Main Street
- #1 on the UK album charts from June 10 – June 17, 1972
- #1 on the Billboard 200 album charts from June 17 – July 14, 1972
- returned to #1 on the UK album charts from May 23 – May 30, 2010 when it was re-released.

The musicians during the Sweet Virginia sessions were
Mick Jagger - Vocals and Harmonica
Keith Richards - Rhythm Guitar
Mick Taylor - Lead Guitar
Bill Wyman - Bass Guitar
Charlie Watts - Drums
Bobby Keys - Tenor Saxophone
Ian Stewart - Piano

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Sheet Music

I found Sweet Virginia in two music books for Exile On Main Street. The first,
Exile on Main Street by The Rolling Stones
for guitar and voice. Hal Leonard Guitar Recorded Versions. Rock and Classic Rock. Difficulty: medium. Guitar tablature songbook. Guitar tablature, standard notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names, guitar chord diagrams and guitar notation legend. 136 pages.
The second music book,
Exile On Main Street Sheet Music, for guitar, voice, bass guitar, drum set and keyboard. Hal Leonard Transcribed Scores. Rock and Classic Rock. Difficulty: medium. Full score. Guitar tablature, standard notation, vocal melody, lyrics, chord names, bass tablature, drum notation, guitar notation legend and bass notation legend. 200 pages. Published by Hal Leonard.
This 200-page book features note-for-note transcriptions of every instrument used on 13 songs from the classic Stones album.

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Sweet Virginia Lyrics, Guitar Chords, Harmonica Tabs

Sweet Virginia music and lyrics are property and copyright of their owners and provided for educational purposes and personal use only.
The following is my transcription of my version of this awesome song. If you want how the author intended, check out the links above.

Intro
G D G C G

Harmonica Solo
C A G
4 -4 4 -4 5 5 -4 4 -4

C A G
4 -4 5 5 -4 4 -4

C A G      C
4 -4 5 6 5 6 7 -6 5
G         D             G  C  G
8 8 8 7 -8 -8 8 7 7 7

Sweet Virginia Lyrics and Guitar Chords
C A G
Wadin’ through the waste stormy winter,
C A G
And there’s not a friend to help you through.
C A G C
Tryin’ to stop the waves behind your eyeballs,
G D G C G
Drop your reds, drop your greens and blues.

Thank you for your wine, California,
Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits.
Yes I’ve got the desert in my toenail
And I hid the speed inside my shoe.

But come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
Come on, honey child, I beg of you.
Come on, come on down, you got it in ya.
Got to scrape the shit right off you shoes.

Sax Solo – Bobby Keys

I want you to come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
I want you come on, honey child, I beg of you. .
I want you come on, honey child you got it in you.
Got to scrape that shit right off you shoes.

But come on, come on down Sweet Virginia,
Come on, come on down, I beg of you.
Come on, come on down, you got it in you.
Got to scrape that shit right off you shoes

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Musical Instruments and Recording Setup

My Takamine
In the Sweet Virginia video, I am playing my Takamine EG Series Acoustic – Electric Guitar very similar to the picture to the left.
I’ve had this guitar for the past 10 years. I had heard alot of good things about Takamine guitars and had tried a couple which I really liked so when I needed an affordable stage setup, I bought the guitar, hard-shell case, fender deluxe 90 amp, and an assortment of accessories for under a thousand bucks.
I like the rounded profile that is narrow at the waist and broad behind the bridge. This creates a soundboard with balanced frequency response – deep bass, clear treble, and a sweet, round midrange that projects well.
It includes 3-band graphic EQ and built-in tuner which is really handy.
From Takamine, “Built to Takamine designs in some of the most modern guitar shops in the world, G-series instruments are priced for every budget. The G-series guitar is every bit Takamine, from its acoustic performance to the latest in pickup and preamp design. These guitars are crafted from the finest handpicked tonewoods, hand-crafted by expert luthiers, all providing players with unmatched excellence and surprising affordability”
I know I’ve enjoyed every minute of mine

Hohner Special 20 Key G

The Hohner Special 20 has been my harmonica of choice for a long time. They are just easy to play, easy to bend and sound great. They are excellent harmonicas for someone just starting out but are also played by pros in all types of venues worldwide.
From Hohner, “The Special 20 is the go-to harp for harmonica players of any style, including blues, country, folk, or rock. The Special 20 delivers the coveted Marine Band sound and offers the benefits of its plastic comb: it doesn’t absorb moisture so it won’t swell, shrink, or crack; it lasts longer and is more airtight than wood combs that can become swollen, twisted, and warped; airtight construction provides increased responsiveness; plastic provides comfort and it’s smoother on the lips, preventing chafing”.

Video Editing

I used CyberLink PowerDirector for editing the video. It works great for synching audio and video as well as adding text and transitions between scenes. And it’s fast, so you get quality videos without alot of time spent.
From PCMag.com, 12/27/2010, “CyberLink’s PowerDirector has all the speed and all the advanced features an enthusiast video editor could want. As the first consumer video editing software to support 64-bit Windows, PowerDirector is taking a lead in the field. PCMag.com, December 7, 2010″.

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Thanks for watching the video. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think.
If you have a specific request for a song, send it along and I’ll see what I can do.
Here’s to your musical success,
George

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