Any Way You Want It by Journey
Any Way You Want It is a high-energy rock staple from Journey's Escape era, released on the 1981 album Escape. It spotlights Steve Perry's soaring vocals and Neal Schon's melodic guitar hook over a tight rhythm section. The track was written by Jonathan Cain, Neal Schon, and Steve Perry and quickly became a crowd-pleasing staple on radio and in concert.
The song's enduring appeal comes from its feel-good groove and singalong chorus, which helped define Journey's arena rock sound in the early 80s. In the studio, the guitar parts lock with the rhythm section, delivering punchy power chords and bright, memorable fills that invited listeners to plug in and play along.
🎸 Want to know the techniques, practice tips, and lesson details? Scroll below the lesson!
What You'll Learn
In this guitar lesson, you'll learn the energetic main riff and the punchy verse-chorus groove that drive Any Way You Want It. We'll break down the iconic opening lick, show you how to shape the power-chord progression that underpins the chorus, and practice the rhythm patterns and palm-muted accents that give the track its drive. You'll also get tips for clean alternate picking, managing tempo changes between the verse and chorus, and a practical approach to the guitar solo phrasing. The lesson includes step-by-step tabs, jam-along practice tracks at slow and full tempo, and notes on tricky spots to watch for such as tight timing in the riff and accurate string muting.
Intermediate; familiarity with power chords, basic barre shapes, and clean palm muting helps.
🎸 Techniques Used
Practice Tips
- 💡Start by learning the main riff at a slow tempo with a metronome; lock in the timing before increasing speed.
- 💡Focus on palm muting to emphasize the percussive groove and keep the rhythm tight between verse and chorus.
- 💡Practice the verse-to-chorus transitions slowly, counting 1-2-3-4 to nail the groove and avoid rushing the changes.
Want More Lessons?
Subscribe to DadRock Tabs on YouTube for free guitar and bass lessons every week!
Subscribe – It's Free!💬 Comments & Ratings
Loading comments...