Lindsey Buckingham is a madman. I mean that in the best possible way, but if you've ever actually sat down with a go your own way tab and tried to make it sound like the record, you know exactly what I’m talking about. It isn’t just about the notes. It’s the sheer, frantic energy of a man processing a messy breakup through a Telecaster and an old Turner Model 1.
Most people think they know the song. They hear that driving beat and think, "Oh, it’s just some open chords and a solo."
Wrong.
The minute you dig into the actual mechanics, you realize the rhythm part is an absolute nightmare of syncopation and hand-cramping acoustic strumming. It’s arguably one of the most misunderstood guitar tracks in rock history. If you're looking at a tab that just shows you a basic F, C, and G progression, you’re missing about 70% of what makes the song work.
The Rhythm Trick You’re Probably Missing
The "Rumours" sessions were notoriously toxic. You had Lindsey and Stevie Nicks barely speaking, and that tension is baked into every single strum. When you look at a go your own way tab, the first thing you notice is the key of F major.
But here’s the kicker. Lindsey doesn’t play it like a normal human.
He uses a lot of unique voicings. On the studio recording, there’s a massive layer of acoustic guitars—sometimes up to six or eight tracks deep—all hitting these percussive, driving rhythms. If you want to play this solo on an acoustic, you have to mimic that "wall of sound" with just your right hand.
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It’s all about the "and" of the beat.
The drum part, famously conceived by Mick Fleetwood after he struggled to understand Lindsey’s initial demo, places the snare in weird spots. This forces the guitar to act as the primary timekeeper. If your go your own way tab doesn’t emphasize those up-strokes on the verses, it’s going to sound flat. You’ve gotta hit those strings hard, almost like you’re trying to break them.
Why the Solo is a Fingerstyle Nightmare
Lindsey Buckingham doesn’t use a pick.
Let that sink in.
That searing, distorted, high-gain solo at the end of the track? That’s all flesh and nail hitting the strings. This is where most guitarists fail when following a go your own way tab. They grab a heavy plectrum and try to shred it. It doesn’t work. You can’t get that specific "snap" and "pop" unless you’re using your fingers.
The solo is built on a series of aggressive double-stops and frantic pentatonic runs. But it’s messy. It’s meant to be messy.
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If you watch live footage from the 1977 "Rumours" tour or even the 1997 "The Dance" reunion, Lindsey is basically attacking the guitar. He’s snapping the strings against the frets. When reading the tab for the outro, look for those repeated bends on the 13th fret of the B string. You have to hold the bend while hitting the high E string simultaneously. It creates a dissonant, screaming quality that a pick just can’t replicate.
Breaking Down the Verse Chords
Let’s get technical for a second. The verse follows a pretty standard movement: F, C, and Bb (though many people play G).
- The F Major Chord: Don’t just bar it. Lindsey often plays a "thumb-over" style to keep his other fingers free for flourishes.
- The Transition: The move from the C to the Bb needs to be snappy.
- The "Dreaming" Part: When the chorus hits—"Go your own way!"—the chords shift to Bb, C, and F.
Honestly, the hardest part isn't the left hand. It’s the endurance. Keeping that eighth-note strumming pattern perfectly locked with the kick drum for four minutes is a workout. Your forearm will probably burn. If it doesn't, you aren't playing it with enough "Lindsey energy."
Acoustic vs. Electric: Which Tab Should You Use?
There are two ways to approach a go your own way tab.
You have the acoustic rhythm, which is the heartbeat. Then you have the electric leads, which are the soul. Most online tabs try to mash them together into one "arrangement," but that’s a mistake. If you’re playing solo, focus on the acoustic rhythm but incorporate the lead fills during the gaps in the vocals.
One thing people forget is the tuning. While the song is in F, some live versions see the band tuning down a half step to accommodate vocal strain as the years went by. If you’re playing along to a live recording from the 2000s and you sound "off," check your tuning. You might need to drop everything to Eb.
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Common Mistakes in Modern Tabs
I've looked at a lot of versions of this song on Ultimate Guitar and Songsterr. Most of them get the bridge wrong.
The bridge ("You can roll it / You can shake it") isn't just a static chord progression. There’s a descending bass line happening within the guitar voicings. If you just strum a Dm chord, it sounds empty. You need to capture that internal movement.
Also, look out for the "ghost notes." Lindsey is a master of muting strings he isn't playing. A good go your own way tab will show 'X' marks on the strings to indicate where you should be deadening the sound. If you let all the strings ring out, the song loses its percussive, "chugging" quality. It just becomes a wash of noise.
Gear Matters (But Not How You Think)
You don't need a $5,000 Rick Turner guitar to play this.
You do, however, need a bit of grit. If you’re playing the electric parts, use a bridge pickup. Turn the gain up, but roll the tone knob back just a hair. You want it to bite, but you don't want it to be thin. Lindsey’s tone is surprisingly thick for such a fast player.
For the acoustic, use light gauge strings. It makes those rapid-fire strums much easier on the fingers. And please, for the love of rock and roll, put the pick down for at least five minutes and try to use your index finger and thumb. It’ll feel weird at first. Your timing will suck. But then, suddenly, it’ll click. You’ll hear that "snap," and you’ll realize that is the Fleetwood Mac sound.
Actionable Steps for Your Practice Session
Don't try to learn the whole thing in one go. It’s too frustrating.
- Start with the acoustic rhythm. Forget the notes for a second and just focus on the "percussion" of your right hand. Mute the strings with your left hand and just scratch out the rhythm until it feels like a drum beat.
- Isolate the "double-stops" in the solo. These are the two-note chords that Lindsey slides up and down the neck. Get the intonation right on those bends.
- Record yourself. This is the big one. "Go Your Own Way" is notorious for "rushing." Because it’s so high-energy, it’s easy to get faster and faster as the song goes on. Play along to the original track and see if you’re still in sync by the time the outro solo hits.
- Work on your fingerstyle calluses. If you aren't used to playing electric lead with your bare fingers, it’s going to hurt. Short sessions are better than one long one that leaves you unable to play the next day.
The beauty of the go your own way tab is that it’s a gateway into a completely different style of playing. It breaks the rules of "lead guitar" and "rhythm guitar" by blending them into one aggressive, beautiful mess. Once you nail that rhythm, every other classic rock song feels like a breeze. Stop overthinking the perfect "studio" sound and just play it like you’re mad at your ex-girlfriend in a high-pressure recording studio in 1976. That’s the real secret.