3.2 LEAD SHEETs

Lead sheets are used to show how to play a song. They include information about the melody and chords so one or more musicians can recreate the song in its original form or as part of an arrangement. There are different form of a lead sheet including a chord a lyrics chart, a rhythm section chart, and a melody chart.

• Watch the walkthrough video.

• Learn the information below.

Terms
Chord Progression: The order of chords used in a song.
Harmonic Rhythm: The rate at which chords change in a chord progression. (Chords may change twice per measure, for example.)
Bass: An instrument that is connected rhythmically to the kick drum. It usually plays the roots (letter names) of the chords when they change in a progression.

The bass sounds best between C0 and C2 on the piano keyboard. Depending on the size of the keyboard that you are playing, you might need to transpose it an octave down to play in the key of G or F.

TRANSLATE

Translate the harmonic rhythm from the chord and lyrics chart to the lead sheet.

• Listen to the recording and figure out the harmonic rhythm by finding the pulse and counting how many beats each chord is played.

• Show the harmonic rhythm by writing the chord symbols above the corresponding slashes in the lead sheet blank.

Click the image to open up a PDF of the lead sheet blank

• Choose a song from the list and open in Noteflight by clicking on the image.

• Use your left hand in C position to play the roots (letter names) of the chords when they change on the lead sheet.

• Match the rhythm of the kick drum using your ear, if applicable.

• Print a Lead Sheet Blank →

• Listen to the playlist and practice counting along to the songs.

• Clap every time you hear a chord change.

• Draw an X above the corresponding slash on the blank lead sheet.

• If the chord changes between a beat, you can write the symbol between the beats.