Case Study 3 - A Lead Sheet
Many contemporary songs are written down as a lead sheet. A Lead sheet gives the mel-
ody of the song in staff notation, gives the chords to be played (as symbols or letters) and
often also includes the lyrics. Have a look at this example....
....You can see that the melody is given, along with a tempo marking and a dynamic mark-
ing. The chord letters above the stave show which chords should be improvised to provide
an accompaniment.
Student Question - “Which way should I play chords?”
An issue that comes up a lot when working with students is the question of
how to play chords in a particular piece. Unless the sheet music gives a spe-
cific direction on how to play them (i.e. the chord is written out as an ar-
peggio or there is a spread mark) then you need to use your own musical in-
tuition. Here are some pointers I give my students....1.Don’t use block chords to low down the piano or it will sound very muddy.
2.Try to vary the use of arpeggios, block chords and spread chords through-
out a piece/song. Using arpeggios in the verse and driven block chords in
the chorus can work well in contemporary music.
3.Listen to what other instruments are doing - which chord playing tech-
nique will best complement what they are doing.
4.Experiment... as with all of this sheet music theory, there is no substitute
for playing it out loud and hearing what it sounds like. Trust your ears!I have given some suggestions at the start of the 20 Pieces For Occa-
sions book.It’s Time To Get Practical
Great news!!
You now have enough understanding to have a go at
playing all of the 20 Pieces for Occasions Book.Enjoy!!