Lead sheet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A lead sheet is a form of music notation that describes the melody, lyrics and harmony of a popular song. The melody is written in traditional music notation, the lyric is written as text below the staff and the harmony is described by chord symbols above the staff.
A lead sheet captures the essence of a popular song. All information about a particular arrangement or performance of a song has been removed. For this reason, a lead sheet is usually the form of a song to which copyright is applied.
It is often the only form of written music used by a small jazz ensemble. One or more musicians will play the melody while the rest of the group improvises an appropriate accompaniment based on the chord progression given in the chord symbols, followed by an improvised solo also based on the chord progression. Similarly, a sufficiently skilled jazz pianist should be able to accompany a singer and perform a song by himself using only a lead sheet.
Collections of lead sheets are called "fakebooks," as in the old cliché "I don't know the song but if you hum a few bars I can fake it." The most famous fakebook is called, ironically, "The Real Book"
[edit] See also
- Chord chart
- Impro-Visor, GUI and text-based editor for leadsheets
- Wikifonia
[edit] External links
- Gospel Lead Sheet Examples - Gospel lead sheets typically include the lyrics with the chords written above them.
- Real Book/Lead Sheet Directory - Searchable database of Real Book Songs and Lead Sheets.
- Wikifonia - A wiki for Pop/Rock/Jazz/... Lead Sheets in high quality pdf.
- Leadsheet Notation Textual notation for creating, communicating, and playing leadsheets.
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