| WHAT
IS 'SHEET MUSIC'??
There are various way to write music down. The SONGRISE database contains examples of all of these:
SHEET MUSIC: The traditional way
music has been written for
centuries,
'FAKE' Charts: An abbreviated form of music containing chords and melody,
(CHORD) CHARTS: Just the chords.
Which format do you need music to be
presented in?
--- see notes at bottom page.
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An example of traditional
SHEET MUSIC:
Traditional classical musicians are used to playing from this sort of music.
The SHEET music tells them EXACTLY what to play, note for note.
The advantage of this sort of music is that even if the musician has never
heard the song before, they can play it EXACTLY as it is written, so you get
to hear the music exactly as it 'should be', if it has been arranged well-
and assuming you learnt it straight from the sheet-music in the first place.
However. because every note played is written out, the music may take up a lot of
pages, which can be inconvenient in a show or cabaret context. 'Summertime,
(below) is
about 3 pages. JAZZ and POP players who are not as traditionally trained may not be
as familiar
with this form of written music and may prefer CHORD CHARTS
or 'LEAD sheet' / FAKE
CHARTS.
THE FIRST FEW BARS OF 'SUMMERTIME' in SHEET MUSIC FORM: |
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<< click for enlargement (may take a while to load!) |
An example of a
'LEAD sheet' or 'FAKE'
chart:
This is music 'shorthand' if you will. The melody is written down
normally, but there is no written accompaniment, just chord symbols. The
musician uses their knowledge of chords to 'fake' an accompaniment that sounds something like the original arrangement.
(hence the name)
(This
also used to be known as 'vamping')
The good thing about the 'FAKE'
chart compared to the following simple chord chart, is that it has the
melody there which can be a good guide to the musician who may not know the
song well. It may have the lyrics as well. They are also smaller,
(Summertime would fit easily on one page)
The drawback with these
abbreviated versions of music is that if the musician does not already
know the song and it's 'feel' or 'style' they may not know how to
improvise the accompaniment, and they may be a bit lost and may not
play what you expect to hear. Traditional classical musicians may not be AT
ALL comfortable playing from this sort of music. JAZZ and POP players will
probably be more familiar with this.THE FIRST FEW BARS OF SUMMERTIME' in
'LEAD sheet' / FAKE CHART form |
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<< click for enlargement (may take a while to load!) |
An example of a simple
(Chord) CHART.
Not much information here. No melody to
follow. Best used when the musician knows the song already and just needs
prompting to 'remember how it goes' (However, this may work fine if the
musician can also hear a pre-existing recording of the song, either by you
or a commercial one. It will give them more musical and stylistic
information and they can then play what you need)THE FIRST FEW BARS OF 'SUMMERTIME' in handwritten 'CHORD CHART'
form. (May be in printed form too) |
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A variation on the simple CHORD chart
.
Here the chords are simply added to a lyric sheet,
(or crumpled paper napkin!)
Once again, no melody or rhythm information, best used when performer
knows the song very well (Once again, if the
muso doesn't know the song, this may work fine if the musician can also hear
a pre-existing recording of the song, either by you or a commercial one. It
will give them more musical and stylistic information and they can then play
what you need) |
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<< click for enlargement (may take a while to load!)
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(NOTE: If you are
paying someone like me to write out music for you in your key, then a full sheet
music version like the first example above is probably the most
time-consuming (and therefore expensive!) way to do it. You may be
able to save lots of $$ if you get a 'FAKE' chart done instead. If you are
pretty sure that the musicians you normally hire to play for you can handle
them, then there is no real reason to pay the extra for the full 'note for
note' transcription. I find that these days, a 'LEAD sheet' or FAKE chart is
often all that is necessary. However, if the SHEET MUSIC already
exists, and you just need it in a particular key,
then, using some fabulous computer technology I have here, it is often
possible for me to make a full SHEET MUSIC arrangement in your
key, at the FAKE CHART rates! -- JUST ask me about whether I have the music
already)
I am describing these types of written
music from the perspective of a singer who may want to work with musicians
using these different forms of written music, in a cabaret, audition or
concert situation.
I will outline the advantages and disadvantages of each of these forms
from your point of view.
A TIP: IF you are going to ask a musician to accompany
you as a singer,
sometimes you may need to be aware of their background as to what kind of
music to give them.
What form of written music are they comfortable / familiar with?
The question 'Can I give you a chord chart or do you need sheet
music?"
will usually produce the information you need. |
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