lead sheets
Minimal music notation
Lead sheets are simplified musical scores that show only the essential elements of a song: the melody line, lyrics, and chord symbols.
Unlike full arrangements, they leave accompaniment and voicing decisions to the performer, making them the standard format for jazz musicians, singer-songwriters, and anyone who needs to play a tune without a complete score.
The Real Book is a famous collection of lead sheets for jazz standards.
They're sometimes called fake sheets because performers "fake" the arrangement on the spot.
Short-term paid work
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- sight-readingPerforming unrehearsed notation
- concertLive musical performance
recital · accompaniment · ensemble · vocalist · instrumentalist · bandstand · repertoire · requests
Shorthand for harmony
- melody linePrimary musical phrase
- staffOrganization's workers collectively
- clefStaff pitch indicator
- key signatureNotation showing tonal center
time signature · bars · measures · coda · fermata · dynamics · accidentals · transposition
Performing without accompaniment
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- spontaneityActing without forethought
- phrasingManner of expressing something
licks · riffs · embellishment · ornamentation · stylization · reharmonization · substitution · fills
Accepted levels of quality
- bebopFast, complex jazz style
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- modalPertaining to form
- balladNarrative poem or song
Latin jazz · comping · voicings · walking bass · changes · turnaround · bridge · Tin Pan Alley
gig
Short-term paid work
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
- rehearsalPre-performance practice session
- sight-readingPerforming unrehearsed notation
concert · recital · accompaniment · ensemble · vocalist · instrumentalist · bandstand · repertoire · requests · medley
chord symbols
Shorthand for harmony
- melody linePrimary musical phrase
- staffOrganization's workers collectively
- clefStaff pitch indicator
key signature · time signature · bars · measures · coda · fermata · dynamics · accidentals · transposition · copyist
soloing
Performing without accompaniment
- jammingBlocking or wedging forcefully
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- spontaneityActing without forethought
phrasing · licks · riffs · embellishment · ornamentation · stylization · reharmonization · substitution · fills · blowing
standards
Accepted levels of quality
ballad · Latin jazz · comping · voicings · walking bass · changes · turnaround · bridge · Tin Pan Alley · Great American Songbook
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