How to Use Lead Sheets to Improve Your Playing

Find Lead Sheets for your favorite songs here. Begin improvising on the piano since a lead sheet music provides you with only the melody.

Do you wish to improvise on a song but do not recall its complete melody?

Catch hold of its music CD. If even that is not available, get yourself a leadsheet (aka music chart) for the song.

A music chart/lead sheet gives pianists the complete freedom to improvise on a song. It is a sheet of written music which provides only an outline of the song, basically the melody. This way you are free to experiment with the melody (only to some extent) and the way you harmonize it.

Also Read: Understanding the various types of Printed music

Only the Treble Clef
A leadsheet will provide the notes on a treble clef and will display the chords that need to be played for the song.

The treble clef will give you the melody or the tune of the song.

Sometimes, even the chords would be provided… but you are free to fiddle around with the chords, provided you are familiar with the use of all the chords.

Most of the time, lyrics will also be provided in the lead sheets.

The songs in this form would usually fit in just one page so it is very convenient to use as well.

You can even use a sheet music as a lead sheet if you do not want to play the left hand as per the printed sheet. You just look at the melody notes and the chords and ignore everything else on the sheet.

Know Your Chords
To be able to play from a music chart you need to be familiar with all the chords and the different ways in which chords can be used.

You should be able to play the chord inversions and have some knowledge about the cycle of fifths and chord substitutions.

You should also learn to play the chords as rhythmic patterns. The rhythmic patterns can be played with both hands if you are accompanying a singer.

It is best to learn and memorize some catchy rhythmic patterns.

Use Your Left Hand
Since the music chart only provides the notes for the melody, you should know what you are going to do with your left hand.

Learn some left hand accompaniments and rhythmic patterns which you can use to play the chords.

Learn to play the chords as 3-note, 4-note arpeggios.

You can even train your left hand to play the melody so that for some bars you can play the melody line with both your hands.

Fake Book
A fakebook is basically a collection of lead sheets sold in a book format. The songs may not be related but it is common for the songs to be grouped based on some common theme.

If you buy a fakebook, you will definitely find the cost cheaper on a per song basis but then you may or may not get all the songs you want in one book.

Also Read: Best piano books for various skill levels