SUPER LEAD SHEETS 

OK I admit, writing out songs on sheets of paper/pdf is, well, not cool and sexy. 
So here's David Bowie and Mick Ronson being rock stars.
(PS. they did write down their songs!)

 

HAVE YOU FOUND LEARNING SONGS 
TO BE FRUSTRATING?

 

IT'S NOT YOU!
WELCOME - I'LL SHOW YOU HOW

 

SUPER LEAD SHEETS - an idea I came up with to make songs accessible to everyone at different levels of their own musical development. 

  • They are clear. 
  • They are both more concise and more deeply detailed than other teaching formats.
  • They give you the information you need in order to play a song. 
    (You may have worked with other song sheets which have left you confused or feeling like you missed something. That: that’s exactly why I make these.)


The usual ways that educators use to write down songs 

  • ‘lead sheets’
  • ‘Tabs’
  • ‘notation’
  • ‘videos’ 

as formats for song learning, they all all . . . . well . . . . kinda suck:  Cumbersome, confusing to most, missing the point, missing info, just plain wrong.  I’m not ranting.


Adaptations: that’s what this is really is about. Music is complex and each element of it is completely intertwined with the others. So in order to adapt it to every level of player - so a song is  doable/accessible - we need to simplify some elements while keeping others intact.

 

In this way a player can zero in on exactly what they want to, one thing at a time. Making the most of the skills you already posses, you are able to work around those skills they have not yet developed.

 

 

WHAT IS THE BIG IDEA

Each song is unique and must be understood on its own terms.

If they were simple and the same, then they wouldn’t enrapture us so.

 

1.  Videos. The best tool. You can both SEE and HEAR your end goal: the song.
I break up the teaching into several smaller vids so it’s easier for you to navigate to the part you want.

 

2. Lead Sheet (music score, tab, etc). Writing down music is the easiest way for you to form a mental image of it, memorize it, understand how it works, feel how its parts interact. It’s better than video at giving you a reference to refer back to. 

CAVEAT

  • The traditional classical notation and the ubiquitous TAB systems both have big shortcomings. 

HOW I FIXED IT 

  • I remove detail and notational specifics as much as possible. This clears away the confusing stuff and leaves you with a clear, legible, understandable resource. It enables you to focus on what you need to focus on. 
  • When it helps, I create multiple versions, each designed to show a specific aspect of the song, or help a less experienced player. 
  • I explain it all so you can get it. 
  • I link to other articles that can deepen your understanding

 

3. Super Lead Sheet. A Blog/Web Page on which I combine the above and give you a ton more concepts, suggestions, work arounds . . . it’s really a flexible multimedia page where I can show you anything and everything you need to know to: Play the Songs You Want To Play.

  • Make connections
  • Show how things work
  • Share links
  • Give adaptations for playing for beginner-intermediate-advanced players, 
  • Show students working with me on that song (real time, real learning, real teaching)
  • Break up the length

 

The trouble with oldschool approaches is that they forced the song into the format. I reverse that and customize everything to fit each song.  Some songs are easily shown with just two measures of chord changes; others are more easily understood by showing melodies notated and analyzed. 

 

4. Use The Song. as my vehicle for teaching the general skills and knowledge of music. (The more you know, the less work it is to do a thing.)

 

5. UPDATES. I will inevitably come up with more stuff to teach: 

  • New ideas 
  • Nuances 
  • Answers to readers’ requests 
  • Learning from multiple versions by the original performer 
  • etc.


My Super Lead Sheet page will serve you as an evolving hub of knowledge about the song.

 

 


There is a lot to this, a lot of stuff to make and organize. I in no way have it perfected. But I put off publishing this stuff for too long for that reason. We’re rolling out!

I include several ways for you to ask questions and make requests. Each individual song, and the whole concept of Super Lead Sheets will receive updates as requested . . . . or as I come up with new ideas.

 

 

 


ALRIGHT: THE PUN
My term “Super Lead Sheet”

Why??

The oldschool way to refer to a written out song was ‘lead sheet’. They were published in things called ‘songbooks’, ‘fake books’, ‘real books’.

The Marshall amplifier company, makers of the famous “Marshall Stack” had a model that they named the “Super Lead”. 
This was one of the first ‘plexi head’ amps, from back in the day when Marshall was developing their products in collaboration with the likes of Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix and others . . . . you know, obscure rockers.


So anyway, my Lead Sheets are more Super than the others.

Dad Jokes Forever!