Join Rick Schmunk for an in-depth discussion in this video Lead sheet, part of Learning Music Notation.
- [Instructor] Conventions for lead sheets…are different than other music,…mostly because the style is less formal.…Let's take a look at those differences…and discuss how to create effective lead sheets.…So we're looking at Danny Boy here,…and one of the first things I'll mention is…is that in a lot of lead sheets,…we use the hand-drawn font…that I was discussing in a previous video.…So we see that both in the way the notes…are drawn, the way the flat sign…and the clef and time signatures are,…and you also see that, obviously,…in the font that we see here in the title and in the lyrics.…
Now one of the big things about lead sheets…that we should always remember…is that it's a simplified version of the music.…It's intended, if possible, to fit on one page,…and kind of be a summary of the song…and allow the players to look at…kind of the basic bone structure of the song,…and then just make up what they're going to do…in performance or in rehearsal.…So this particular song is only about 16 bars long.…
So we only need about five staves to get this on the page.…
Author
Rick Schmunk
Released
10/21/2016It starts with notating pitch (clefs) and duration, including note lengths and rests. He moves into discussing flats, sharps, naturals, and key signatures, and the unique symbols for musical expression, including dynamics and articulations. He goes over notating chords and chord progressions, and the addition of vocals and lyrics. The course wraps with some score formatting tips and notation examples for piano, guitar, and drums, which pull together all the information into complete, publication-worthy pieces of sheet music.
- Notating pitch with clefs
- Notating duration
- Adding time signature and bars
- Using dots and ties
- Modifying pitch
- Notating scales
- Communicating expressions such as tempo and performance
- Notating chord progressions
- Notating vocals and lyrics
- Formatting a score
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome51s
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1. Notating Pitch
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Treble clef4m 9s
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Bass clef4m 58s
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Grand staff4m 6s
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C clefs4m 30s
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Which clefs should I know?2m 33s
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2. Notating Duration and Rhythm
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Stems4m 29s
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8th and 16th notes9m 27s
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8th and 16th note rests8m 56s
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Dots and ties9m 33s
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Tuplets: Triplets and more8m 24s
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Time signatures II6m 24s
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3. Modifying Pitch and Scales
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Accidentals7m 39s
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Scales and intervals8m 6s
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Minor scales7m 48s
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The circle of 5ths8m 25s
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4. Communicating Expression
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Dynamics5m 36s
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Real-time dynamic change6m 17s
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Tempo and style markings5m 29s
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Tempo change8m 35s
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Performance instructions8m 50s
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Articulations12m 57s
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5. Notating Form
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Measure repeats5m 25s
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Repeat barlines6m 54s
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DC and DS repeats7m 58s
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6. Notating Chords and Chord Progressions
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Chord basics8m 44s
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Notating chord symbols10m 30s
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Nashville Number System10m 50s
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7. Slash and Rhythmic Notation
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Slash notation8m 18s
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Rhythmic notation5m 7s
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Alternate noteheads8m 11s
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8. Vocal Music and Lyrics
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Notating vocal music8m 5s
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Notating lyrics8m 40s
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Vocal and lyric examples7m 38s
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9. Score and Part Formatting
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Score setup: Page basics7m 16s
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Score setup: Spacing12m 26s
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Part setup7m 27s
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10. Notation Examples
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Piano parts9m 39s
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Guitar part12m 47s
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Drum part11m 50s
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Score10m 37s
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Lead sheet7m 22s
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Conclusion
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Next steps37s
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Video: Lead sheet