Basics in understanding 'Busker' type music sheets.

[Hugh-AR]

I'm sure that many of us keyboard players play from 'Busker' type music, which just shows the melody line with chord Symbols. The whole idea of this type of music is to give you a basic frame to play from. It gives you the chords (harmony of the piece) and the melody line. One of the things that is mentioned in the video below is that the melody phrasing is not meant to be played as written. The simplified four crotchets in a bar are written like that to enable you to read the notes more easily. To make the music 'flow' you must listen to the piece being played or sung and do the phrasing 'by ear'. If you don't, then your music will sound very 'heavy' .. or as she says in the video, it will sound 'square'.

In the video she calls Busker type music 'Lead Sheets'. If you had the music score of what you should actually play it would look very complicated, with lots of half notes, and 'tied' notes (indicating you play the note early and hold it over). Very difficult to follow! So for any of you that religiously 'play from the dots' and think you are playing it as it should be played because that is what is written on the music score, think again! You have to listen to the piece and play the melody phrasing 'by ear'.

A lot of what she explains in the video you will already know. She is a pianist, and chord symbols are not really meaningful for a pianist as the essence of playing a piano is playing notes .. not forming chords. The video is worth watching right through as it gives another perspective to playing music.

To see what she is doing more clearly it is best to watch this video FULL SCREEN.
Click on the 'square' indicated when the video starts.



Then to get back to the normal screen after, click the symbol indicated below.



Lead Sheet Basics | What they are. How to use them. Where to find them.



Hugh