14
votes
Accepted
What do these chord annotations mean?
To me it looks like the chords above in parentheses are an alternative progression you can play instead of the ones below them.
It's either:
| Bbmaj7 | Ebmaj7 |
or
| Bm7 E7 | Bbm7 Eb7 |
- 27.1k
14
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Cb/B problem while creating lead sheet
Well, if the key is Bb major, then Cb should be bII in that key, pretty much no matter what its purpose is. Unless there's some modulation or weird temporary tonicization going on, Cb is correct - ...
- 12.6k
12
votes
Em/C: Sound Notation, or Dirty Shorthand?
Who is it meant for, are you writing the notation for jazz players, pop/rock or is it a hymnal or what? Cmaj7 is not that strange, but it's just written communication from people to people, so you are ...
- 27.1k
11
votes
Accepted
How to find scales to improvise with for "How Insensitive" by Jobim
First of all: music is not "in a scale". When we say that it's "in D minor", it does not mean any particular scale, it means that the home note is D and its third is a minor third, ...
- 27.1k
11
votes
how can you write chords and bassline in the bass clef?
The bass line is a separate voice. It will look more clear if you draw its note stems down. In particular it will make different rhythms in the two voices more explicit and easier to read.
- 16k
10
votes
Who decides chord details in published songs?
The arranger or editor will make those decisions. Often they are simplifications
(or someone's idea of a simplification) or clarifications, sometimes alternative harmonizations, sometimes the composer ...
- 82.8k
9
votes
What is the meaning of these lines connecting notes?
This is how bending notes on guitar is notated. The “dot” is the starting note and the inverted V connects to the note you bend to. The TAB is a big help in this case. In bar 1 beat 1 you play a G (...
- 25k
8
votes
Accepted
Why and how to play chord progression?
As you've suggested, there's a lot of improvisation in jazz. Almost everything is open to interpretation by the musicians--including melodies, rhythms, feels, and specific voicings for each chord. For ...
- 11.2k
8
votes
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Is there a way to notate octaves for chords?
With chord symbols alone, no. Chord symbols are not designed to show exact voicings of chords. The most they can show is inversion which is denoted by a slash.
Typically when voicings must be exact, ...
Dom♦
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8
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What is the meaning of these lines connecting notes?
It indicates a bend.
That with the half sign means that the tab wants you to bend a half-step up. In the second bar it seems the tab wants you to bend a half-step up and then bend back down.
- 14.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Who decides chord details in published songs?
@Aaron is right in that arrangers and/or music editors hired by the publisher are responsible for the contents of sheet music. One thing to be aware of is that there is actually no exact formula for ...
- 25k
7
votes
What is the meaning of these lines connecting notes?
While the above answers are correct for the first measure, the lines in measure 2 indicate pre-bends, not a bend up and back down. Bend the note to the correct pitch before picking it, pick the note, ...
- 71
7
votes
Cb/B problem while creating lead sheet
The whole song is very chromatic but to me the vocal sections are in three separate keys, the opening verse is Bb (for a few seconds at least), the choruses are in G and the refrains are in Db. The ...
- 25k
7
votes
What do these diamond and slash note heads mean?
This is rhythmic notation; it indicates the rhythm to be played, but not the literal notes to play. The notes played would be from a Gm7 chord, indicated above the staves, voiced according to the ...
- 82.8k
6
votes
How do I get chords that last half a measure to display correctly in 6/8 in LilyPond / Frescobaldi?
**f2.:maj7 d4.:maj7, bf4.:maj711+, g4.:maj9, and ef4.:7 fs2.:m7/a
d2.:maj711+ b2.:m9 g2..:maj711+ a2..:maj711+
fs2.:m9 d4.:maj9 b4.:m9 g4.:maj9 ef4.:m75- a2..:maj711+
d2.:maj711+ b4.:m9 g4..:...
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Cb/B problem while creating lead sheet
The linked recording is in Db major. This is made clearest at the very final chord in which the bass plays Db and the voice lands on F.
It's important to consider, however, that vocal arrangements are ...
- 82.8k
6
votes
What is my 7 if a chord does not specify the 7th?
Direct answers
Guide tones:
Major and minor triads generally are not thought of as having guide tones in the way seventh chords are, since they are considered stable within themselves; whereas seventh ...
- 82.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Creating lead sheets using MuseScore
Musescore should automatically adjust the positions of notes to fit the lyrics. If it is not, then you may have a setting somewhere that is locking down the positions of the notes and preventing them ...
- 56.2k
5
votes
Em/C: Sound Notation, or Dirty Shorthand?
I agree with most of what has been written. The one exception where I would rather write Em/C than CMaj7 is if the C is a pedal tone/point that has been started before that chord and probably ...
- 51
5
votes
Accepted
Why is vibrato rarely marked in vocal sheet music?
This is closely related to this question about vibrato in jazz violin. The simple answer is, markings related to vibrato are few because it is usually an integral part of the stylistic conventions of ...
- 15.9k
5
votes
Accepted
How would I go about playing lead sheets?
In the first lead sheet, you play the melody with one hand and the chords/harmony with the other. (In fact, it's looser than this. For example, I often divide chords between the two hands while also ...
- 82.8k
5
votes
What do the chord symbols on each bar mean?
Do you mean a lead sheet?
No... the chord symbols are not "vague representation of the notes in the bar". The chords are the harmony that belongs with the tune and it's the composer who gets ...
- 1,924
4
votes
How to find scales to improvise with for "How Insensitive" by Jobim
Is there a process I can follow to determine what scale I can improvise with? Like with the C# diminished 7th It seems like the melody can help at times, but I'm not sure exactly.
As a general rule, ...
- 82.8k
4
votes
Accepted
What does "Time on" mean in the context of a Lead Sheet?
"Time" in this context means that the rhythm section is to play the song's groove, and then the chord Db7#9 is given as an indicator of what the harmonic instruments will be playing around. Depending ...
- 35.1k
4
votes
Adding vertical space after header in LilyPond score
The simplest approach would be to include a \markup \vspace #1 command before your score block. You can change the #1 to any value, including values with decimals.
\version "2.18.2"
\header {
...
- 84k
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Why and how to play chord progression?
Why choose to describe music whith chord progressions ?
Keep in mind that a lot of Jazz is based on the premise of putting your own spin on existing songs (standards). The melody and chord ...
- 4,118
4
votes
What do these chord annotations mean?
The simpler version is the lower one. If one wanted to be a little more adventurous, one could use the chords in parentheses. There are many examples of this in real and fake books. And after this, ...
- 190k
4
votes
What do these chord annotations mean?
They are just alternate chords NOT TO BE PLAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY. It is a ii V7 chromatic progression which is very common in jazz.
It is a "longer" way to get to the I chord. So instead of playing ...
- 3,252
4
votes
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To chord function question
I don't want to speculate on how representative that lead sheet might be of the original song, but the question about the dim7 chords in the posted chord progression can be answered regardless.
Dim7 ...
- 27.1k
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