I'm new here, so please don't think me stupid. I've been playing piano for 53 years and organ in church for 46 years. I am a classically trained musician who can sight read anything and play anything by ear as well. I am music director for three churches, having just added a Charismatic MCC church. Here is my question. When I am looking for lead sheets or chord charts for Gospel music they seem to not exist in the format I'm used to. I see these chords you folks are using and I can't make head nor tail out of them. Is there some secret to reading them quickly or is everything one note at a time and memorized?
Would anyone else like real lead sheets?
Confused and wanting help,
Jim
Yeah, for some reason the gospel music keyboard notation community has opted for typing out each note of the chords in alphabet form instead of chord symbols or using sheet music. I think it's because:
1. You can notate precise specific voicings without having to use sheet music software or scan handwritten sheets (although which octave to play is left up to you and your ears);
2. I figure most self-taught church musicians who end up here learned keyboard note-by-note, not theory or how chords are built, chord symbols, sheet music.. etc. so they notate it on the internet the way they learned it: Left hand fingers go here, right hand fingers go there.
3. It's the easiest way for beginners to know exactly where to put their fingers, as long as they know which letter name goes with which key.
