How to Read My Song Sheets

Instructional PDF 3 pages

Lesson Discussion

What is a Song Sheet?

I have several hundred print-friendly “song sheets” I’ve created over the past several years. For all modern copyrighted songs, these are officially licensed and available for individual purchase.

You can view my full library of song sheets, each of which links to the lesson page which has my video tutorial and a link to purchase the song sheet.

I also have a large collection of instructional PDFs, which don’t tackle full songs but teach you valuable concepts you can apply to many songs. Much of what’s shown below will apply to these too!

What Do They Look Like?

Each song sheet I make is unique, given each song is its own beast. But here’s a bird’s eye view of what they look like (first page only):

What’s Included in Each Song Sheet?

Again, things vary from song to song – as no two songs are the same! In general, each song sheet tends to include most of the following components.

• Lyrics and chords for the entire song are almost always shown on the first page. This gives you something to follow along with, provided you’ve already learned & practiced the song but might need help remembering the words or chord changes. Chords are typically shown above each lyric, telling you exactly which word you’ll be singing when changing chords. Here’s a sample verse from St. James Infirmary Blues:

• Key, Capo, Tempo, Etc information are also shown on the first page, in general. This lets you know how fast to play things, and any other helpful details on what key a song is using, as well as where to use a capo (if needed). Here’s this portion as shown on a few different song sheets:

• Licks and Riffs, should a song have any, are usually included in tab form. Sometimes on the first page, but usually on following pages as there’s a lot more room. Here’s an example from Auld Lang Syne, where I show tabs with lyric & counting context included:

• Strumming patterns are often included as well. I’ll sometimes show multiple strumming patterns for a song, so you can pick the pattern that works best for you based on your preference or skill level. Here’s an example from one of my song sheets:

• Chord progressions are typically included for each song as well. This helps you understand exactly how long to stay on each chord. I find it helpful to learn progressions separately from strumming, licks/riffs, and chord shapes

• Chord charts and sometimes chords in tab form, are often shown as well. I’ll often include finger positions for each chord via guitar tabs, and likewise show chord charts too — to ensure you understand the exact chord shapes I recommend using.

• Fretboard diagrams are sometimes shown. If a song has riffs or chord voicings that benefit from understanding a certain region of the fretboard, I’ll show this via fretboard diagrams – and some explanatory text to explain things.

Song Sheets Combine Everything In This Course!

I’ve covered several different ways to read music in this course, and my song sheets are truly a medium which combines everything together. Music can be tricky, and when helpful I’ll visualize certain things in multiple ways — in hopes the different formats will help you connect the dots.

Have Song Sheet Questions? Let Me Know!

I’m always happy to hear feedback, or answer questions, when it comes to my song sheets. Send any questions to [email protected]. Specifically,

• If you have purchased one of my song sheets and are confused by something you see, let me know!

• If you’re interested in purchasing one of my song sheets and are curious what’s included for that song, let me know!

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