For those who use cheat sheets...

[LiveMusic]

...how do you make them up?

 

What do you call them? Cheat sheet? Lead sheet?

 

Do you write them or type them? Or use software? Do you include the chords? Do you make it so they fit on one page? Two page max? How big do you make the words? Where do you place the sheet... at your feet if you're standing up or on a stand?

 

Have you come up with nifty shorthand to make it easy to abbreviate? Such as? (I saw a friend's sheets and he wrote "play twice" and he could easily just use "2x."

 

I'm a bit perplexed. From my practicing, no doubt that memorizing would be far better but that's gonna take awhile. The songs that I know 50% or 80% or whatever... when I lose it and then I glance down, my eye doesn't necessarily go to the right spot on the page. And then my timing's screwed. I've found (playing solo... there is nobody to fill in for my screwup) that more than a split second lapse... and it sucks. Timing is everything.

 

So, how should I write these sheets up so I can find my place. How should I use them? Should I look down (or ahead... wherever the sheet is) on a regular basis even though I think I know that part of the song perfectly?

 

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Duke

 

This message has been edited by LiveMusic on 09-30-2001 at 10:41 AM

[Lee Flier]

I call them cheat sheets. I use them whenever I've got a big bunch of songs to learn (like now) and don't quite know them all yet.

 

Now, since I'm only playing guitar and not singing much, that makes it easier for me - I try and write it all up so that it all fits on one page, which isn't hard because I rarely need to write lyrics out. I just write the song title, the key the song is in, and I have this shorthand for the basic structure. I type it out on the computer since that's easier for me now, but I used to write them out.

 

So what I do is I use vertical bars to denote the verses, <> symbols for the choruses, and curly braces for the bridge. And I just write out the chords. If I know most of the song but I just forget the bridge or something sometimes, I just write that. That way whenever I get to the part that I forget, I'll know I'm looking at the right thing because it's the only thing there! With this system I generally only need one line of the page per song. And usually what I'll do is glance at it BEFORE we start playing the song so I can commit the parts to memory that I'm likely to forget. I'm pretty good at knowing what parts are likely to get me in trouble. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif If it's a brand new song that I really don't even know at all, I may have a complete sheet with lyrics and chords, and look at it pretty much the whole time.

 

Our drummer, who sings as well, has a pretty good system. He types out lyrics on the computer in big letters, one song per page, and has them either on a music stand or hangs them from a cymbal stand. He puts verses, choruses and bridges in different colors, which helps his eye move to the right spot on the page if he needs to look at it.

 

--Lee

[DC]

In a live situation, I always just memorize the guitar parts. This seems to come easy for me, lyrics on the other hand, don't (right brain works better than the left half). On gigs I usually have snippets of lyrics written out. I can usually remember a verse if I have the first line. On some songs, I can't remember which verse comes first so I'll have the first line of all three written out so I can glance down at the floor and know how to start. We write em up with 'Sharpie' markers which are easy to see on the floor when you're standing.

 

Recording, I many times write out 'charts' so I can just knock out a new tune. When writing a tune, I've just got the lyrics and usually put chords above the word or syllable of lyric where the change is. This isn't easy to follow on bass or piano or drums for that matter so I'll make a chord chart. I've got my own system I guess, for example; in 4/4 time, if I write an 'A' then that's one measure of that chord. If say the song has two beats of 'D' and two beats of 'C' to make up one measure, then I'll write: (D C) to show they fit in one bar. I use the regular repeat signs and first & second ending etc signs like you do on a staff. I generally write out the intro, verse, bridge, chorus, middle 8 (titles to the left of the first chord) just once and when they come again, I'll just write the word; 'verse' for example. The only other thing that seems important is to put the song title and tempo at the top. For remembering the 'feel' of a tune or licks, that's why I have a microcassette.

 

Oh well anyway, that's what works for me.

[Tedster]

I just type whatever words I need in WordPerfect...Arial 14 pt bold. Sometimes I can get away with just the first words from a verse...just to get me going in the right direction. I put 'em in alphabetical order in a 3 ring binder...although I'm looking at a smaller format for one of those "mic stand music stands" like a flip book with just first words of a verse.

[Chip McDonald]

It used to kill me to see a bass player's notes that used to be in a band I was in. He'd print duplicate lyrics TWICE. Which forced tiny type you can't see on stage.

 

He'd NEVER do otherwise, bugged the hell out of me. He'd STILL forget the SAME things.

 

Ahg.

 

Lee's right: write down what you can't remember, and nothing else - that just complicates it.

 

Or - just memorize it....

 

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New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

[fantasticsound]

It's a great idea to write down only what you need for the gig. I have begun transcribing my guitar parts for archiving, however. I discovered that when you have "finger memory" for a piece you haven't played in close to a decade, you still may need something to jog your memory to begin. I have many songs that I can't quite remember tunings and complex fingering patterns. Wish I'd written it down a decade, or more, ago.

 

------------------

Neil

 

Reality: A few moments of lucidity surrounded by insanity.

[Emperator]

Cheat sheet. The idea behind a cheat sheet is just a memory aid. The song should be pretty much playing in your head from memory.

 

I use Corel Draw 8. You can treat text like an object and it doesn't have justify. Folder and file name,Title, Aritst, Tempo, Info, Tuning at the top of page.

I put lyrics double spaced and sized to fit on 1 page. I don't like to have to try and turn a page when I'm playing. Type the lyrics in the computer. Use a pencil and write the chord above each syllable or space where the chord is in the lyric. I use to type in chords but using a pencil was much faster and easier to correct. If a verse repeats just write the word Verse etc.. Don't write it out again. Notate in front of a section whether it's a verse, chorus, interlude etc. Use words like repeat, 2x, lead solo, etc. This uses less space so the Font can be larger and is easier to understand and makes it also easier to remember the layout of the song.

For more complex songs; make minature blank chord diagram in Drawing program and paste as many as you need on the sheet. Also Music Lyrics Shops have chord stamps. Then use pencil and hand draw in notes and lable. Put the fingering of complex chords on same sheet if possible. If necessary put cheat sheet and chords on seperate pages stapled together. When you're done just copy it at print shop for other band members. You could scan into your computer after you've done all corrections if you have that option.

Lyrics you can get off the web quite easily for cover songs. Browse to music web site for lyrics. Copy then alt tab to drawing program and paste.

If it's about helping you remember lyrics. Maybe just write the first words of each Verse , Chorus etc. in song in order and larger print.