What a lead sheet is
The lead sheet is the minimal score of jazz and pop: melody on one staff, chord symbols above, form (choruses, coda), sometimes the lyrics. It is what you find in the Real Books. Analyzing it means understanding form, tonal centers, functions, the melody–chord relationship and preparing improvisation and arrangement. (For jazz analytical symbols see "Jazz harmonic analysis: method and symbols"; here is the complete procedure on an example.)
The procedure in seven steps
- Form: count the bars, identify the sections (AABA, ABAC, AABC, blues) and the repeats.
- Tonal centers: find where the tune "settles" (long maj7 or m6/m7 chords, cadences). A tune may have two centers (relative major and minor) or section modulations.
- ii–V and cadences: mark under the lead sheet with a bracket every ii–V pair and with an arrow every dominant resolution a fifth down (Berklee convention); mark the tritone substitution with a dashed arrow (♭II7 → I).
- Roman numerals for each chord relative to the tonal center of that zone (in minor relative to the natural minor).
- Melody against chords: for each long note or note on a strong beat write its function in the chord (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, alterations). The tensions in the melody suggest voicings and scales.
- Guide tone lines: write the line of thirds and sevenths that runs through the tune.
- Improvisation and arrangement choices: scales by zone (not for isolated chords), target notes, possible reharmonizations, intro and ending.
Example: "Autumn Leaves" (J. Kosma), in G minor
Form as jazz musicians play it: A A B C of 8 bars each (32 in all).
A section (bars 1–8)
| Bar | Chord | In B♭ major | In G minor (natural minor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cm7 | ii7 | iv7 |
| 2 | F7 | V7 | VII7 |
| 3 | B♭maj7 | Imaj7 | IIImaj7 |
| 4 | E♭maj7 | IVmaj7 | VImaj7 |
| 5 | Am7♭5 | — | iiø7 |
| 6 | D7 (often D7♭9 or D7♭13) | — | V7 (dominant with the leading tone F♯, from the harmonic minor) |
| 7–8 | Gm6 or Gm7 | — | i |
Reading: bars 1–4 are a ii–V–I–IV in B♭ major, bars 5–8 a iiø–V–i in G minor. The whole tune is a journey between the relative major and minor, on the diatonic circle of fifths (C–F–B♭–E♭–A–D–G): it is a complete descending-fifths sequence.
B section (bars 17–24): starts with the minor ii–V (Am7♭5 – D7 – Gm, two bars of Gm) and then resumes the major cycle (Cm7 – F7 – B♭maj7 – E♭maj7): same cadences, order reversed.
C section (bars 25–32): Am7♭5 – D7 – Gm7 – C7 – Fm7 – B♭7 – E♭maj7 – Am7♭5 – D7 – Gm. The pairs Gm7–C7 and Fm7–B♭7 are descending ii–V's by whole tones (a chromatic chain of dominants) leading to E♭maj7 (VI): it is the tensest part of the tune before the final cadence.
Guide tone line of the A section (thirds and sevenths): E♭/B♭ (Cm7) → E♭/A (F7) → D/A (B♭maj7) → D/G (E♭maj7) → C/G (Am7♭5) → C/F♯ (D7) → B♭/F♯… (Gm6: B♭ and E): a continuous stepwise descent.
Melody: the opening phrase rises by step toward the seventh and ninth of the chords (long notes on sevenths and thirds); the long notes on the maj7 chords often fall on the 7 or the 9, a typical color of the tune.
Improvisation choices: bars 1–4 B♭ major scale (or its modes), bars 5–8 G harmonic minor or G melodic minor on the i, altered on the D7 (♭9, ♭13), Locrian ♮2 or Locrian on the Am7♭5. Target notes: the third of each chord on the strong beat.
Other examples to practice on
- "All the Things You Are" (Kern): 36-bar AABA that modulates by thirds (A♭, C, E♭, G, E).
- "Blue Bossa" (Kenny Dorham): 16 bars in C minor with a section in D-flat major (ii–V a semitone higher).
- "Satin Doll" (Ellington): parallel ii–V's moving by whole tones.
Common mistakes
- Analyzing chord by chord without seeing the tonal centers (a different scale is chosen for each symbol, the solo sounds fragmented).
- Ignoring the melody: the tensions written in the theme tell you which alterations to use.
- Losing the form during the solo: always review where the sections begin.
Exercise for a producer
Take the lead sheet of a standard and build a lo-fi version of it: program the bass on the roots, a Rhodes with rootless voicings guided by the guide tone line, and a sampled melody. Mark the A, A, B, C sections in the Playlist with markers.
Related entries
Jazz harmonic analysis: method and symbols, The jazz ii–V–I, Guide tone lines, Voice leading in jazz, Chord-scale theory, Head–solos–head in jazz, The American 32-bar song form.