Leadsheets

A leadsheet is a compact form of musical notation that presents the essential elements needed to perform a song: the main melody in standard notation, the lyrics, and chord symbols that indicate the harmonic progression. It omits full orchestration, rhythmically detailed staff notation, and instrumental arrangements, leaving the performer to interpret rhythm, tempo, and texture.

A typical leadsheet includes three components. The melody is shown on a single staff, often with lyrics aligned to the melody. Chord symbols are placed above the staff to indicate harmonic structure for accompaniment, usually written in a simple shorthand such as C, G7, Am7, Dm7, etc. Some leadsheets also provide a short rhythmic cue or note for phrasing, but they generally leave rhythm and meter to the performer. In some variants, only the melody and chords are printed, especially for voice-led arrangements or guitar/piano-led accompaniment.

Leadsheets are common in pop, rock, and especially jazz, where they serve as a flexible basis for performance and improvisation. They originated in the early 20th century and became central to jazz and popular music practice, often distributed as part of fake books—collections of tunes that provide melodies and chord changes rather than fully notated scores.

Formats vary from printed sheets to digital files. They are used by singers, accompanists, and improvising players to learn a tune, rehearse a chart, or create arrangement ideas. A related term, chord chart, emphasizes the harmonic guide, while a true leadsheet emphasizes the combination of melody, lyrics, and harmony for a single song.