# Lead sheets and chord charts

*Module 15 · Lesson 2: Songs and charts · BazzLow*

> Read lead sheets and chord charts, including repeats and navigation signs.

Before this lesson: [15.1 Song form](https://bazzlow.com/en/songs-and-charts/song-form/) · [3.4 Reading rhythm on the staff](https://bazzlow.com/en/reading-music/reading-rhythm-on-the-staff/) · [7.4 Chord symbols](https://bazzlow.com/en/triads-and-arpeggios/chord-symbols/)

Most of the time a bassist is not handed a bass part. The band gets a sheet with the chords on it, and everyone works from there.

## Lead sheets and charts

A **lead sheet** shows the melody on a staff, chord symbols above it and often the lyrics. Collections of lead sheets are called **fake books**; the jazz ones are often called **real books**. A **chord chart** shows only chord symbols, usually with slashes for the beats (**slash notation**): “C / / / | Am / / /” means C for 4 beats, then Am for 4 beats. **N.C.** means “no chord”: nobody plays harmony.

With a lead sheet or chart, the bass part is **not written**. The bassist builds it from the chords, using everything in Module 9. This is the normal situation in pop, rock and jazz bands.

## Repeats and navigation

*Repeat and navigation signs.*

| Sign | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| 𝄆 … 𝄇 | repeat the passage between the signs |
| 1. / 2. (first and second ending) | the first time play ending 1; on the repeat skip it and play ending 2 |
| 𝄎 (bar repeat), sometimes “%” | repeat the previous bar |
| D.C. (da capo) | go back to the beginning |
| D.S. (dal segno) | go back to the sign 𝄋 |
| al Fine | … and stop at “Fine” |
| al Coda | … and at “To Coda” jump to the coda sign 𝄌 |

A **repeat sign** marks a passage to play twice. The **first ending** is played the first time; on the repeat it is skipped and the **second ending** is played. A **da capo** (D.C.) goes back to the beginning, a **dal segno** (D.S.) goes back to the segno sign, and **fine** is where the piece ends after such a jump. “D.S. al Coda” means: go back to 𝄋, play until “To Coda 𝄌”, then jump to the section marked 𝄌.

## An example

> **Diagram:** An original 16-bar chart. Bars 1–4 are repeated, with a first ending (bar 4) and a second ending (bar 5). Bar 6 has the segno. Bar 10 says To Coda. Bar 12 says D.S. al Coda. Bars 13–16 are the coda. Reading order of the bars: 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 5, 6 7 8 9 10 11 12, then back to 6 7 8 9 10 and on to 13 14 15 16.

Before playing a chart, **map it**: find the repeats, endings, D.S./D.C. and coda, and count how many times each section is played.

## Try it

Follow the chart above with your finger in reading order, saying the bar numbers. Then play its roots, one per bar.

## New terms

- lead sheet
- chord chart
- fake book
- real book
- slash notation
- N.C.
- repeat sign
- first ending
- second ending
- da capo
- dal segno
- coda
- fine

Page: https://bazzlow.com/en/songs-and-charts/lead-sheets-and-charts/