photo by Ismael Paramo via Unsplash
Every time I read through one of those poorly marked charts of an unfamiliar song , the first thing I notice is that I have absolutely no clue on which beat the chord changes should be played . Without having heard the song several times , there is no way , typically , that anyone can correctly sight-read the chart .
These charts might be fine for worship leaders who play an instrument while they lead because they already know the song they are going to sing . But for bassists who must play the root note correctly on every downbeat , it can be difficult and sometimes disastrous .
So , if you may be wondering what my method is for fixing these “ glorified ” lyric sheets , here is my process :
During rehearsal , as the band plays the song , I begin counting and marking my chart as fast as I can . As you know , the typical “ Church Chart ” will have one chord over the lyric with no indication of how many beats you actually play each chord . For example , if a song has an “ A ” chord and a “ D ” chord over the first line , I need to know exactly how many measures I am supposed to play those two chords . It might be one bar apiece , or it might be two . So let ’ s say it ’ s two bars of “ A ” and two bars of “ D ,” and my chart looks like A D over the lyrics .
The easiest way to fix this is to insert an extra letter for every measure played but not represented . Now my chart will look like A A D D . This shows me that I play two bars of “ A ” and two bars of “ D .” Each letter represents one bar ( 4 beats for each chord in 4 / 4 time , etc .) This is one of the easier chart fixes .
When there is more than one chord within a measure , I refer to it as “ split bar .” Church Charts rarely show you how many beats each one of these chords is to be played . To fix this , first , you need to quickly draw parentheses around the first “ G ” and “ C ” to indicate that they both are played within one measure ( 2 beats per chord ). That ’ s all you have to do . But , if the
“ G ” is to be played for three beats and the “ C ” for one beat , draw three hash marks (,,,) under the “ G ” and a single hash mark (,) under the “ C .” Now you have three beats of “ G ” and one beat of “ C ” clearly indicated . Of course , there are many variations to this , but at least you now know how to mark it on your chart so that you WILL play it correctly . To get any more specific than this , we would have to get into rhythmic notation , and that ’ s for a future article . :)
I don ’ t advise you to come to rehearsal without having mastered this technique . You must practice doing this ! It is a very handy tool to aid in your survival of those dreaded “ Church Charts !” May God continue to richly bless the works of your hands and ears , and may He grant you perfect pitch !
Gary Lunn Gary is a session player / producer / writer in Nashville , TN . Contact him at garylunn @ me . com for scheduling or any questions . Seriously !
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