Happy birthday to us

[SteveHopwood]

Oooh oooh!! I'm with niepce! Let's have a performance, Steve!

Congrats on the incredible success of your forum, Steve. You hand out credit to the mods and the coders, but YOU are the one who created and enabled this. You deserve a huge amount of credit.

Awwww. Shucks.

Does this mean I can retain my delusions of adequacy?

[SteveHopwood]

Hi Steve and all

Hard to believe 2 years have passed so quickly, congratulate yourself Steve for keeping this the best run Forex site.

Maybe have a wee dram later on !!!!

Later on just started.

[art]

Yep nice one steve, just come in from a gig and played happy birthday to you, on the pianoforte, cheers

[SteveHopwood]

Yep nice one steve, just come in from a gig and played happy birthday to you, on the pianoforte, cheers

Nice one art. Thanks.

Question for you. What is a 'head sheet'?

I recently started teaching the piano at a local secondary in (UK 11-18 year olds) school. Me being me wants to get involved with the general musical life of the school.

This is fine when someone sticks a classical accompaniment in front of me, presents me with a flautist/violinist/trumpeter etc and yells, "Go." No probs. I do this rather well.

All of a sudden, I find myself agreeing to take part with 'the jazz group'. Who have presented me with a 'head sheet'. It makes me feel all insecure and useless.

Said head sheet appears to be Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma. It consists of a line of lyrics plus chord symbols.

So, do all I have to do is understand the chord symbols and take it from there?

Understand my insecurity here.

I have performed concertos that would make strong people cry. I once gave a recital after a couple of hours notice. I can play a bit is what I am saying here.

Nothing prepares me for playing off a head sheet in a jazz group in a school. What the Hell is a head sheet?

Helllllpppppp.

[garyfritz]

I've never heard it called a "head sheet" (nor has google as far as I can tell), but it sounds like a basic chart or lead sheet -- the type of thing you'd find in a "fake book" or "real book." You get chords and lyrics, period. You're expected to fill in the rest.

I know many people who are very strong performers, but only if they're given music with every note. That may be where you are? No shame if so, it's just a different skill set.

I assume you know your scales inside-out? Hopefully chords for most keys? At a minimum you just need to play some basic chords, maybe with appropriate inversions. When you get a feel for the flow of the jazz group you might start adding in more complex rhythms, some tinkling about in the appropriate key (pentatonic would probably be pretty safe), etc. If you're expected to provide a melody it gets trickier -- how are you at playing by ear?

When I learned piano as a child, it was "Play These Notes." Not much theory behind it. Then in my early 30's I studied a bit with a local jazz pianist, and that gave me the basic idea of building from key symbols. Then I didn't touch a piano for 20+ years, until the day my son's piano teacher asked me to play with the "parents' band" they were forming. My first reaction was to run screaming out the door, but I let myself be talked into it. For most songs I just had a chord listing like you're describing. I was weak, but I managed to hold my own. If I can do it, you certainly can.

[art]

So for once I can contribute althought nothing to with trading, a gead sheet or kead sheet is literally a piece if music with normally just the melody, with chord symbols underneath, I use them all the time, either when I'm playing solo, or with singers or jazz groups, feel free to pm if you wish, glad to help after all I've learnt from your site

[niepce]

So Art and Gary you actually play jazz ?
Me too !
Here some stuff I recorded last week. Consider I am still learning to play.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpju2W49cwo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03v9sE3l-3c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nJWgx35fuE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7csad0q54k

I was at Yaron Herman's live show yesterday in Grenoble, do you enjoy his stuff ?

[art]

Hi niepce will check it out later, just noticed my typos on my post, sorry

[niepce]

Who plays Nardis ?

[Jemook]

Happy birthday everyone! Always a pleasure to be a part of this lovely forum.