Lead Sheets
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Catch hold of its music CD. If even that is not available, get yourself a leadsheet (aka music chart) for the song.
A music chart gives pianists the complete freedom to improvise on a song.
It is a sheet of written music which provides only an outline of the song, basically the melody. This way you are free to experiment with the melody (only to some extent) and the way you harmonise it.
Treble Cleff - A leadsheet will provide the notes on a treble cleff and will display the chords that need to be played for the song.
The treble cleff will give you the melody or the tune of the song and of course, you are free to fiddle around with the chords provided you are familiar with the use of all the chords. Most of the time, lyrics will also be provided.
Most of the songs in this form would fit in just one page so it is very convenient to use.
You can even use a sheet music as a lead sheet if you do not want to play the left hand as per the printed sheet. You just look at the melody notes and the chords and ignore everything else on the sheet.
Know your chords
To be able to play from a music chart you need to be familiar with all the chords and the different ways in which chords can be used.
You should be able to play the chord inversions and have some knowledge about the cycle of fifths and chord substitutions.
You should also learn to play the chords as rhythmic patterns. The rhythmic patterns can be played with both hands if you are accompanying a singer. It is best to learn and memorize some catchy rhythmic patterns.
Use your Left hand
Since the music chart only provides the notes for the melody, you should know what you are going to do with your left hand.
Learn some left hand accompaniments and rhythmic patterns which you can use to play the chords.
Learn to play the chords as 3-note, 4-note arpeggios. You can even train your left hand to play the melody so that for some bars you can play the melody line with both your hands.
Fake book
Buying a sheet for a single song may not be economical if you are planning to buy sheets for a lot of songs. Try searching for a fakebook instead.
A fakebook is basically a collection of leadsheets sold in a book format. The songs may not be related but it is common for the songs to be grouped based on some common theme.
If you buy a fakebook, you will definitely find the cost cheaper on a per song basis but then you may or may not get all the songs you want in one book.
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