Genre
Jazz sheet music
29,205 titles in the index · page 1 of 200
Jazz notation works differently from classical publishing, because most jazz sheet music is not meant to be played as written. A lead sheet gives you the tune and the harmony and leaves the arrangement to you.
The listing below covers lead sheets and fake books, solo transcriptions, big band and combo charts, and instructional material.
Falling In Love Again (Can't Help It)
Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do
Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?
Birth Of The Blues, The
T'aint Nobody's Biz-ness If I Do
Do It Again!
Great Day! (There's Gonna Be A)
Thrill Is Gone, The
What Now My Love?
Tis Autumn
Day In The Life Of A Fool, A
Everybody Has The Right To Be Wrong!
Last Dance, The
Lonesome Road, The
Looking At The World Thru Rose Collered Glasses
Style (From Robin & Seven Hoods)
Birth Of The Blues, The
I'll Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him
What More Can A Woman Do?
You Can A Long Way From St. Louis
All By Myself
Crazy She Calls Me (Crazy He Calls Me)
It All Depends On You
It's All In The Game
Late, Late Show, The
Sentimental Journey
Two Different Worlds
You Go To My Head
I Love A Piano
Moment Of Truth, The
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart
Blessed by the Bread, Graced by the Wine
Come, Let Us Sing
God Gives Us Those Who Love Us
Guide My Feet, Lord
Is There Room at the Manger for Me?
Like a Lamb
On That Day When He Rode into Jerusalem
Star-Led and Wonder Bound
Where Can I Go Without You?
Part The Waters
Reach Out And Touch
Play With Fire
I'm Free
Under Assistant West Coast Promotion Man
In Another Land
No Expections
Not Fade Away
Buying guide
What to know before you buy
Lead sheets, real books and fake books
A lead sheet is melody, chord symbols and form — one page per tune, everything else improvised. A fake book is a large collection of them. The Real Book began as an unlicensed student compilation in the 1970s and circulated illegally for decades; licensed editions now exist, pay the composers, and correct a great many errors that the bootleg copies propagated.
Fake books come in C, B♭ and E♭ editions for concert-pitch, tenor and alto instruments respectively, plus bass clef. Buying the wrong transposition is the most common mistake, and a horn player reading the C edition will be in the wrong key throughout.
Transcriptions and charts
A solo transcription writes out what a particular player improvised on a particular recording. It is a study document rather than a piece to perform, and its value is in the analysis. A big band chart is the opposite: fully arranged parts for every player, sold as a set, priced accordingly.
Chord symbol conventions vary between publishers — the same altered dominant may appear three ways. Most collections include a legend, and it is worth reading.
Common questions
- What is a Real Book?
- A large fake book of jazz standards as lead sheets. The original circulated illegally from the 1970s; licensed editions now exist that pay composers and fix many long-standing errors in the bootleg versions.
- Which transposition should I buy — C, B♭ or E♭?
- C for piano, guitar, bass, flute and violin. B♭ for tenor sax, trumpet and clarinet. E♭ for alto and baritone sax. Trombone players usually want the bass clef edition.
- Do I play a lead sheet exactly as written?
- No. It gives the melody, the harmony and the form; the arrangement, voicings and solos are yours. Playing a lead sheet literally is not how the notation is meant to be used.