I found out by accident that I don't need a completed song to start playing it -- rough lyrics, a BIAB backing track, and a stab at a melody (NCH Crescendo is good for this - even free version) is enough for a lead sheet. I say "by accident" because I was wasting time trying to fit the melody to the chord changes. Without being enough of a theorist to know how that is done, I was finding my efforts "needed work," to put it politely. I started laying out the staffs in Crescendo, placing the chord letter above the treble staff, cramming the lyrics in between the two staffs, and entering landing notes. You'd be surprised how close you can nail the melody with the landing notes in place -- I mean, a one, three, four, five, or six minor. If I have any talent at all, it is in the area of improv, so this method works for me. This is probably old hat for many of you. The words and melodies kind of come to you.
To clarify, I mean that I now lay in the melody by following the BIAB track and picking out the notes on the guitar, writing them down on the staff as we go. Sounds old fashioned, doesn't it.

Last edited by edshaw; 02/25/21 10:49 AM.
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