Lyric Sheet

In 1998, I was beginning to learn the mandolin so I could play along with a Bluegrass band. The band leader would indicate the Key in which a song was to be played. That Key represented a family of basic chord progressions. When playing the lyric sheet displayed, the band leader might say, “it is in the key of C; the intro will be IV, V, I, chord progression, and we will modulate to the Key of D halfway through the song.” Most lyric sheets he handed us looked similar to the one below with a mixture of chord letters and Roman numerals. (Lyric sheets require that the lead singer already know the melody; verses are usually sung by the lead singer with harmony on the refrain--sometimes called the chorus; instrumental breaks by a guitar, mandolin, banjo, or bass player are inserted by turns).

Looking at a slice of The Music Wheel , you can understand what is going on.

Look at the Key of C major. Look at its family of chords listed beneath the Roman numerals I, IV, and V—the C chord; the F chord; and, the G chord. The Cchord consists of CEG; the F chord consists of FAC; and the G chord consists of GBD. Each of those chords is represented on the lyric sheet by its root nameC, F, and G. The lead sheet displayed uses these chords. Which chords are they? Look at the Key of C major slice on The Music Wheel: Are they C chord (I), F chord (IV), and G chord (V)?

 

Text Box: KEY OF C		A song of praise for the flowers of Mt. Rainier  PARADISE PARKLAND  Gloria I. Andresen (copyright 1999)  Intro:F, G, C---IV, V, I   	  C  Last F  night I  C  dreamed I was in   G  Paradise~~~~~      C  Paradise F  Parkland,  C  Paradise  G  Mountain  C  Rainier.    I.    There was – C  alpine  saxifrage,  F  avalanche  C  lily,    F  Fireweed ‘n  C  goatsbeard, ‘n  G  partridgefoot—~~~~~~~~~~~    C  Rosy spirea,  F  mountain  C  heather,     F  Jeffrey’s  C  shootingstar, ‘n  G  cinque  C  foil.                   (repeat refrain)    II.  There was--  C  hellebore,  yarrow, ‘n  F  pearly ever C lasting,    F  coltsfoot, C lousewort, ‘n G  pipssewia—~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`    C  Alpine lupine,  F  beargrass, C  groundsel,    F  broadleaf  C  arnica, G  magenta paint  C  brush.  	  (repeat refrain)C,F,C,G,C,F,C,G,C—  Instrumental break using refrain chords--- then change to KEY of D    III.  There was—D  glacier lily, G valerian, ‘n D monkeyfoil,    G  western D anemone, and A mouse-on-a-stick—~~~~~~~~~~~~~			    D  buckwheat,  fescue,  G  columbine, ‘n  D  violet marsh,    G  larkspur, D  gentian, ‘n  A  golden flea D bane    (sing refrain in Key of D:    D,G,D,A,D,G,D,A,D  Instrumental break playing refrain chords; end with: A, D!

Two-thirds into the song, the lyric sheet indicates a change of Key, or modulation to the Key of D. Now look at The Music Wheel slice indicating the D major family of chords. The same formula works here too. D chord (DF#A); G chord (GBD); and, A chord (AC#E); or, represented by I, IV, and V.

It is common for verses to begin with the I chord. It is common for refrains to begin with the IV chord, or the V chord. 

I already knew how to read music. I had taught piano and created original compositions for most of my life, but I didn’t understand much about playing in a band without written music notation. Using a lyric sheet with chord names or Roman numerals was new to me. But, I was determined to learn. I developed The Music Wheel so I could visually see the chord family groups that corresponded to their Key representative. The band leader introduced me to a simple circle of fifths chart that named the 12 separate Keys of the musical scale. But, it did not include chords. I knew a lot of music theory, so I sat down and wrote out the names of the major chords that would support each individual Key represented on the circle of fifths. Then below each individual Key, I listed its major family group of chords (called chord progressions). Beneath those, I wrote the related minor keys and their families of chords. The minors are called relatives because they share the same extended musical scale on the music staff; and, their chord structures differ only by one note from their major cousins!