A chord/lyric sheet usually contains (1) the chords used in the song (2) the lyrics within the song.
1. Chords Used In A Song
Unfortunately, when you just find a song online somewhere that hasn’t been tested, often times the song will have a series of confusing chords or completely incorrect chords. This is due to user interpretations. Sometimes the versions you find work and sometimes they don’t. The good news is that all of the chord/lyric sheets we provide are already tested, so you don’t have to wonder if they work or not. The chords are meant to line up with the lyrics, letting you know when a chord change occurs. However, depending on the type of processor the creator uses, margins tend to slide off the page, in turn causing the chord NOT TO LINE UP with the intended change in the lyrics. Here is an example of a song that DOES line up:
D……………………A
She got out of town
Bm………. A…………………….G
On the railway, new york bound
D………………………….A
Took all except my name
Bm…………. A…………… G
Another alien on broadway
D……………………………………………………………….A
Well, some things in this world you just can’t change
Bm………………………………………………….G
Some things you can’t see until it gets too late
The chords are listed right above the lyrics, indicating a chord change. Here is one that does NOT line up:
D…………A
She got out of town
Bm…… A……..G
On the railway, new york bound
……..D…………………..A
Took all except my name
Bm…………. A………………………. G
Another alien on broadway
D………A
Well, some things in this world you just can’t change
Bm..G
Some things you can’t see until it gets too late
As you can see, it’s nowhere NEAR the original one. The chords just don’t line up. However, since this happens quite often, we need to explore how you can fix this error yourself in the event you don’t use one of the sheets we provide. (Sometimes ours even run off margin depending on what program you use to open it, so it’s important that you know how to fix it no matter what.)
Step 1: Identify The Song
In order to play a song correctly, you have to identify the overall concept of it. What I mean by this is that you just need to listen over and over to the song and try to strum along with it. The easiest thing to do is copy and paste the original transcription that doesn’t look quite right into WordPad or Word (or something that is common for all users.)
Listen to the song and try to figure out where the changes actually occur. You can use “……” (a series of dots) to separate the chord changes if your processor won’t just let you space over and over.
Step 2: Decide On The Chord Usage
Often you’ll see user representations that are either too complex or WAY too easy. By too complex you might see a Ebmaj7, and while it might be the correct chord, you can easily just switch it to an Eb IF IF IF it works. There are times that it won’t but usually it will – remember you are just trying to strum the song and not recreate the masterpiece. Again – this won’t always work, such as Dm or Dm7. In that case you’ll hear a noticeable change.
Step 3: Practice The Intro or Verse
If the intro or the first verse won’t work, odds are the rest of the song won’t either. This is when training your ear comes in handy. It is just a matter of trial and error at times, so that’s why we offer you a finished version, which takes all the work away for you.
2. Using The Lyrics Provided
This is a tricky one. Many times you’ll see lyrics that are incorrect. It just happens. This can be due to many reasons. It could be that the person creating the song was just going from memory. If you think the lyrics are wrong, do a quick search and see what other versions show.
There are also times when the lyrics are from an alternate version of a song, be it live or and impromptu performance. Simply do the same as above and search to find the correct interpretation.