It may be me being picky but most sheet music I encounter for popular music seems to have mistakes compared to the original record. I have met this before, but my most recent encounter has proved very frustrating.

The church band I am in is working on the Jasksons song "I'll be there" (for a wedding) so we purchased and printed the music from reputable online UK supplier. However, compared to the Jacksons single version, the bassline for the first verse is completely wrong, as is most of the melody for the second voice that comes in at the modulation after 2 verses. Even worse, at the point where the main lead vocal resturns after this section there is a bar missing. As a result, with our singers having practiced the song against the record, using the music as written makes it sound like we aren't playng the same tune!

Anyone else hit this issue or are we just unlucky?

At best, sheet music is a 'shorthand' for what is actually played. If you want every nuance from a pop tune or gospel tune, whatever, written out verbatim, the music would be unreadable! Phrasing isn't always militarily neat, pitch is never exact (unless Auto-tune'd to hell!), rhythm is never easily annotated.

And that's just 'at best'!

At worst, it is little to do with the tune you want to learn!

You have to remember that you didn't buy a score... you probably bought a piano reduction. So firstly, expecting all the instrumental parts, particularly the bassline, to be exact for the record is optimistic at best. These song sheets are re-arranged so that players of a limited skill can play them. A full Jackson's bassline would be beyond many pianist's abilities just by itself, let alone what the RH has to play!

Then, you never know what the transcriber had to work with. Was he given the pop single, was he given the work the way it was demoed, did he work from the album version, or a remix?

Maybe, if you want precise charts, it's time to get around to charting them yourself? If you can read it, you can write it. Or maybe simply do what your choir seems to be already doing it... just learn it by ear off the record..!

That's the best way, anyway!

You are totally correct, I was just very annoyed to find that this transcription was significantly out to the point of being almost useless.

I prefer to do my own transcribing but we needed this at fairly short notice so attempted to save some time.... so much for that idea, I've had a busy weekend. I was able to get some time back by finding a midi file that had a pretty good vocal and bass line.

Diki is right. At best, you often have to look at the sheet as a guideline if you want to come close to playing a tune as recorded (because of key changes, inversions, etc.)

At worst, the transcription is terrible and not worth the effort!


Russ