Another Reason To Not Bother Learning Sheet Music
Note For Note: Sheet Music Is Often Wrong!

Hi, Tim Gross here… Watch this short video and then we’ll talk below. 🙂

(Note: If the audio isn’t working well for you in this clip or if you just want to watch the rest of the 90-minute “Billy Joel Gershwin Award” concert with other singers singing his big hits plus himself (it’s great), click here (opens in a separate window), it’s cued up to play the same part on Youtube, just click back to start from the beginning to watch the whole thing.)

Billy asked me to spread the word, so I’m spreading it… The standard sheet music printed for the intro to his song “Just The Way You Are” is wrong, and it drives him crazy.

In case you’re wondering, it’s rare that the artist who writes/records a song actually creates the sheet music for it, because in all likelihood he/she doesn’t know HOW to write sheet music. Most of your popular music musicians (rock, pop, folk, country, etc) don’t know how to read sheet music, or if they DID learn to read sheet music at some point, they probably don’t rely on it now.

Why? Because writing out/using simple chord charts, plus using your ear to play what you hear (either what you hear in your head or that you hear on the radio) is easier, quicker, and also more effective!

Side Note: In case you’re wondering, Billy is saying that regular sheet music says to play a D-Major chord (1-3-5 Major, which is D-F#-A notes) when he actually plays a D-sus4 chord, (1-4-5 notes, which are D-G-A notes)

If You Don’t Want To Listen To Me
Listen To Billy Joel For Goodness Sake

Heh.  Also, if you like Billy Joel, I have an entire Module dedicated to playing some of my favorite songs of his.

Shameless plug: If any of this makes you even just a little bit curious… If you’re sick and tired of struggling (and mostly failing) at the Herculean task of learning note-for-note sheet music, there IS a better way:

The Number System + Basic Ear Training + Simple Charts

You get all the tools you need as a Piano Genius member. Try it out for yourself and see.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Billy Joel’s pet peeve, let me know what you think below. 🙂
-Tim

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