Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?: Lead Sheet

This collection gives guitarists immediate access to over 100 Gershwin standards in lead sheet format, eliminating the need to hunt across multiple sources or improvise interpretations. The Gershwin estate's official approval ensures authenticity, and the comprehensiveness of the volume means you can build an entire set list, recital program, or teaching curriculum from a single resource.

Elegant and urbane, with the wit and sophistication of 1920s and 1930s New York. The melodies sparkle with charm and emotional directness, while the harmonies surprise with subtle colorations and jazz inflections that feel both timeless and distinctly modern.

Jazz guitarists, interpreters of American standards, and musicians seeking authoritative chord changes for comping and solo performance. Music teachers and directors can use this as a reference library for introducing students to jazz harmony, melodic sophistication, and the Great American Songbook.

• Study the chord voicings carefully; Gershwin's harmonic palette includes secondary dominants, extended chords, and chromatic substitutions that demand precision in execution and intonation on guitar.
• Approach the melody line with the phrasing sensibility of a vocalist; these are songs first, and your single-note lines should sing with the contour and breath of Ira's lyrics.
• Recognize that many of these standards exist in multiple keys and tempos across recordings; use the lead sheet as a reference point but adapt to the key and feel that suits your voice or ensemble best.

Build a jazz or standards-focused recital or concert series drawing from this single volume, ensuring stylistic coherence across the program. Use it as the foundation for a combo or chamber ensemble exploring American song, or as a teaching text for guitarists learning to read chord charts and understand jazz harmony in real repertoire.

• Reading and interpreting lead sheet notation (melody, chords, and lyrics)
• Jazz chord voicing choices and comping on guitar
• Understanding jazz harmony, including secondary dominants and chromatic substitution
• Phrasing and interpretive choices within a fixed melodic and harmonic framework
• Transposing and adapting standards across multiple keys