Hang On To Me: Lead Sheet

This collection captures the full scope of Gershwin's songwriting genius in one resource, eliminating the frustration of hunting across multiple lead sheet books for standards your ensemble actually wants to play. The lead sheet format gives guitarists and bandleaders complete freedom to arrange and interpret these classics while maintaining the harmonic sophistication that makes Gershwin's writing endlessly rewarding to dig into.

Gershwin's melodies carry an irresistible elegance and wit, gliding over harmonies that shift between warm sophistication and unexpected harmonic turns. These songs feel like conversations between melody and harmony, each one a reminder that great pop songwriting is craft at the highest level.

This lead sheet collection serves guitarists in jazz ensembles, combo settings, and garage bands who want access to authentic Gershwin standards without the limitation of a single published arrangement. Bandleaders, music directors, and jazz educators will find it an essential reference for teaching harmonic language and melody writing through songs that have stood the test of a century.

• Pay close attention to the passing chords and secondary dominants that Gershwin uses throughout his progressions; they're not decoration, and playing them authentically makes the difference between a lead sheet performance that feels generic and one that captures the song's personality.
• Use the melody as your anchor when comping behind a soloist, but don't be afraid to reharmonize beneath it in later choruses; Gershwin's chord changes invite creative reinterpretation while staying true to the song's DNA.
• Approach the swing and rhythmic freedom of these standards with intentionality; the dots on the page are a starting point, and your choices about phrasing and time feel will shape whether the tune swings or sits flat.

Build a set around these standards for a jazz ensemble concert, or weave individual Gershwin tunes into a semester-long study of American songbook composition and arrangement. This collection also works beautifully as a reference guide for student combo work, giving players multiple authentic Gershwin songs to choose from when forming small ensembles.

• Recognizing and playing secondary dominants and chromatic passing chords
• Understanding chord substitution and reharmonization within a jazz context
• Reading and interpreting lead sheet notation and chord symbols accurately
• Developing flexibility in melodic phrasing and rhythmic interpretation
• Building familiarity with the harmonic language of American songbook standards