I've Got You Under My Skin: Lead Sheet

Lead sheets ground singers and pianists in the songs that defined American popular music. Porter's melodic and harmonic sophistication means these standards reward repeated engagement, revealing new layers with each learning phase. The combination of accessible melodies with subtle chromatic movement makes these pieces ideal for students transitioning into jazz vocabulary and professional cabaret literature.

These songs possess a kind of urbane sophistication, balancing romantic sentiment with clever irony. Melodies often sit comfortably in the voice yet contain surprising intervallic leaps; harmonies reference both classical tradition and early jazz vocabulary, creating a sound both familiar and subtly complex. There is elegance here, but never coldness.

This collection serves pianists accompanying singers in recital or studio settings, vocalists building a standards repertoire, and musicians studying jazz harmony and American songwriting craft. It suits intermediate to advanced students who read chord charts and can navigate the harmonic language of mid-20th-century popular song.

• Treat the chord symbols as conversational partners with the melody; Porter often layers chromatic passing chords that can shift the emotional color of a phrase if underplayed or overemphasized.
• Work the rhythm section and vocalist separately first, then integrate. The interplay between guide tones and the vocal line determines whether the standard swings or drags.
• Sing through the lyrics repeatedly before performing; Porter's vocabulary and internal rhyme schemes reveal harmonic intention that notation alone might obscure.
• Notice where Porter places accidentals and altered chords. These moments often signal a shift in lyrical meaning or emotional landscape.

Program a Porter standard as a centerpiece in a vocal recital, either alone or paired with other Great American Songbook composers. In a jazz context, use lead sheets as teaching scores for comping and voice-leading study. For piano students, these pieces bridge classical training and improvisation, especially in developing sensitivity to harmonic color.

• Reading chord symbols and Roman numeral analysis
• Voice-leading across jazz and popular harmony
• Navigating chromatic alterations and secondary dominants
• Synchronizing rhythm section and vocalist
• Interpreting lyrics as a guide to harmonic choices
• Stylistically appropriate comping and arrangement
• Singing with clear diction while maintaining phrasing across complex harmonies