My Prerogative: Lead Sheet / Fake Book

This lead sheet captures one of pop's most recognizable hooks, giving pianists and keyboardists a straightforward entry point into contemporary repertoire. The groove-centered melody sits naturally in the voice and works equally well as a keyboard feature or as part of a pop vocal program.

Confident, funky, and built on a groove that invites movement. The melody has attitude; it commands attention without complicated ornamentation, delivering impact through rhythmic precision and attitude.

Pianists and keyboardists working with pop vocalists, ensembles building contemporary repertoire, and music students learning to interpret lead sheets in a modern pop context.

• Keep the rhythmic pocket tight; this tune lives in its swing and syncopation rather than melodic complexity. Lock the groove feel from the first phrase.
• Don't oversell the melody. Let the accompaniment pocket do the work, and let the vocalist breathe into the natural phrasing of the hook.
• Experiment with the keyboard voicing to match your ensemble's sound. A sparse, synth-forward approach reads very differently from a full harmonic interpretation.

Include this in a pop or contemporary music showcase, pair it with other hits from the same era for thematic programming, or use it as a keyboard feature in a mixed repertoire concert.

• Reading and interpreting lead sheet notation
• Understanding groove-based rhythm and syncopation
• Voicing chords in a contemporary pop idiom
• Balancing accompaniment with vocal melody