Chart writing is a valuable skill that many people overlook. Many of my students who “play by ear” don’t realize the consequences of never relying on written music – TIME. If you need to learn 10 songs (and each song is 5 minutes long) – that means you have a MINIMUM of 50 minutes of prep time for a gig. But many “play by ear” musicians need not one, not two, but 3 or 4 listens to a song before they have the song for PERFECT (for 10 or 15 listens to be able to hear that song a week later and still know it by heart). 

If that is you, that means you require 10 songs x 3 listens x 5 minutes per song = 150 minutes. So you are needing 3 times the amount of prep time as someone who can write an effective chart (that is assuming you can actually recall all the music you heard perfectly after only 3 listens). 

The longer it takes you to prep for a gig directly impacts how much you are getting PAID. But not only that, even if you are just a hobbyist you can still benefit from learning to chart as this will decrease the amount of time you are learning songs and will increase the time you are PLAYING songs (and save on the stress of not having enough prep time). 

Watch the lesson and download the charts and templates below!