The Lead-in

Lesson 3/46 | Study Time: 5 Min
The Lead-in

The Lead-in

Sometimes a song does not begin on the first beat of a bar. Any notes which come before the first full bar are called lead-in notes (or pick-up notes). When lead-in notes are used, the last bar is also incomplete. The notes in the lead-in and the notes in the last bar add up to one full bar. The following song is an early Jazz standard made popular by brass bands in New Orleans. It contains three lead-in notes.

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