So I am just getting my feet wet with playing keyboard.. been a lot of fun, learning a lot.

I want to learn how to play songs as they were originally written. Not the watered down simplified versions. So when I look at sheet music I don’t always see what I am hearing when I listen to the song (the keyboard parts).

I’ll give you an example..

Tears for fears Head over heels (a song I am learning now).

So the sheet music looks like this..

http://sheetmusic.web44.net/SheetMusic/Tears-For-Fears-Head-Over-Heels.pdf

For the intro.. A simple 2 chord left hand part and simple right hand single notes melody.

Yet when I watch people play it, its quite a bit more complex then the sheet music documents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktn4-_JjuYY

I’ve searched the net but I can’t find sheet music that really represents
what I am hearing & seeing when others play it.

Is there a source for “Original score” sheet music? Something that represents how it was originally played (with all the separate parts?)
or am I missing something? Is this something you just need to figure out on your own as a musician?

Please help a newbie out..

Thanks Mike

You seem realize that you are in for the long haul when it comes to playing keyboards in the manner you imagine...which is good, because what you hope to accomplish won’t come quickly or easily.

Sheet music is stripped down to pretty basic essentials, because that is absolutely required in order to have broad enough appeal to a customer base that will give an adequate return in sales for the effort to produce it.

If sheet music provided the full score of what is being played by keyboard-centric pop artists...such as (for simple example) Elton John or Bruce Hornsby...the resulting score would appear extraordinarily complex and would be extremely difficult to make sense of, for all but the most capable sight-readers.

In addition, the arrangement of a typical piece of sheet music is intended to provide a single instrumental accompaniment to a vocal or solo instrument performing the lead line...without all of the ensemble parts that are present in the video example you referenced.

If you stripped away the additional parts playing in the video you linked...meaning the sequenced parts not being performed live by the keyboardist...you really would have something not much more complex than the sheet music example you provided.

The parts that are a bit more complex than the sheet music really just represent rhythmic and/or harmonic embellishments to the basic structure.  That is the key to where you would like to go with your playing:  Once you understand the chord and rhythmic structure of a song, you will be able to embellish that basic structure with educated improvisation...or should you prefer, fairly easily emulate the rhythmic and harmonic specifics of the original artist’s performance.

My recommendation to you...as a pianist and keyboardist that started at age 6 a little while ago...would be to find an instructor that can help you understand the essential structure of music (as well as good playing technique, of course), as distinct from simple rote memorization of specific musical sequences.

Ultimately, this will provide you with the knowledge and skill required to take the most basic of musical documents...chord and lead charts, for example...and create inspired musical performances of your own.

Cmayhle is right. Sheet music at best will show you the chords and maybe some melody lines. It’s just an outline.

Sheet music is NOT a chart. Charts do contain exactly what each instrument in a band or the orchestra will play. Copyists are hired to do charts for artists on tour or for orchestras or large bands.

You cited the Tears for Fears song - I’d say there is way more than 1 keyboard sound going on in that tune. Maybe ten to fifteen, all of them little “bits’ that contribute to the whole. With the exception of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”, which can conceivably be played on a piano or Rhodes, most Tears for Fears songs are multiple keyboard and guitar tracks, there aren’t any single indentifying parts.

When I have to do a sound-alike of a song with a multitude of keyboard parts, drum loops, percussion, guitars, horns, etc., I have no choice but to actually learn each and every single little part AND come up with the right sounds for each part as well. No sheet music (or chart, foer that matter) is going to give me that information.

Thank Guys, both of your responses were great and 100% on mark. Just as
a followup for future readers of this post.. I have found a more accurate source of sheet music vs what is commonly available in the US. In Japan
its possible to get a “full band score” sheet music for many popular songs.
You can find these often being sold on ebay using the keyword “Japan band score”. While they dont contain the 15 keyboard parts like Dave mentioned for the song I was looking at.. its a more accurate representation of how the song should be played by the individual instruments. Sometimes they even show
multiple keyboard parts. They aren’t cheap but for a song you really want to
play as it was recorded.. they are as close as it comes sheet music wise I’ve found.

Thanks,
Mike