Manny Laureano

When did chord changes start to appear on printed music for soloists to use as a guide for imrovising? Obviously, in the early days people just learned the changes by learning the songs but when did composers/copyists/publishers start putting them in the parts for folks who didn't necessarily know the tune?

ML

Deecy

I have sheet music from the late '20s and early '30s and they show a small guitar fingerboard above the staff with dots for 4-string chords. I also have piano sheet music ("On Moonlight Bay, Give me a Little kiss will ya huh?" "Dear old Dad") that has chord names along the melody line. It was introduced very early on so people with ukeleles and guitars could accompany singers in the "parlor".
It probably was responsible for a lot of people NOT learning to read music.
True anecdote:
Chet Baker told Mulligan that he didn't know the chords to some tune they were preparing. Mulligan told him,
"You know the chords very well. You just don't know their names."

Jerry Freedman

Before the invention/proliferation of records, radios and jukeboxes musical training was much more widespread than it its now. Every family had at least one piano player or singer capable of reading music and door to door sales of instruments was a big thing. There were lots of instruments ( autoharps, zithers) that could and would be played easily with little training, just knowing chord symbols. Parties, get togethers almost always involved sing alongs of popular songs. Sheet music was as hot as 45s were in the 50s

Nowadays, with cds, TV etc people buy their entertainment instead of creating it and the easy availability of high quality, professionally productions is intimidating. Who wants to attempt to sing or play something when the CD is done much better ( Karaoke is a welcome fad)

Bear

And it's killing music too. People want to use pre-recorded media for events.

Jerry Freedman

A long time ago I read an interview of Stravinsky where he talks about the effects of records, radios and jukeboxes. It used to be that it was difficult to hear good music well played and as a result audiences were repectful and quiet. Now, with all the media music, even good music, becomes a sort of aural wallpaper that no one pays attention to. The only way to break through the barrier is by being loud and repititious to finally capture the attention of the audience. Stravinsky was a real smart guy

trpt2345

Stravinsky also said once that one of the problems with the recording industry is that audiences now expect the french horns to hit all of their entrances.

Michael McLaughlin

"The purpose of therapy is to turn neurotic misery into ordinary unhappiness." Sigmund Freud