411: Forrest Kinney’s Framework for Playing and Teaching Lead Sheets

In this special episode, we’re honored to share with you a webinar with the late Forrest Kinney, one of the most thoughtful and inspiring voices in music education. With warmth, wit, and deep insight, Forrest walks us through his framework for teaching and playing from lead sheets—starting with ear-based learning, nurturing creativity, and progressing to rich styles and arrangements. His heartfelt belief that all students can improvise, arrange, and compose, Forrest reminds us why creativity is central to joyful music-making. Whether you're a seasoned teacher or just starting with lead sheets, Forrest’s gentle wisdom and practical strategies will leave you inspired to nurture confident, creative students who can play with freedom, flexibility, and joy.

• Tim shared his goal of creating “all-rounder musicians” who can play by ear, accompany, transpose, improvise, and use lead sheets confidently.
• Why skills like transposing, improvising, and reading lead sheets matter.
• He highlighted how chord work improves reading, composing, and playing flexibility.
• The importance of introducing lead sheet reading even if teachers haven't taught it before.
• Forrest explained a lead sheet as melody plus chord symbols.
• He highlighted that chords represent flexible families of notes, not just fixed triads.
• How lead sheet skills can lead to diverse career opportunities.
• The value of ear training and improvisation from the first lesson.
• How to prepare beginners through ear games, bass note additions, and transposition before introducing notation.
• The importance of left-hand styles in creating rhythmic impact.
• Forrest demonstrated how to build solo playing from basic chords to rich accompaniments using inversion, syncopation, and style variations.
• He shared a shortcut for adding 7ths and 2nds by moving the root note up or down.
• How inversions help with smoother playing, especially in basslines.
• Forrest recommended fake books and lyric sheet websites (like Ultimate Guitar) as resources for lead sheet practice and repertoire building.

Links Mentioned

• Forrest Kinney Website
• Blog: What’s the Difference Between a Chord Chart and a Lead Sheet?
• Blog: 9 Reasons Why Playing Lead Sheets is Essential for Piano Students

Special Offer for Podcast Listeners

• Go to topmusic.co/lead and get access to Forrest Kinney's Taking the Lead Course for only $49 with 1 year access ($100 off the regular price of $149).

About Forrest Kinney

Forrest Kinney was an educator who taught music for over four decades. He was a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) as recognized by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). His goal in life was to help others become creative, whole musicians capable of enjoying the Four Arts of Music: improvising, arranging, composing, and interpreting. Forrest lived amongst mossy trees in the mountains east of Seattle, generally preferring what he called “a 19th-century lifestyle.” He was immensely grateful to be able to make his living by creating music and books, and by sharing his belief that creativity is a key to happiness.

Thank you for tuning in!

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