Article by Jerry Hill
Rarely do i need or use music for playing any song these days. Once in awhile, if I haven’t heard a song before I’ll use the music one time, and I never need it again as the melody line and chord changes are locked in my brain for good. The reason is simple as you’ll find out.
Almost all songs fall in to a predictable progression of chord changes regardless of what Key you play the song in. Having said that, I try to avoid Sharp and Flat Keys as it’s easier (for me anyway) to play in Major and Minor Keys so I can improvise. The more you play, the more you’ll understand what I mean.
There’s a wonderful easy way to teach yourself, and it’s called the Organ Pointer
System. It’s explained simply, starts you off with songs that only require two chord changes, and progresses at the speed you set. It shows you the chords with the root note of the Chord, and the other two keys to press to fill that chord, as well as the Bass Pedal.
Hal Leonard use to sell it, but may have discontinued it. You can find used Pointer Systems on EBay, but make sure you get the very beginners books which you’ll learn very quickly. That’s how I taught myself 50 years ago when I bought myself my first Lowrey Holiday.
My wife went to bed at night, I put on the earphones and practised till 1 or 2 in the morning, and 8 months later I was playing in the Clubs and Bars around the Detroit suburbs, so I can tell you first hand this system works.