Mark,
If you can train yourself to read chord symbols, the Standards Real
Book (from Chuck Sher publishing) probably has the best selection of
tunes for what you're looking for:
<http://www.shermusic.com/standard_real.htm>
Keep in mind that fake books by definition have chord symbols only,
not fully written-out accompaniments.
- Darcy
-----
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://secretsociety.typepad.com
Brooklyn, NY
On 29 Mar 2006, at 4:32 AM, Mark D Lew wrote:
A few years ago, there was a discussion on this List about fake
books, and I was surprised to find that the group here was near
universal in recommending one particular title.
Now I have two questions: First, for my own curiosity, I want to
know which fake book it was that everyone agreed was the best.
Second, I wonder if anyone could recommend a fake book well suited
for my specific situation.
My use of the book would be for a solo piano-bar situation where I
both sing and play. My problem is that I never learned to play
well from chord charts. I sight-read very well, and I'm reasonably
comfortable adapting or embellishing any simple piano
accompaniment. But I do need to see notes on the page, or else I'm
too busy thinking about chords and I lose the song.
I continue to debate with myself whether I should take the trouble
to learn to play from chord charts, or whether it's too late to
teach that trick to this old dog. Right now, I just want to know
if there's some big book that serves the same purpose as a fake
book -- ie, a ton of songs in one fat book -- but actually has
simple accompaniments written out instead of just charts.
Also, my repertoire preference tilts toward the older stuff. I'd
love a book that's got a deep collection of standards from the 20s,
30s, and 40s, and I'd like a fairly good sampling from before that,
too. I like the old musicals (eg, Rodgers & Hammerstin, Lerner &
Loewe) more than the new musicals (eg, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim
Rice). Anything after the Beatles I don't really need, though I
wouldn't object to a basic sample of the most popular ballad type
songs from that era. You get the idea.
It doesn't necessarily have to be one book, but if it's a series,
I'd like some dense volumes that are designed not to overlap too
much. Basically I want to be able carry in one armful pretty much
every song I might want to play. I understand that probably means
tiny print, but I'm OK with that. I actually know the words and
melodies to most of the songs; I just need something written out to
follow along, because my deep-down habits are as a sight-reader.
Any ideas welcome.
thanks
mdl
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