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.
And probably you want legal fake books, since you'll be using them in
public, right?
Sher Publications has some very good books which claim to have the
authentic chord changes in them. Visit http://www.shermusic.com --
their Standards Real Book or any of the New Real Book series may be just
what you want.
Hal Leonard has been bringing out their versions of the original Real
Books, but there are huge differences in content.
--
David H. Bailey
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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