Real Fake Books
Real Fake Books are just that, they are what used to be fake books but someone has taken the time to get permission to use the tunes in the book. Here is a list of the Real Books I have in my collection.
- The Real Book Sixth Edition C Edition – Hal Leonard Corporation
- The Real Vocal Book Volume I Low Voice – Hal Leonard Corporation
- The Real Vocal Book Volume II Low Voice – Hal Leonard Corporation
- Just Jazz Real Book – Alfred Publishing Corporation
- Real Jazz Standards Fake Book – Hal Leonard Corporation
- The New Real Book – Sher Music Company
Applications
Ok, I admit. I am a geek when it comes to all things technical regarding jazz. I have found some extremely useful tools that are helping me in my journey. Here they are:
- iRealBook – for iPhone, iPad, and Mac – I downloaded the Mac version of this app. It includes a chord/measure lead sheet for more than 800 tunes. It also has a player that will “comp” each tune with piano, bass and drums. So, you can hear how the tune should really sound. It’s also useful for practicing songs and learning the chords and scales.
- Finale Songwriter – This is a Mac product that I use to create lead sheets in keys that are good for me. I use a small keyboard to enter the notes. When I need to transpose, it transposes everything, including the chords. Sweet.
- Garageband – Mac -This is part of the iLife suite of programs. I can export a track from the iRealBook application and import it into Garageband. I can sing over the track and record myself so I can check notes and pitch.
- Guitar Toolkit – iPhone – I use the tuner in this application to check my pitch when practicing.
Other Books
Additional resources include:
- Scat – Bob Stoloff - This includes hundreds of licks, including a CD with tracks you can practice over
- The Jazz Theory Book – Mark Levine
- Jazz Handbook – Jamey Aebersold – This has a TON of information, including scales, circle of fifths, what scale goes with what chord, and a host of other things that are helpful. And the best part? It’s free.