What is a Fakebook

AlphaMale · #1 03-22-2008, 11:32 PM

I think I know what a RealBook is can someone explain it to me?
And what is a FakeBook?

HaVIC5 · #2 03-22-2008, 11:45 PM

A fake book is a book of lead sheets that allow a player to "fake" a performance of a song, an old-fashioned term for improvise. The Real Book is a fake book, its just a play on words. There is no such thing as "a" Real Book. The Real Book is a particular fakebook that has become the standard.

Jim Carr · #3 03-23-2008, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HaVIC5

A fake book is a book of lead sheets that allow a player to "fake" a performance of a song, an old-fashioned term for improvise. The Real Book is a fake book, its just a play on words. There is no such thing as "a" Real Book. The Real Book is a particular fakebook that has become the standard.

+1

Good explanation. Now that the Real Book fake book is available as a pdf, might we say the pdf Real Book is the fake Real Book fake book?

Which edition(s) and volumes do you recommend to the young?

MD · #4 03-23-2008, 09:32 AM

And some additional reading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_book

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Book

DocBop · #5 03-23-2008, 10:46 AM

The original Real Books are Fake books, basically a book of illegal copies of songs (they aren't paying royalties to the songwriters.) The current Real Books are not fake books they are published by Hal Leonard who got permission to published the songs and pay royalties. So fake books is nice way to say a book of illegal copies of songs.

BillMason · #6 03-23-2008, 12:49 PM

Weren't the original Real Books transcribed by students?

EDIT: Never mind, I'll read the wiki.

AlphaMale · #7 03-23-2008, 12:54 PM

Yeah that's what it says.

BillMason · #8 03-23-2008, 12:55 PM

Funny, I never thought about it as illegal - when I studied jazz, they were sold in the university book store!! They definitely weren't the post 2005 HL ones either. :-)

AlphaMale · #9 03-23-2008, 01:01 PM

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Real_Book_Errata

AlphaMale · #10 03-23-2008, 01:09 PM

Which version should I buy? or should I get a PDF?

KJung · #11 03-23-2008, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

The original Real Books are Fake books, basically a book of illegal copies of songs (they aren't paying royalties to the songwriters.) The current Real Books are not fake books they are published by Hal Leonard who got permission to published the songs and pay royalties. So fake books is nice way to say a book of illegal copies of songs.

A 'fake book' is just a collection of charts that has the head of the tune written out, but only the chord changes for the rhythm section (i.e., there are no specific drum, piano, guitar or bass parts written out).

This allows freelance players who have at least a basic understanding of theory to get together to play gigs without rehearsing the tunes or having to read very specific parts (i.e., fake the the tunes).

The Real Book (as was mentioned, just a play on words) is only the most well known version of about a zillion of these 'chord chart' fake books.

While the original 'illegal' version has some mistakes, etc., it is still the best single source of standards and classic jazz tunes available, IMO.

KJung · #12 03-23-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillMason

Funny, I never thought about it as illegal - when I studied jazz, they were sold in the university book store!! They definitely weren't the post 2005 HL ones either. :-)

Way back in the day (70's), buying one of these was like getting a drink in prohibition. There was one store in St. Louis that had them, and you'd have to be 'recommended' by someone, and then go in the back room and hand over the cash!

We would have all preferred to do it 'legally', but there wasn't any legal fakebooks around at that time that had all the classic standards and heads, and changes that, while having mistakes on some tunes, were at least relatively hip and closer to the classic recordings than the awful 'sheet music' that was available legally at the time.

IME.

HaVIC5 · #13 03-23-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocBop

The original Real Books are Fake books, basically a book of illegal copies of songs (they aren't paying royalties to the songwriters.) The current Real Books are not fake books they are published by Hal Leonard who got permission to published the songs and pay royalties. So fake books is nice way to say a book of illegal copies of songs.

No, thats not true at all. The fact that a lot of them were and are illegal doesn't factor into why they are called "fake" books. I would suggest you read the wikipedia article on fake books. The term fake is a semi-archaic term for improvising on a lead sheet, meant to "fake" that you have rehearsed an arrangement of a tune when in fact you're just looking at a melody and some chord symbols.

Jim Carr · #14 03-24-2008, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Way back in the day (70's), buying one of these was like getting a drink in prohibition. There was one store in St. Louis that had them, and you'd have to be 'recommended' by someone, and then go in the back room and hand over the cash!....

+1

In 1978, I bought #1 on the corner of W. 110th St. and B'way in Manhattan. I took the #1 to buy #1.

von buck · #15 03-24-2008, 04:09 PM

When I was in in Boston in the 70's there were certain copy stores that sold copies, if you knew which one and who to ask.

Andy

tkozal · #16 03-25-2008, 06:24 AM

I ended up making xerox copies of a friends book back in the late 70's. I still have many of them!