hey all, im an electric player and i just recently started learning jazz,im planning on going out and picking up a real book this weekend the only problem is i dont know whether i should get treble or bass clef. I can read both but the problem lies in that a buddy of mine told me that the bass clef only has the chord chart and the bass line and the treble clef includes the melody with the chords and still has the bassline in instances where the bass line is a set form (a la all blues), ummm someone wanna shed some light for me?
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Double Bass real book question
- Thread starter frankenjazz
- Start date
Both books will have the melody and chords. The only difference is that the bass clef book will have the melody written in bass clef while the treble clef book has the melody in treble clef.
Your friend is wrong (or confusing the Real Book with another book). The bass clef version that I have has the melodies written out in bass clef.
There are very few songs that have actual bass parts written out (Sidewinder & Equinox are two that come to mind).
There are very few songs that have actual bass parts written out (Sidewinder & Equinox are two that come to mind).
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
If you can read treble clef, I'd suggest getting that one (I said suggest, not recommend). If you show up at a session with a bass clef real book and everyone else has their own C, Bb and Eb copies, great, you can all play SON OF MR. GREENJEANS. But if you're at a session or a gig and you're the only one that has a book (but not the only one that needs a book) then everyone has to transpose from bass clef.
+ 1, not to mention being able to read treble (both where it sits on the bass and an octave down, even at pitch if it is really simple) is a key skill.
A bass clef book is nice to have around, I bought a treble first then I inhereted a bass clef book.
+1, not to mention that if you have been reading out of your treble clef book and arrive at a gig and someone hands you their own chart, more than likely it will be in treble and you'll have a much better chance at sight-reading it.
