loxley11 Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 What are your opinions on these? I was looking at the real books originally, but have any of you used the vocal books? If so, how do they compare to the wordless real books - do the words get in the way, less material, better/worse song choice, etc...? For someone who's more interested in playing standards than bop and modern jazz tunes, would you recommend the vocal books? If I'm looking to play with singers occasionally, is it worth making the switch? Thanks, Drew "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" -Mike Tyson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 I have the Hal Leonard Real Books 1, 2 and 3. They are great, better than the original illegal versions because they are more accurate and more legible. The HL Vocal Real Book is really good too, I would say better for you because it's like a best of from Volumes 1, 2 and 3 but without the more obscure tunes and without the instrumentals. If I could have only one Real Book it would be the H.L. Vocal edition, it's all standards without filler. The lyrics are a nice element to have, they can help remembering the melodies, I don't find them getting in the way. I am not a a big fan of the Chuck Sher "The New Real Book"s because they have so much obscure fusion filler, fusion tunes that Sher liked 20 years ago. Find 675 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhodaway10 Posted April 23, 2008 Share Posted April 23, 2008 One of the drummers I know has the Hal Leonard Real Books 1, 2, and 3. They're good books and the lyrics do not get in the way. They have some current charts which is nice. However, it's missing a lot of songs that are in the 5th edition. The vocal versions are missing songs from the regular HL books. Then again, most singers don't want to sing "Take the Coltrane." hehehe. =) One thing to consider is where and with who you are going to use the charts. If you're playing at a jam session, most people (most jams with experienced players won't use books) will probably use the 5th edition. A lot of the "newer" players are using the HL books. Like Jazz+, I recommend the "standards real book" by Sher. Even though they're bigger, I like the way they read. If you are playing w/ a singer, be aware that most will want to sing in a different key. Make sure your chops are up....or your transpose button works. B. www.brianho.net http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/brianho www.youtube.com/brianhojazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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