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.
thanks
mdl
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