The Best Fake Book Ever: C Edition [Plastic Comb]

This one is by far the best value of all the fake books I checked at the store.

The more you go through this book each time, the more you find yet another delightful piece. It is much more fun and easier to play naturally and improvise rather than sight reading the more difficult piano pieces with two staffs and big chords.

Also, it written for C instruments which is important to remember for piano or guitar players. I mistakenly bought an Eb fake book and that was less natural to play and almost impossible to sing to, and I had to exchange it.

Most times the songs are in the original keys, which is good. Most jazz musicians I know use fake books. Important to note is that all the lyrics seem to be included, because some fake books do not include them all.

It shows guitar and piano chords but not symbols for either one, so if you are not used to playing extended jazzy chords you might find some songs tough going at first and may have to invest in a separate chord book.

The chord changes are beautiful and authentic, and true to the original. I was particularly impressed with the level of detail including note for note transcriptions of classic solos such as In My Life, so you can naturally reproduce the original sound. Some songs include harmony notes which is great for ensemble work.

As for those who say people under forty may not recognise many tunes, these are classics in the rock and standards category. If you really want 80s and 90s music I am sure there are other books for you, but open yourself up to these pieces, and you will enjoy.

This book includes releases by Beatles, George Harrison (his 4 best songs) Queen, James Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Various Motown, Soul, Jazz, Burt Bacharach, Samba, Dave Brubeck, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Buddy Holly, Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Bread, Beach Boys etc. There is something here to please every taste.

Some of the songs include Bohemian Rhapsody, Hey Jude, Let it be, Michelle, This Masquerade, Theme from Mahogany, You've got a friend, Fire and Rain, It's too late, I say a little prayer, I fall to pieces, Heartbreak Hotel, My sweet Lord, Sweet Caroline, Angel by Sarah McLachlan, La Bamba, Fool on the Hill, Rockin Robin, Just the way you are, She's always a woman, Sorry seems to be the hardest word, Something, Here comes the sun, While my guitar gently weeps, What the world needs now, Yesterday. I hope you find this review helpful.

There is nothing fake about this book, nearly all the songs are transcribed exactly as youve always heard them. A bit crammed in and a bit faint in dim lighting, but great for sing along party's. A broad cross section for all taste, better than the other fake book which I have. Its shame amazon don't list the songs on their web.

The point of fake books available in different key editions is to enable transposing instruments (that sound an Eb or Bb when you play a C on them) to play along with non-transposing instruments (that sound a C when you play a C). So although the played notes on the instruments may differ, the books ensure that the pitch of the notes is the same concert key, i.e. the real, non-transposed key. Hence the instruments sound in tune with each other.

The songwriter can pick any concert key for their song, often depending on a variety of factors, for example:

Their preferred instrument - piano players often write in Eb but guitar players are less likely to, because its an awkward key on the guitar;

For a particular singer - a song may be written for someone whose vocal style suits some keys more than others;

Whim or fancy - some songwriters simply prefer the sound of some particular keys, or may want to vary the keys of the songs in a musical or on a CD to add musical interest.

These fake books are usually based on the songwriters original chosen concert key for the song or the most popular concert key it is played in. So the C edition contains songs in an 'awkward key' where the concert key is awkward for non-transposing C instruments, like a guitar. The C edition does NOT mean 'the easy keys' edition. Hope this helps.