Re: [Harp-L] fake book sale ends today

[Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

IF you don’t know what a fake book is, you need to know the following:

Originally, fake books were illegitimate collections of songs that sold on the black market for $50-$100.  They did not identify the publisher.  They usually contained some insipid disclaimer about “being intended for the use of professional musicians in venues that compensated the composers by performance fees” and that “all other uses were strictly prohibited.” I interpret “fake” as a euphemism for “illegal." 

Musically, they are excellent because they contain a very large selection of familiar “hit” songs that you want to play.  They are illegal because compensating the composers for that many hit songs would have made them prohibitively expensive.

Then came the published fake books that are not “fake” at all.  They are the attempt of the publishers to cash in on the reputation of the illegitimate ones. They identify the publisher and contain a few familiar songs but are mostly filled with obscure songs that you never heard of and probably have no desire to play.

All Fake books tend to have many songs in the flat keys, particularly in the big band genre.

Thus there is an unfortunate choice between good and legitimate.

There are PDF fake book collections on CD that are passed quietly from friend to friend.  I’m sure that they are strictly illegitimate. 

Read the entire song list before buying a “fake” book which identifies the publisher so you know exactly what you are getting.  The musically good but legally bad ones tend to have anonymous publishers, are old, and used.

It is my opinion that a vendor for lead sheets (songs in fake-book format) like iTunes that you could download for a dollar would satisfy us musicians and compensate the composers. Being able to transpose the key would make it even more desirable.

Wikifonia was a fair resource but the songs were uploaded from users and were often incomplete and contained errors.  Also, there was no mechanism for profiting the operator or compensating the composers.   I’m sure that the composers put it out of business.  Being able to add another dollar and receive the lead sheet in addition to the recording on iTunes would be ideal.
 
Vern

  
On Jul 29, 2014, at 9:52 AM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

> If you don't  know what a fake book is, you're missing lots of possibilities. There is a fake book for just about every genre of music. Regardless of what style of harmonica you play, you can find a fake book to meet your needs. A fake book has chord names and a melody line in notation and (usually) lyrics.
> 
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> Plus, since the books are legit, you can count on most of the notes being accurate -- unlike the majority of tabs you find on the web.
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> Music reading skills a little rusty? Look up one of the tab rules harp layouts on the web to tell you how to translate the notation into your own personal tab regardless of key.
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> And before you know it, you will be doing just what Charlie Musselwhite did years ago -- teaching yourself to make your own tab and possibly read music. 
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> After all, how difficult can it be to learn seven different notes?
> This page is for Sheet Music Plus where you can also download individual songs.
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> If you're tired of listening to a song a few hundred times and still can't figure it out -- even with the Amazing Slow Downer or Transcribe -- maybe it's time you purchased the song as a legal pdf download and started to work on it.
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> Hope this helps.
> Phil
> PS I own many of these books. But then My collection is limited to only about 20 fake books.
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> <http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/sale/fake-book-sale/502100013?d=Email_FakebookLCremail_20140729&email=philharpn%40aol.com&utm_content=ENDS+TODAY%3A+Save+20%25+Off+Fake+Book+While+There%27s+Still+Time%21&utm_medium=email&utm_source=bronto&utm_campaign=Email_FakebookLCremail_20140729>
>