The Great Gig Book (Blue Book)

[raymb1]

Touchy, aren't we? Damn, yes I am a jazz player, and what people (including you) regard as 'vanilla' chords is subjective. I'm glad that you know what experienced piano players would and wouldn't play. I don't really care. A fake book is a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. I like the GGB and from what I gather, there are others here that do too. Does it have the perfect changes for all the tunes? No, I'm sure there are some tunes that don't have world's best changes. However, I haved used this book to gig with for the past 10 years and it's has proved convenient to have a book with as many tunes as this has and those contained in the GGB generally have very useable changes.

Whether anyone cares to have this as a collection here was the question someone brought up. Personally, I really don't give a hoot. I am fully capable of writing out charts the way I like them on my own. It was just a suggestion.

Doc Dosco

I wasn't getting touchy about anything, just pointing out that [I think] there are better alternatives to the GGB. I apologize for not explaining myself in a better manner.

[docdosco]

I wasn't getting touchy about anything, just pointing out that [I think] there are better alternatives to the GGB. I apologize for not explaining myself in a better manner.

It's all cool. There are always preferred changes for tunes and not everyone's are the same. I look for charts that aren't too cluttered with extensions and heavy with transition type chords. I want a chart that plays well and that another musician can read off at a gig. I am not looking for piano style arrangements. I'm sure other people are and that's fine.

I have noticed also, that to coax the rhythm section in ireal to play some of the charts similar to the way I choose to voice lead chords, the chord symbols start to like a dog's breakfast. My experimental ireal renderings may sound closer to my voicing approach when I play live, but I wouldn't stick that chart up on a gig. I don't like charts that are too fuzzy to sight-read easily.

However, overall, the rhythm section in the program is stellar. I am really digging the fact I can print out dynamite charts and also use the rhythm section to rehearse with. I asked my upright player on the last gig if we should convert all the tunes in my book to iPad (as she has one, along with the program) and she said no thanks. Reading from the ireal printed charts is still easier on the eyes. You can see the changes from across the room practically. That feature alone makes the program nearly indispensable for me right now. I still have to bring a book to gigs, however it is just one book with easy to read charts.

So, all in all, I don't think I have ever had a music program as useful as ireal.

As to the optimal changes for tunes, there are ireal charts that are perfect. But Beautiful has dynamite changes. In fact, all the Jimmy Van-Heusen tunes here are spot on. For changes that don't knock me out, I can easily add or subtract a few chords here or there.

Doc Dosco

[pdxdjazz]

It's all cool. There are always preferred changes for tunes and not everyone's are the same. I look for charts that aren't too cluttered with extensions and heavy with transition type chords. I want a chart that plays well and that another musician can read off at a gig. I am not looking for piano style arrangements. I'm sure other people are and that's fine.

I have noticed also, that to coax the rhythm section in ireal to play some of the charts similar to the way I choose to voice lead chords, the chord symbols start to like a dog's breakfast. My experimental ireal renderings may sound closer to my voicing approach when I play live, but I wouldn't stick that chart up on a gig. I don't like charts that are too fuzzy to sight-read easily.

However, overall, the rhythm section in the program is stellar. I am really digging the fact I can print out dynamite charts and also use the rhythm section to rehearse with. I asked my upright player on the last gig if we should convert all the tunes in my book to iPad (as she has one, along with the program) and she said no thanks. Reading from the ireal printed charts is still easier on the eyes. You can see the changes from across the room practically. That feature alone makes the program nearly indispensable for me right now. I still have to bring a book to gigs, however it is just one book with easy to read charts.

So, all in all, I don't think I have ever had a music program as useful as ireal.

As to the optimal changes for tunes, there are ireal charts that are perfect. But Beautiful has dynamite changes. In fact, all the Jimmy Van-Heusen tunes here are spot on. For changes that don't knock me out, I can easily add or subtract a few chords here or there.

Doc Dosco

PLAYER CHARTS vs. READER CHARTS
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...5854#post25854

I prefer to use "night mode" - white text, black background, all the time (except in bright sunlight).
I rarely increase screen brightness above ~50%.

)BOB

[docdosco]

PLAYER CHARTS vs. READER CHARTS
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...5854#post25854

I prefer to use "night mode" - white text, black background, all the time (except in bright sunlight).
I rarely increase screen brightness above ~50%.

)BOB

Bob,

I must say that the depth of ireal is impressive even with one page charts. The white text/black bg is a useful hint also. Eventually when I get ireal on an iPad I'll be back with questions, no doubt. In the meantime, it sits on my MacBook Pro, and is the best $20 ever spent on a music program. The only other one that comes close is Transcribe!, but for other reasons of course.

BTW, if you look at I'm Beginning to see the light, you'll see the GGB at it's best. Probably not the original changes, but, these changes are super. Now, I have found several GGB charts that aren't as good as other places, but since I have so many fakes of jazz standards, I can browse the various versions if I need to. Also, my ear hears certain substitution as a matter of course, and those changes don't have to be written. It's only when there is a fundamental disagreement in changes.

There is a point about some books having vanilla changes. It's not the vanilla-ness of changes that I object to so much as changes that just don't sound optimal over the melody (and sometimes they are plain wrong to my ear). One can have solid changes in a chart without any upper extensions if the maj/min/7th chords are all found in the right places. Most of the musician's here, I suspect, are quite capable of of putting in their own major/minor/altered dominant extensions in. I don't need them written unless said extension is in the melody. It's the use of cool substitutions or compound chords/polychords can bring a chart to life oft times, however too many moving changes and slash chords can become cumbersome too. I am looking for clear, concise changes and for the most part, the ireal charts have that.

Anyway, Bob, keep up the good work. It's nice that you have taken such an interest in this forum. Herding cats, someone said? Ha!

Doc Dosco

[pdxdjazz]

Hey Doc,
Could you post a comparison for I'm Beginning To See The Light charts, iRp/GGB as I did for One Note Samba?
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...3913#post33913
)BOB

[docdosco]

Hey Doc,
Could you post a comparison for I'm Beginning To See The Light charts, iRp/GBB as I did for One Note Samba?
http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...3913#post33913
)BOB

Here are the GGB changes in the original key.

I'm Beginning To See The Light GGB - James - Ellington


My only caveat is that the changes are a bit choppy in the ireal rhythm section. They run together smoothly on my instrument. I play a few changes differently, but this is a good basic chart to start from.....

Doc Dosco

[pdxdjazz]

Thanks Doc.
)BOB

[docdosco]

Doh! I just read the fine print on the 1996 edition and as Bob said, and I should have noted ...that the pages are not continuous for more to be added later, which it appears never happened.

My printed copies are older than the 1996 edition too, but I did grab the newest PDF from online....

Doc

[engelbach]

Doh! I just read the fine print on the 1996 edition and as Bob said, and I should have noted ...that the pages are not continuous for more to be added later, which it appears never happened.

My printed copies are older than the 1996 edition too, but I did grab the newest PDF from online....

Doc

Doc,

As I just did as well, to my edification. It's much cleaner than the old one.

I never had a printed copy of the GGB, just a digital.

My experience was different from yours. My band had an extensive playlist of tunes that we knew, so we rarely used books on gigs. If there was something we didn't all know, at least one of the musicians usually did and we'd play off him.

The only exception was for requests for things none of us knew — like movie themes, pop tunes, and other non-standards — which the client was required to ask for in advance, and for which I would make charts.

Cheers,
Jer

[docdosco]

Doc,

As I just did as well, to my edification. It's much cleaner than the old one.

I never had a printed copy of the GGB, just a digital.

My experience was different from yours. My band had an extensive playlist of tunes that we knew, so we rarely used books on gigs. If there was something we didn't all know, at least one of the musicians usually did and we'd play off him.

The only exception was for requests for things none of us knew — like movie themes, pop tunes, and other non-standards — which the client was required to ask for in advance, and for which I would make charts.

Cheers,
Jer

These days, all I need usually is a lyric sheet on vocal tunes. Funny thing is that I retain changes easliy, but it is hard to recall lyrics. (must be a different part of the brain - one that I burned out with hard living!) I may have posted here about my memory issues. I posted somewhere... (gee I can't remember!). Ha!

I can remember lyrics on tunes I played in my youth with perfect acuity. These days it is not so easy. I have to force myself to remember the damn words, and still some verses slip away and then .... zzzzz... oh, here I am : )

I have printed chord charts for other people if they need them (which is why ireal has proved so valuable). Luckily, being an old fossil like myself, I have other old fossils that I call for gigs, and they generally know the all tunes.

So, Mexico? How did you end up there if you don't mind me asking? I suspect you aren't a fugitive, so it must abe another reason.

Doc Dosco