The Great Gig Book (Blue Book)

[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