Arts & Culture

When I asked about fake books one of my musically knowledgeable co-workers said "a lot of people only read chords". 

For the rest of us though a fake book is a type of musical score/sheet music collection:

Each song in a fake book contains the melody line, basic chords and sometimes lyrics – the minimal information needed by a musician to make an impromptu arrangement of a song, or "fake it." The fake book is a central part of the culture of playing music in public, especially in jazz, where improvisation is particularly valued.

I had an "aha" moment at the phrase "public playing". I was reminded of piano bars with huge brandy snifters full of dollar bills (I'm old) sitting atop the piano where a suave, well dressed man – or woman- played requests for tips. Occasionally, through the smoke and dim lights, you would see a song request stump the musician and out would come a loose bound collection of lead sheets songs – their personal fake book.

Nowadays, I sometimes get people who look a bit down-at-the-heels asking for fake books. Out of curiosity, I asked one man what he used the fake book for and he explained he was a street musician expanding his repertoire.

If you're interested in fake books you may enjoy some of the following ones available at Toronto Public Library. The biggest collection of sheet music (over 30,000 scores!) is found in the Arts Department of the Toronto Reference Library. We have scores to borrow or for use only in the Library (we have copiers).

The new standard in jazz fake books since 1988. Endorsed by McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, and many more. Evenly divided between standards, jazz classics and pop-fusion hits, this is the all-purpose book for jazz gigs, weddings, jam sessions, etc. Like all Sher Music fake books, it features composer-approved transcriptions, easy-to-read calligraphy, and many extras (sample bass lines, chord voicings, drum appendix, etc.) not found in conventional fake books.

(Fake Book). The Real Books are the best-selling jazz books of all time. Since the 1970s, musicians have trusted these volumes to get them through every gig, night after night. The problem is that the books were illegally produced and distributed, without any regard to copyright law, or royalties paid to the composers who created these musical masterpieces. Hal Leonard is very proud to present the first legitimate and legal editions of these books ever produced. You won't even notice the difference, other than that all of the notorious errors have been fixed: the covers and typeface look the same, the song list is nearly identical, and the price for our edition is even cheaper than the original! Every conscientious musician will appreciate that these books are now produced accurately and ethically, benefitting the songwriters that we owe for some of the greatest tunes of all time! Includes 400 songs.

There are also come online resources you may find useful:

• Where to Find Lead Sheets and Fake Books Online
• The Fake Book Library – Internet Archive