Real book

The term 'real book' refers now to the legal and copyrighted version of the famous book of jazz standards produced by the Hal Leonard Company.

The book originates from Berklee School of Music, where the students there made their own chord charts for all the jazz standards they were required to learn. The copies made were uncopyrighted and so were illegal. However they were passed around, copied and copied by musicians.

The Real Book produced by the Hal Leonard Co. is fully legal and has secured all the relevant copyrights. It also includes consistent use of chord symbols throughout the book, clear page layouts, clear type and organization of songs into alphabetical order.

In tribute and acknowledgement to the 5 editions that came before it, the Real Book available now is called the 6th Edition Real Book.

''Got the real book chart for Stella By Starlight?''

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Jazz standard

A jazz standard refers to some of the most important songs in the repertoire of any jazz musician. Songs become standards when they become popular with both musicians, and also with listeners, as they become more and more familiar.

There is no set list of which songs are standards, and this will change and shift with the musical tastes and perferences of the time. Real books and fake books, along with exam books for jazz music exams will give some idea of which songs are standards.

Many songs were written by jazz composers, but this is not an absolute rule. Similarly, it is common to find several versions of the same song by different artists, with different chord usages. Some tunes come from Broadway and musicals, whilst others come from popular tunes.

It is necessary for a jazz musician to become familiar with many of these standards and so a large part of time spent learning to play jazz will likely be spent in studying these.

Stella By Starlight, Watermelon Man and Three Views To A Secret are all examples of jazz standards

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Jazz musician

Jazz musicians are those people who play any form of jazz, in its many forms, including bossa nova, samba, Latin, fusion and even funk.

Typical instruments found in jazz groups include brass instruments such as the saxophone, trumpet, French horn and cornet, woodwind instrument such as the clarinet, flute, oboe and bassoon, and string instruments which include bass and 6-stringed guitars, double bass, cello, violin and viola. Jazz vocalists can also be found in some bands. Instrument selection is usually the personal choice of the band leader or director.

Jazz is a very old genre and it is often assumed that only 'old' musicians play jazz music now. However this is not the case, with younger musicians including Victor Wooten of Bela and the Flecktones and the solo pianist Jamie Cullum continuing to both freshen the jazz scene and add to it.

Jazz musicians have some of the most versatile skills in music, including the ability to sight-read (see a previously unknown piece of music and play it within a single reading), improvise (come up with completely original music for the chord changes given), ear-play and know music theory. It is for this reason some of the best jazz players are very well-paid, and learning jazz technique and theory will often allow for learning other genres easily.

Examples of famous jazz musicians include Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Mark King, Miles Davis, Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa.

I am a jazz musician. I play jazz bass.

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