Best first Jazz Standard to learn?

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-10-2010, 02:50 AM

Hi there everyone.

I am playing the guitar for four years now, I think. Jazz got to me one year ago and since then I play and love it.

Do you think the real book is worth buying? I mean where do you guys get your notes?

**Dad3353** · 08-13-2010, 04:11 PM

Good evening, Blue(s)Skies...
I've been playing (amateur, at home...) for over 40 years. I would highly recommend Real Books, as a source of material which will last for years. You just dip in and find something new to work on (and enjoy...) time after time as you progress (or rather, evolve...).
Where do the notes come from? I have used (literally; I've bought it 3 or 4 times over the years...) Mickey Baker, Vol I and find that his method gives the keys, if you work through as he suggests (without skipping anything...).
The real answer is, of course: from your head, but in order to be able to 'think' the notes to play a good method is better than trial and error (mostly error, in my case..:-).
Playing (and listening...) with others (in any style...) is always good, as well.
Hope this helps.

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-14-2010, 08:31 AM

Hi Dad3353,

I don't know which real book I should buy. Is there also an edition for guitar, because with all the different keys for trumpet and the other instruments I don't know which one will suit for guitar (according the meolodies!).Are there any differences between the various publishers?

Which edition, e.g. Hal leonard sixth edition, should I buy? Kind of confuses me!

Thanks

**randalljazz** · 08-14-2010, 08:52 AM

this one first:

**randalljazz** · 08-14-2010, 08:53 AM

then this one:

**randalljazz** · 08-14-2010, 08:54 AM

then this one:

**barrymclark** · 08-14-2010, 10:57 AM

FWIW, I started with Autumn Leaves. After that is was Beyond the Sea and All of me. Next it was Why Don't You Do Right and I am currently working on Georgia on My Mind.

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-14-2010, 01:11 PM

Hi there!

So I actually should buy three?

I don't get what you mean randalljazz!
Do you mean that I should start with the one by Hal leonard and end up with the one by The new Real Jazz Book?

**randalljazz** · 08-14-2010, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by Blue(s) Skies

Hi there!

So I actually should buy three?

I don't get what you mean randalljazz!
Do you mean that I should start with the one by Hal leonard and end up with the one by The new Real Jazz Book?

yes, as your re$ource$ allow...there are thousands of good tunes, and at least a dozen really good fakebooks...start with the ones above, in that order...

**Dad3353** · 08-14-2010, 10:47 PM

Good evening, Blue(s) Skies...
I would recommend in the reverse order (New Real Book, Standards, then Real Book...), but you get the picture, anyway.
Money well spent, will last for years.

**randalljazz** · 08-15-2010, 05:21 AM

the real book is the one that will be the reference at most jam sessions. the chords are usually more generic (e.g. "G7" instead of "G13#11")--easier to read and less limiting and confusing to the novice. that said, i like to have the chart from both books side by side (which is how i put them in 'my' book).

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-15-2010, 06:23 AM

Hi,

so the 6th edition contains the more general chords like G9 B7, whatever,...

the standards and the new real jazz books contain more explicit chords?

I don't have the money to buy all three books - can I start with the 6th edition and then buy the other two over the years or what's the idea?

**randalljazz** · 08-15-2010, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Blue(s) Skies

Hi,

so the 6th edition contains the more general chords like G9 B7, whatever,...

the standards and the new real jazz books contain more explicit chords?

I don't have the money to buy all three books - can I start with the 6th edition and then buy the other two over the years or what's the idea?

yes.

**Dark Star** · 08-15-2010, 10:29 AM

The first jazz tunes I was given to learn were Blue Bossa & Autumn Leaves.

**604bourne123** · 08-15-2010, 08:44 PM

just learning 3/4 time bossa's

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-18-2010, 02:59 AM

I heard that a lot of old standards have been removed and replaced by more unknow tracks in the sixth edition (by hal leonard) . Should I still buy it?

I don't want to question your advice too much but I just want to start right and I don't want to buy anything I would regret. I seriously think that your advice is very helpful. By the way, in which key are the standards written in the hal leonard version you got- don't want to buy the wrong one

.

**Little Jay** · 08-18-2010, 04:12 AM

Forum-member Skei made us happy with a free downloadable book with 557 well-known standards. I find them mostly to be correct. It's in this thread (and for free!):
557 jazz standards pdf

I bought the Hal Leonard Realbook 6th Edition vol. I & II and they suit me very well. I bought the mini-editions (very handy! But not for the near-sighted amongst us....), and with these two in my guitar-bag I can manage most of the time. You can get them at Amazon for 18 bucks per book.

Be carefull though, because they made quite a few corrections in chords and staffs and I found out at jamsessions people are so used to the older versions of the Realbooks that the older, incorrect versions are mostly played (Footprints is a notorious example).

And for some reason, some standards that are quite common are left out (the probably put them in volume III). I made a little suplement from the older realbooks and fakebooks and put it in (just copied it double sided and put it in the binder).

These songs are missing in the 6th edition vol. I en II:
- Ain't Misbehaving
- Alone Together
- Along Came Betty
- As Time Goes By
- A Foggy Day
- Besame Mucho
- Cry Me A River
- Days Of Wine And Roses
- East Of The Sun
- Green Dolphin Street
- Just Friends
- Milesstones
- Naima
- Night and Day
- Samba de Orpheus
- Sister Sadie
- Summertime
- Watermelon Man

But if you buy vol. I, II & III you should have every standard there is and be ready for some 60 bucks...

By the way, to see which song is in which book, this is a nifty gadget: http://www.seventhstring.co.uk/fbindex.html

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-18-2010, 06:32 AM

So I can start with right that one:

Amazon.com: The Real Book: Sixth Edition (0073999683059): Hal Leonard Corporation: Books

Is this one listed above for guitar? I'm not an expert on keys and everything for brass and weed instruments, but I know that they are "tuned" or whatever you call it in different keys- This is the right one or not?

**Blue(s) Skies** · 08-18-2010, 06:34 AM

One last question:

There's no difference in fake and real books?

**Little Jay** · 08-18-2010, 06:55 AM

For guitar you need a C-edition. I think vol. 1 is a good place to start, but you'll soon need vol.2 also.

Lots of books use the title Fakebook and there's a lot of difference in lay-out, songs they contain etc.

Personally I prefer the Real Books and I see them used most, they are the unofficial standard I think.

**Noox** · 08-24-2010, 09:36 PM

black orpheus

**Eccles** · 09-12-2010, 02:17 PM

**muNICU** · 09-17-2010, 10:38 PM

All The Things You Are is my first tune I'm learning. I was going to take on Footprints but wanted something with more changes to learn. So far it has been an absolute joy to learn the tune and honestly the more I play it the more I love the melody.

I started with the melody. Now I'm working out triads over all the chords. Then I'll go back and add my 7ths before starting to improvise over it. Great fun so far!

**Wolf** · 12-08-2010, 09:22 PM

The first jazz standard I learned for jazz ensemble was Equinox by John Coltrane. Easy melody to learn and I think piano is using fourths(?) I'll ask my friend since he plays it like the record. The chords are Cmin7-Fm7-Ab7-G7-Cmin7(the book has it a half step lower than the recording). Not hard at all. If you want the music sheets let me know I'll scan it out of my book.