Hey Uncle Dave, You got 'all' the changes to 'Lush Life' memorized? Seriously, I agree that you shouldn't rely on fakebooks (as a crutch) on the job, afterall, it's like having guests and not paying attention to 'them'. Even so, I still think fakebooks are an excellent resource for learning new songs and having on hand just in case someone important walks in and requests an obsure tune. Afterall, no musician can possibly know EVERY tune in one of those huge fakebooks, can they?

Ok, one of my pet peeve hobbies is collecting almost every fakebook available. As UD points out, most tunes tend to follow a basic chord progression of : I-VI - IV - V7 or I-VI -II -V7 so you can then easily pick the melody out (by ear) as you're playing if you just memorize the chord progression. The fakebooks I find most useful are the ones which also include professional sounding 'chord substitutions'. This in combination with the type of chord 'voicings' played, is really the KEY INGREDIENT to sounding professional vs. amatuer. As you start begin discoverying 'alternate' chord subsitutions, you will soon start making up your own as well. Here are a few fakebooks (which include chord substitions) which I highly recommend. The Christmas fakebook at the end of the list might be a good one to check out now because it provides some great professional sounding chord substitutions to the typical standard Christmas fare.

The Best Chord Changes for the Best Known Songs:
http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

The Best Chord Changes for the Best Known Standards Ever: http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

The Best Chord Chord Changes for the Most Popular Songs: http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

The Best Chord Changes For the Most Requested Standards: http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

The Best Chord Changes For the World's Greatest Standards: http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

Real Chord Changes & Substitutions (A-F): http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

Real Chord Changes & Substitutions (G-K): http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

Real Chord Changes & Substitutions (L-Q): http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

Real Chord Changes & Substitutions (R-Z): http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG

Real Chord Changes & Substitutions Christmas Favorites: http://www.halleonard.com/item_detail.js...e+&location=PVG


[This message has been edited by Scottyee (edited 12-13-2001).]