The Real Book and Fake Books in All Keys and Styles

Fake books are large compilations of the tunes that musicians most commonly need to know to meet the demands of their audience. The lineage of fake books go back to the bootleg song sheets of the 1930s and the Tune-Dex song reference cards of the 1940s. But the most popular of the bootleg fake books originated at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. During the 1974-75 school year, two students created a bootleg fake book they called "The Real Book", because they tried to notate the authentic chord changes and melodic lines that professional jazz musicians would really play. This was in response to the simplified and un-hip changes shown in commercial fake books up to that time.

The Real Book

With its 400 tunes enabling musicians to have a more hip and contemporary repertoire, The Real Book was an immense underground success. The problem was that the books were illegally produced and distributed, without any regard to copyright law, or royalties paid to the composers who created the musical masterpieces. In those pre-Internet days, the Real Book was distributed illegally from musician to musician, typically out of someone's car trunk, or if in the "right" music store the staff thought you were "OK", a Real Book might appear from under the counter. This practice continues today to some extent, but the music industry is addressing it from two directions. One is through a much more vigorous prosecution of illegal books and websites under the laws of the Copyright act. The second is by making a legally authorized version of The Real Book available, and today this legal Real Book is our top seller.

Today's Real Book - Legal and Improved

We are pleased to offer our customers the first legitimate and legal editions of these books ever produced, now published legally by Hal Leonard. 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!

1. The Real Book - Volume 1 - C Instruments
2. The Christmas Caroling Songbook (Softcover)
3. The Ultimate Fake Book - 4th Edition - C Instru...
4. The Greatest Rock Guitar Fake Book
5. The Real Book - Volume 1 - Bb Instruments
6. The Praise & Worship Fake Book
7. The Real Book - Volume 2 - C Instruments
8. The Real Vocal Book - Volume 1 - C Instruments
9. The Ultimate Country Fake Book - 5th Edition - ...
10. The Ultimate Christmas Fake Book - 4th Edition ...
11. The Real Book - Volume 1 - Bass Clef Edition
12. The Beatles Fake Book - C Instruments
13. The Real Book - Volume 1 - Eb Instruments
14. The Ultimate Pop/Rock Fake Book - 4th Edition -...
15. Your First Fake Book
16. Scott The Piano Guy's Favorite Piano Fake Book
17. Classic Rock Fake Book - 2nd Edition
18. The Easy Worship Fake Book - C Instruments
19. The Easy Fake Book
20. The Disney Fake Book
21. The Real Book - Volume 3 - C Instruments
22. The Easy Christmas Fake Book - C Instruments
23. Gospel's Greatest
24. The Real Book - Volume I - Mini Edition C Inst...
25. The Best Fake Book Ever - C Instruments - 3rd E...
26. The Ultimate Jazz Fake Book - C Instruments
27. The Ultimate Broadway Fake Book - 4th Edition
28. The Folksong Fake Book - C Instruments
29. The Real Vocal Book - Volume II C Edition
30. The Real Book - Volume 2 - Mini Edition C Inst...
31. The Hymn Fake Book - C Instruments
32. Fake Book of the World's Favorite Songs - 4th E...
33. The Easy Gospel Fake Book
34. The Latin Real Book - C Instruments (Flute / Gu...
35. The Easy Classical Fake Book - C Instruments
36. The Easy Sixties Fake Book
37. The Simplified Fake Book
38. R&B Fake Book - 2nd Edition (Book)
39. The Celtic Fake Book - C Instruments
40. The Easy Hymn Fake Book - C Instruments
41. The Easy Seventies Fake Book
42. The Real Book - Volume 3 - Eb Instruments
43. Classical Fake Book - 2nd Edition
44. The Real Book - Volume 2 - Bb Instruments
45. The Blues Fake Book (Guitar / Piano/Keyboard / ...
46. The Best Christmas Guitar Fake Book Ever - 2nd ...
47. The Real Book - Volume III (Bass Clef Instrumen...
48. The Real Book - Volume 3 - Bb Instruments
49. Best of Contemporary Christian
50. The Hal Leonard Real Jazz Standards Fake Book -...
51. The Real Book - Volume 2 - Bass Clef Edition
52. The Easy Broadway Fake Book
53. The Ultimate Fake Book - 3rd Edition - Bb Instr...
54. The Real Little Ultimate Broadway Fake Book - 4...
55. Early Rock'N'Roll Era Fake Book
56. Wedding & Love Fake Book - 4th Edition - C Inst...
57. The Hal Leonard Real Jazz Fake Book - C Instrum...
58. The Real Book - Volume 2 - Eb Instruments
59. The Ultimate Guitar Christmas Fake Book
60. The Easy Fifties Fake Book
61. Latin Fake Book
62. The Easy Standards Fake Book Softcover 100 Son...
63. The Easy Movie Fake Book Softcover 100 Songs i...
64. The Ultimate Jazz Fake Book - Bb Instruments
65. Irving Berlin Fake Book
66. More of the Easy Seventies Fake Book Softcover...
67. The Real Little Ultimate Jazz Fake Book - C Ins...
68. The Easy Show Tunes Fake Book Softcover 100 So...
69. The Ultimate Rock Guitar Fake Book
70. The Best Fake Book Ever - Bb Instruments - 2nd ...
71. The Movie Fake Book - 4th Edition - C Instruments
72. Jimi Hendrix Anthology
73. The Real Little Best Fake Book Ever - C Instrum...
74. More of the Easy Forties Fake Book (C Instrumen...
75. The TV Fake Book
76. The Real Little Ultimate Fake Book - 3rd Editio...
77. The Elvis Fake Book
78. The Swing Era - 1936-1947
79. More of the Easy Sixties Fake Book
80. The Ultimate Jazz Fake Book - Eb Instruments
81. Jimmie Rodgers Memorial Songbook
82. The Professional Pianist's Christmas Fake Book
83. The Easy Forties Fake Book
84. The Best Chord Changes for the World's Greatest...
85. Miles Davis Real Book
86. More of the Easy Fifties Fake Book
87. The Latin Real Book - Bb Instruments
88. The Best Chord Changes for the Most Requested S...
89. The Real Little Ultimate Jazz Fake Book - Bb I...
90. The Ultimate Fake Book - 3rd Edition - Eb Instr...
91. The Chicago Fake Book
92. The Hal Leonard Real Jazz Fake Book - Bb Instru...
93. The Real Chord Changes and Substitutions - Chri...
94. The Performer's Complete Fake Book - C Instruments
95. The Latin Real Book - Eb Instruments
96. Jazz of the '50s
97. The Best Chord Changes for the Best Known Songs
98. Ragtime & Early Jazz - 1900-1935
99. The Best Fake Book Ever - Eb Instruments - 2nd ...
100. The Best Chord Changes for the Best Standards Ever

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