Tips of the Week: Dealing With the Jitters; Real Book Choices

Dealing With Nervousness:  Yesterday my band played at the GVA Cafe in Morgan Hill, California.  Just before we broke into glorious song, I had a very small case of butterflies (nervousness).  There were two accomplished bass players in the audience.  Would they think I'm a jerk?  A rube?  A fool with a bass?

It was just a fear of being judged.  We all fear not measuring up to others' expectations.  But I had a quick talk with myself:  just play like there's no one in the audience.  If they like it or don't like it, it's all good.  So nervousness was not a factor in my playing that night.

Real Books:  Real Books are books of sheet music for musicians.  They are licensed for use, and not a violation of copyright, as were their predecessors, called Fake Books.  Most of them are for C instruments like piano, guitar and bass, but you can get them also for Bb and Eb instruments, that is, saxophones and trumpets.  The most popular Real Book on Amazon is Real Book 1, 6th Edition.  It has the notes and chord symbols, but not the lyrics.  This has been a problem for me, as I still get lost on occasion, and need the lyrics to keep me on track.

I found out this week that, instead of Real Book 1 6th Edition, you may want to consider Real Voice Book 1 for High Voice.  It has the same music, in the same keys, but with the lyrics.  The price is about the same, very affordable. Real Voice Book II is different from Real  Book II, but its songs also include the lyrics.  I have both of them.

Other great Real Books that have the lyrics are the New Real Book series, 4 books as I recall.  There is some duplication of songs, but enough differences to make it worth your while to buy.