fake books

[dazzzer]

I am passed grade 1 and I decided to step back from learning  and do some playing,  so I got a easy fake piano book , I spent hours getting one song off really well playing about with the left hand  ,  . Anyway my question is will this help my progress or hold me back?  I noticed when using  the fake book I spent a lot of time looking down at the piano keys but I seem to remember the  melody parts quit well from the book  .

[quantum]

I don't think playing from a fake book with hinder your progress.  Fake books focus on the essential structures of the music, and this is a skill that can be brought into all other music you play.  For example, as you learn to create chords from chord symbols in a fake book, you will also learn to recognize chords and chord progressions in scores written in full. 

[pianoplunker]

I am passed grade 1 and I decided to step back from learning  and do some playing,  so I got a easy fake piano book , I spent hours getting one song off really well playing about with the left hand  ,  . Anyway my question is will this help my progress or hold me back?  I noticed when using  the fake book I spent a lot of time looking down at the piano keys but I seem to remember the  melody parts quit well from the book  .

Fake books are a fabulous way to practice improvising. It is a great skill which can help you during those rough passages where you may forget a line.  . Also you can get familiar with many more pieces in a short time. If you can improvise at the same level you can play you can have alot of fun playing pieces you never really spent too much time on. You can also make money by being the piano player at some event and all you really need to do is open your fake book and go. I once found a book called a "Real Book" which featured transcriptions of great jazz pianists and what they are really doing. Wow. I think improvisation and spontanaiety should be part of the whole picture of playing any instrument

[roseamelia]

Yeah a fake book won't help your progress.

[keyofc]

With classical music - you need to keep looking at the sheet music -
But jazz - you look at your hands (especially at first) because you are creating a chord on your own - and trying to get a visual of it.
For instance - if the fake book tells you to play Cm9
you decide how you will form the chord - if it's not first nature - you have to look at it.
If you're reading sheet music - it will tell you exactly
in bass clef: CGBb  RH: DEbG

I think they are great and it will help you understand music more.

[ajspiano]

Yeah a fake book won't help your progress.

^ this is the most flat out untrue statement I have seen on here in a while.

The type of learning that playing from a fake book will give you is precisely what is missing from a huge amount of classical students overall understanding of music. Its why they can't play by ear, can't compose and need a written score in order to be able to play anything at all.

[keyofc]

Yes - it really helps the ear - and really makes theory practical.

[ajspiano]

Yes - it really helps the ear - and really makes theory practical.

I also simply do not believe that the great composers were not completely fluent with this kind of thing and would not have recommended it as one of the most important aspects of musical study - ...as if they did not understand the harmonic structure of their music and couldn't freely improvise on their melodic or harmonic themes.

You'll never learn to do that and be truly musical and creative if you dont take the plunge and start deciding what notes you want to play, and stop relying on a score.

And for the record - that can be all be done within the context of classical, you don't have to play jazz or modern. - its all sound.

[ajspiano]

- deleted -  accidental post