Jazz Tutorial’s Guide to Real Books A Real Book is a lovely thing to own, and it will travel with you
throughout your jazz piano education.
A Real Book is the only piece of ‘equipment’ you need to play jazz
“What should I look for?”
piano (in addition to the piano itself).
When considering which Real Book to buy, make sure you buy a
Real Book that is ‘in C’.
A Real Book is a collection of jazz songs presented as sheet music, in
the traditional jazz notation style (melody line with chord symbols
Some Real Books will say ‘in Bb’ or ‘in Eb’ - these books are for
above).
transposing instruments like trumpet and saxophone, and their songs
will be written in different keys to the original songs. So if you are a
piano player, make sure you buy a Real Book that is ‘in C’.
“Which Publisher?”
I’ve seen many different Real Books over the years. Some I didn’t like
- due to the way the arrangers notate chords (some arrangers
simplify the chords, or use slash chords - which I’m not a fan of).
Real books are usually around $35 USD, and they’ll give you years of There are two publishers that I’m a fan of - Hal Leonard and
joy at the piano. They’re an essential learning tool - I recommend Sher Music.
applying every new jazz technique you learn to the songs in your real
book. “How do I decide which Real Book to buy?”
Look at the song list for each Real Book and choose whichever book
“Is it better for me to download individual songs on has the most number of songs that you’d like to play. That’s all it
the internet?” comes down to.
No - I don’t think so. There’s something special about having a
complete organized set of jazz songs, bound in a thick book, and “How many Real Books do I need?”
organized in alphabetical order. For most students, one real book will be plenty for the first year of
learning jazz. I did most of my jazz piano learning with just one real
book (The Standards Real Book by Sher Music).
Later on, if your playing needs something new - go ahead and buy a
second real book, and you’ll get a fresh batch of tunes to explore.
I now own four real books (shown below) which cover every jazz
standard I would ever want to play.
1 of 4 www.JazzTutorial.com
4 Real Books I Use & Recommend Real book volume III (in C):
Comes with 400 songs.
The Real Book: Sixth Edition (in C):
Ain't Misbehavin' * All or Nothing at All * Along Came Betty * Cheek to
Comes with 400 songs. Cheek * East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) * Funkallero * H &
H * I've Got the World on a String * I've Got You Under My Skin * The
Songs include: All Blues * Au Privave * Autumn Leaves * Black Jive Samba * The Lady Is a Tramp * Milestones * Moonlight in Vermont
Orpheus * Bluesette * Body and Soul * Bright Size Life * Con Alma * * A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square * On a Clear Day (You Can
Dolphin Dance * Don't Get Around Much Anymore * Easy Living * See Forever) * Samba De Orfeu * Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All
Epistrophy * Falling in Love with Love * Footprints * Four on Six * the Time) * Things Ain't What They Used to Be * The Very Thought of
Giant Steps * Have You Met Miss Jones? * How High the Moon * I'll You * Violets for Your Furs * Watermelon Man
Remember April * Impressions * Lullaby of Birdland * Misty * My
Funny Valentine * Oleo * Red Clay * Satin Doll * Sidewinder * Stella by >> Click here to see online
Starlight * Take Five * There Is No Greater Love * Wave *
>> Click here to see online
The Standards Real Book by Sher Music (in C):
Comes with 264 songs.
The Real Book - Volume II (in C): Songs include: After You, Ain’t No Sunshine, Alice in Wonderland, All My
Tomorrows, All Of You, All Through The Night, Alone Together, As Time
Comes with 400 songs. Goes Bye, Autumn Nocturne, A Beautiful Friendship, Begin The Beguine,
The Best is Yet to Come, Bewitched, Blue and Sentimental, Come Fly
Songs include: Air Mail Special * Birdland * Bye Bye Blackbird * With Me, Crazy Rhythm, Dreamsville, Embraceable You, The Girl From
Caravan * Doxy * Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) * Georgia * Ipanema, How Insensitive, I Get A Kick Out Of You, I Got Rhythm, I
Girl Talk * I Remember You * I Thought About You * In Walked Bud * Loves You Porgy, I've got you Under My Skin, Indian Summer, Just One
The Jodi Grind * Just the Way You Are * Killer Joe * Little Sunflower * Of Those Things, Love For Sale, Lullaby Of Broadway, Meditation,
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy * Moanin' * The Nearness of You * Now's the Moondance, My Funny Valentine, Nice Work If You Can Get It, Night
Time * Old Devil Moon * Phase Dance * St. Thomas * Speak Low * and Day, On A Clear Day, Slow Hot Wind, So Nice (Summer Samba),
Stardust * Tangerine * Tenor Madness * Watch What Happens * Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise, Stormy Weather, Summertime, Take
Whisper Not * Willow Weep for Me * Yardbird Suite * Five, Tea For Two, They Can't Take That Away From Me.
>> Click here to see online >> Click here to see online
2 of 4 www.JazzTutorial.com
10 Jazz songs I Recommended Final Words
For Beginners I hope that this guide helps you choose the right real book for you,
and that you enjoy many hours exploring these songs!
- All The Things You Are (Real Book 6th Edition)
- Autumn Leaves (Real Book 6th Edition)
- Misty (Real Book 6th Edition)
- Satin Doll (Real Book 6th Edition)
- Stompin’ At The Savoy (Real Book 6th Edition)
- Moon River (Real Book Volume II)
- Fly Me To The Moon (Real Book Volume II)
- Georgia On My Mind (Real Book Volume II) Your friend,
- Cry Me A River (Real Book Volume III)
- Summertime (Standards Real Book by Sher)
Most of the ‘beginner songs’ I’ve listed above can be found in the
Real Book 6th Edition - so if you’re finding it hard to choose which
book, I’d recommend this one.
3 of 4 www.JazzTutorial.com
More from Julian Bradley
Improvisation Step by Step course:
Discover the art of jazz piano improvisation, broken down into
individual techniques with clear practice assignments. Chord tone
soloing, approach patterns, enclosures, and rhythm.
Click here to discover improvisation
Jazz Piano Styles course: Bring your playing to life
with walking bass lines, cocktail piano techniques, ‘glitzy solos’, stride
piano textures, song intros, endings, and more! Click here for details
The Best of Julian Bradley Ebook Collection:
Get all of Julian’s most popular jazz piano ebooks, sheet music,
compositions, and Christmas jazz arrangements - available in one
single download. Click here to browse Julian's ebooks
The Jazz Tutorial Course Membership:
Get access to ALL of Julian’s jazz piano courses with the Jazz Tutorial
Membership. Courses include Bossa Nova Masterclass, Jazz Theory
Fundamentals, Chord Voicing Intensive, and more…
8 courses | 70+ lessons | 14+ hours of video
Sign-up for as little as 30 days, and cancel at anytime!
Click here to browse Julian's jazz piano courses
4 of 4 www.JazzTutorial.com
