New iRealPro Django Fakebook coming soon ! (fully transcribed)

MartinG · April 2022

Hi everyone !

I'm working on a project I plan to release soon : a Django Fakebook fully transcribed. Let me explain that in details, and why I need your help.

The idea is to have most tunes of Django Reinhardt, including the "not so famous ones". Some of the songs won't be played by Django, but I plan to add just the famous ones, and some Waltzes.

What will be really different from the gypsy jazz real books that already exist is that every song will be the result of transcriptions. The version(s) related to the chord transcription will be indicated at the bottom of each chart.

As iRealPro doesn't (yet?) make it easy for users to ask for modifications or suggestions, I'll create a way for people to contact me if they find mistakes, so that they can be corrected. The idea is to avoid the common confusion in jam session that most of you have probably already experienced.

I really want to include as many people as possible in this project (Denis Chang, Samy Daussat, Gilles Réa, Duved Dunayevsky, Antonis Arfanis, Adrien Tarraga and many more), in fact every transcriptor who want to participate by checking chords or suggesting tunes. I would like to gather all the energy all these musicians put into transcribing to create an unifying project.

Also, as I know iRealPro is not free, the fakebook will be available in PDF of course.

So here's my request : I don't know yet how to name it. I've thought about "The Transcribed Gypsy Jazz Fakebook" (abbreviated "TGJF" in song titles in iRealPro) but I'm sure you will have better suggestions :-)

Buco · April 2022

For one please leave "fakebook" out. My suggestion:

Django according to Django

Very ambitious project, thank you for doing it.

Azazzell · April 2022

Thanks for doing this. I agree with Buco. "Fakebook" would kinda imply it has melodies, so better leave it out. How about the Gypsy Jazz Rhythm Book or Transcribed Django Chordbook ?

billyshakes · April 2022

Very ambitious project indeed! Yes, iRealPro is not free, but it was something like a $5 one-time charge. Skip the Starbucks one day and purchase it. If anyone is going to be involved in this style, it is a cheaper investment than a typical guitar pick.

In iReal, you can keep a playlist active, notifying folks for changes to the list, etc. This is the downside to a PDF is that it is frozen in time. When you edit, do you give it a new name or a new date? Is there a log for what has changed? I.e. you might change a chord in the tune "Vette." I know I don't play that tune much, so I might skip that update.

When you say "some of the other famous tunes", are you thinking songs like For Sephora, Bossa Dorado, etc? And for waltzes, just those ascribed to Django (M. St. Gen., Gin Gin, etc?) or including tunes like Passion, Bistro Fada, Valse des Niglos, etc?

geese_com · April 2022

The "Great Gypsy Jazz Chordbook" 😊 in homage to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Songbook

Buco · April 2022

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/110694#Comment_110694

That's true too but the reason I said that is there is no reason to fake the changes in this day and age. Plus the existing Django fakebook...it doesn't seem like the authors went to a lot of jams although it is a good resource for people just wanting to dive into the genre. Fakebook has a wonderful history but it's time to leave to leave the term behind.

juanderer · April 2022

Instead of Fakebook name it Meka. iykyk

MartinG · April 2022

Hey, thanks a lot for your reactions and suggestions !

You are right, "Fakebook" doesn't make any sense here. I like the "Transcribed Django Chordbook", though "Transcribed Gypsy Jazz Chordbook" would be more accurate as there will not only be tunes played by Django.

And I will add the version of the playlist "(v1), (v2) etc" as modifications are made, but I plan to change the versions maybe once every year for the first years, if necessary.

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/110697#Comment_110697

Yes, there will be all the famous tunes that are commonly played gypsy jazz. The idea is to make it useful for jammers. The famous jazz standards wont be in it (except if they were played by Django) as they already are in other irealpro playlists.

Please keep on suggesting names :-)

juanderer · April 2022

The Manouche Manual

rudolfochrist · April 2022

I would like to help and participate 👍 As for the title, my vote goes to @geese_com suggestion: Great Gypsy Jazz Chordbook or Great Jazz Manouche Chordbook.