Song Help Request The Ultimate Ukulele Fakebook

icuker

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I was thinking of getting this 400 song book by Hal Leonard but wondered how it compared to the two Uke a Day books, which I already have. In the Amazon limited preview, it showed some of the same songs but a few were in other keys. Just curious if anyone has compared them more extensively. The Yellow Uke a Day book tends to be in keys that bottom out vocally for our Uke Club, the Blue book tends to be ok. Thanks.
 
The full song lists are on Hal Leonard’s site. I like it, but I wish I had ordered the pocket size. I got the Christmas fake book in the pocket size and it meant I could actually bring it places. ;-)
 
I have all the big fake books on my 12.9 inch Ipad , take it everywhere. also GO STAND from Airturn store with mobius that holds the ipad, use EVERY day, several thousand songs on pad.
 
Hal Leonard song books have a layout that is not the best for everyone... I suggest first checking out it or a similar H.L. books from the local library and see what you think. In fact, you might find so many books there that you won't need to buy anything for a very long time!

I suggest the Sing Out! Productions song books called Rise Up Singing and Rise Again, also published by Hal Leonard (Blood/Patterson, editors). These books are quite different from the typical HL production: Over 1200 songs stuffed into a much thinner - large print - book in a much easier to follow format, IMHO. Four songs per page, not four pages per song. Each chapter follows a topical theme. Multi-lingual- cultural. If you can't find songs in here you love to play you are from another planet ;-)
 
Hal Leonard song books have a layout that is not the best for everyone... I suggest first checking out it or a similar H.L. books from the local library and see what you think. In fact, you might find so many books there that you won't need to buy anything for a very long time!

I suggest the Sing Out! Productions song books called Rise Up Singing and Rise Again, also published by Hal Leonard (Blood/Patterson, editors). These books are quite different from the typical HL production: Over 1200 songs stuffed into a much thinner - large print - book in a much easier to follow format, IMHO. Four songs per page, not four pages per song. Each chapter follows a topical theme. Multi-lingual- cultural. If you can't find songs in here you love to play you are from another planet ;-)
At first I thought “there’s no music in these music books.”

But then I connected “Sing Out” and realized it’s for strummers who let their voices do the heavy lifting.
 
It's my understanding that this is simply a songbook of standards, with some added (generic) ukulele chord diagrams. You can achieve the same by having a standard real book with a ukulele chord finder alongside it, and you would get a better lay-out on the page, and more songs. The chord finder would also give you different inversions of the chord in question, which is helpful if you are trying to incorporate chord melody in your playing. And you have a better chance of learning the chords by memory this way too.

I am a big fan of the Hal Leonard Real Vocal Books, which come in high and low voice editions.
 
It's my understanding that this is simply a songbook of standards, with some added (generic) ukulele chord diagrams. You can achieve the same by having a standard real book with a ukulele chord finder alongside it, and you would get a better lay-out on the page, and more songs. The chord finder would also give you different inversions of the chord in question, which is helpful if you are trying to incorporate chord melody in your playing. And you have a better chance of learning the chords by memory this way too.

I am a big fan of the Hal Leonard Real Vocal Books, which come in high and low voice editions.
It comes with standard notation as well as lyrics and chord diagrams.
 
At first I thought “there’s no music in these music books.”

But then I connected “Sing Out” and realized it’s for strummers who let their voices do the heavy lifting.
This is a very good point... I'm all about singing and letting my ukulele support me, so I am biased...

Also: These books have guitar chords listed, and not every song works on a ukulele. Which can be frustrating...

Still amazing books though... I open it up to a random page and can find a song I want to try on almost every page!
 
This is a very good point... I'm all about singing and letting my ukulele support me, so I am biased...

Also: These books have guitar chords listed, and not every song works on a ukulele. Which can be frustrating...

Still amazing books though... I open it up to a random page and can find a song I want to try on almost every page!
HL has a few books even outside of that series that are formatted like this and I get jealous because I usually only sing punk songs and yet nobody seems to want to out together an omnibus of punk tunes with lyrics (but oh man, I’d buy all of them that covered stuff up to the mid ‘00s).
 
Well... there are always the online sites that have so many songs. UkuTabs, et all... look long enough and you can find the charts for almost any song you can name.

But as always, it's the songs you love that are easiest to learn! It's always easier to play songs you have heard and always known. To play a song you have never heard is taking it to a whole 'nother level...

I enjoy the challenge. And having a book with 1200 songs insures plenty of opportunity.

Insider tip: Choose the book Raise Again for more recent music. Rise Up Singing! has a more "old folky" vibe...
 
Well... there are always the online sites that have so many songs. UkuTabs, et all... look long enough and you can find the charts for almost any song you can name.

But as always, it's the songs you love that are easiest to learn! It's always easier to play songs you have heard and always known. To play a song you have never heard is taking it to a whole 'nother level...

I enjoy the challenge. And having a book with 1200 songs insures plenty of opportunity.

Insider tip: Choose the book Raise Again for more recent music. Rise Up Singing! has a more "old folky" vibe...
Those books look great, thank you
 
Does it have musical notation like the Hal Leonard books?
It does not, sorry. I wasn’t sure if you were looking for a fake book or for books to learn musical notation. The thread title and comments points to maybe either? I have only ever understood fake books to be chords and lyrics. It’s possible I am finding out today that I am wrong.

Edit: It turns out that yes I am very wrong lol

here is one that is closer to what youre looking for
 
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It does not, sorry. I wasn’t sure if you were looking for a fake book or for books to learn musical notation. The thread title and comments points to maybe either? I have only ever understood fake books to be chords and lyrics. It’s possible I am finding out today that I am wrong.

Edit: It turns out that yes I am very wrong lol

here is one that is closer to what youre looking for
Is that book copy legal? The songs all appear to be individually copyrighted and there is an additional copyright from the publisher.
 
Is that book copy legal? The songs all appear to be individually copyrighted and there is an additional copyright from the publisher.
I got it from the internet archive https://archive.org/ if that helps your question at all. I don't know what safe guards they have against illegal uploads. I do know that everything from archive is supposed to be free. If you are uncomfortable clicking the link or investigating the url, I would recommend avoiding it I suppose.

Edit: Your question has been interesting me for some time now. I found this answer which is almost as interesting.


It seems this book exists in some quasi-existence where it is not legal to share it prior to it being on internet archive, but is legal to share once it goes there? I dont know. Good question tho. I used internet archive a lot in college, many did from what I remember.
 
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