Chart Info form should include a field "chart origin"

[thefrenchydenys]

Info form should include a field "chart origin", and this field should be displayed on top of chart.

In MuseScore, there is the label "Original" for a song that comes from 'Hal Leonard Publishing' for instance.
When I import a chart, my question is always : from which song book is coming this chart ? and would like to know it at first glance, like :

1/ do I need to check this chart myself, by comparing with the songbook or pdf on the internet or MusicNotes or whatever ?
or
2/ can I play it with confidence in front of an audience right away ?

Let me know if unclear,
Thanks,
the Frenchy, Denys

 

[CyrilleB]

Info form should include a field "chart origin", and this field should be displayed on top of chart.

In MuseScore, there is the label "Original" for a song that comes from 'Hal Leonard Publishing' for instance.
When I import a chart, my question is always : from which song book is coming this chart ? and would like to know it at first glance, like :

1/ do I need to check this chart myself, by comparing with the songbook or pdf on the internet or MusicNotes or whatever ?
or
2/ can I play it with confidence in front of an audience right away ?

Let me know if unclear,
Thanks,
the Frenchy, Denys

There's no such thing as an "original chart".
The only thing that can be original is the first recorded version of a song (or a transcription from the first recorded version).
But keep in mind that the most popular versions are not always the first recorded versions.
Most song books (real books and so on) are not accurate and have plenty of errors in it. They are not reliable for serious performances.
However, some of those "real book" charts have been established as "standard chart" by the jazz community. Those are usually helpful for playing in jam sessions or for some gigs with no rehearsals.
My advice for iReal pro: write after the song title the source of the chart (ex: if the chart comes from the real book vol. 1, write: Song Title (RB1). If it comes from Hal Leonard song book, write: Song Title (HL), etc.
If the chart is a transcription from a recording, you can write after the song title the artist (performer) name (if different than the composer) and eventually the recording date if it's the first recorded version. Ex: Unforgettable (Nat King Cole - 1951)
When you use the search engine, it will look for any key words in the song title and the composer fields.
That way you can easily filter charts by book or some other information.
That works well for me anyway.
Good luck!

 

[thefrenchydenys]

There's no such thing as an "original chart".
The only thing that can be original is the first recorded version of a song (or a transcription from the first recorded version).
But keep in mind that the most popular versions are not always the first recorded versions.
Most song books (real books and so on) are not accurate and have plenty of errors in it. They are not reliable for serious performances.
However, some of those "real book" charts have been established as "standard chart" by the jazz community. Those are usually helpful for playing in jam sessions or for some gigs with no rehearsals.
My advice for iReal pro: write after the song title the source of the chart (ex: if the chart comes from the real book vol. 1, write: Song Title (RB1). If it comes from Hal Leonard song book, write: Song Title (HL), etc.
If the chart is a transcription from a recording, you can write after the song title the artist (performer) name (if different than the composer) and eventually the recording date if it's the first recorded version. Ex: Unforgettable (Nat King Cole - 1951)
When you use the search engine, it will look for any key words in the song title and the composer fields.
That way you can easily filter charts by book or some other information.
That works well for me anyway.
Good luck!

yep, this is what I'm doing now in my post on the forum, listing the songbook editor or editing company (paper or online) used to transcribe the song into the grid. When I read that some charts have been produced just by ear, it makes me a little bit nervous. Therefore my idea of adding a kind of comment field in the chart info form. "Origin" : where does the chart comes from ? (in short, is it reliable ? Can I play it without a first check ?). I understand that you want me to use the title instead, which is a little bit "chocking" ;-) for the computer engineer that I'm am, since titles length could be drastically increased. ;-) But I will follow your advice, if you think that this "Origin" field has no value. Again, where does the chart come from ? Is it reliable ? If the field says "by ear", I skip it. ;-)

the frenchy, Denys ;-)

 

[CyrilleB]

I understand your feeling about having a neat database song library. The idea of adding more fields is nice, but not very practical for compatibility with existing charts that have circulated for more than 10 years across different platforms.
I'd like to point out that most song books, real books charts have been transcribed "by ear", except maybe the original published sheet music.
The quality of the charts depends of the ears and musical knowledge of the person who transcribed them.
Real books have been transcribed by students (no wonder why there are so many errors in it)
Official and legal fake books are usually better, but there are still errors in those as well.
For that reason, I have stopped using those books for many years. I prefer to transcribe them myself.
Most professional musicians don't really care about using accurate charts. They usually have enough experience and good ears to "correct" on the fly any chart (if they are familiar with the song).
Charts are always just a "guide". It only shows the basic harmonic structure of a song. Some prefer it simple, others prefer it more detailed and precise.
But in any case, it can never replace the actual listening of the song