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Mail of the Month - November

Time for some frequent questions again. Some of them so frequent that they are already included in the FAQ (in one form or another): Where are the notes? I can only find charts with chords - in the description but notes were to be seen... It is quite clear from the app description that the app contains chord sequences only -- due to copyright the melodies cannot be included. However, for "original" Real Books, please visit www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html and www.skrivarna.com/2014/02/automatic-indexing-of-pdf-real-books.html to automatically import and index these. Nice app Good app, but is it possible to transpose a score? How? You can find the transpose function in the menu, in the lower or upper right corner depending on device (the icon is three dots). The "transpose" menu will change key of the currently selected song, while the "settings" menu allows you to transpose all the songs (to get e.g. a Bb Real Book). Fakebook No lyrics! And...

Django Fakebook

Just a quick heads up for all guitarists and Django Reinhardt fans: there are now PDFB scripts available for indexing the Django Fakebook at www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html . Big thanks to Fakebook user Arnim for the great idea. Other books that you would like to have indexed? Just let us know, send a mail to fakebook@skrivarna.com .

Mail of the Month - September

Can't help but publishing one of the best and nicest Rude Practice Pad reviews (so far): Excellence: you can get an App for that. I've been playing drums and percussion for 43 years and still enjoy practising and performing rudiments. I believe they are the road to brilliance (and a great way to gather a crowd in a music shop, incidentally) and that calls for regular practice/repetition to develop muscle memory and neural pathways. Practice is most effective when it is enjoyable, and it is most enjoyable when the musician themself calls the shots. Step forward this App; nothing further needs to be said. What can I say but Thanks!

Mail of the Month - July

Though simple, and created mostly for novelty and nostalgia, the VL-Tone app has for a long time been one of the most popular synth apps on Google Play. Some user comments say why: VL-Tone On My Phone! I still have my VL-Tone from when I was a kid and this app is a superbly crafted salute to it. In fact, with the touchscreen its effortless to jam out, compared to working those old clackity keys... well done! Most fun I've had since I found the vst plugin  One-liner history lesson: With Casiotone, they made wonders, Midge Ure, Frank Tovey, Martin L Gore, Billy Currie.  And the balanced review: Very solid Not stupid, not awesome.

To Bb or not to Bb

Just a heads up for those of you playing bass or Bb instruments. There are now ready made PDFB scripts for importing and indexing The Real Bass Book (F Clef) and The Bb Real Book at www.skrivarna.com/p/fakebook.html . With these additions the library now contains all variants (C, Bb, Eb, Vocal and Bass Real Books) of the most common jazz standards collection. There's also the fun Slick Book, with some classic pop and soul songs. Any ideas of other books to add? Drop us a mail!

At last: Fakebook annotations!

As a lot of you has told us, Fakebook is a great app. It comes with a large part of the jazz repertoire and by importing your own PDF books, sheet music or chordpro files it can carry all the songs needed. For any gig. All the time. In the pocket.  However (as you also told us), there's one thing the trunkful of binders could do that the Fakebook app didn't. Annotations. We all need a reminder from time to time; in which order to take solos, the number of vamps, where the intro starts... And sometimes a visual clue, marking a repeat or a tricky passage, makes all the difference of a performance. A trivial task for pen and paper - not possible with Fakebook.  Until now. Apart from a lot of other nice updates, the new Fakebook 1.4.0 features annotation. Choose from a fineline red pen or a half-transparent marker and scribble along! And you can write, draw and mark not only in PDF docs, but also on the built-in jazz charts, chordpro lyrics sheets or any other fi...

Andronome - Greater Than Ever

Now, available on Amazon and Google Play , the long-awaited update of the Andronome metronomes! The plain and simple Andronome has for quite some time been the musicians favorite metronome, thanks to the great design. Now, on the latest Android Kit-Kat versions, this is greater than ever - the BPM number and the blink literary takes over the whole screen. And no extra charge, the standard Andronome is still completely free (gratis and without ads)! Also the Andronome+ version ($0.99) benefits from the makeover. With direct access buttons for each function, it is now quicker than ever to adjust the presets or enable/disable sound, blink and vibration. The page indicator at the bottom hints at the next (and previous) song, while the "preset lock" prevents accidental changes in the heat of the gig. Professional, familiar and greater than ever. Get it now!