[Panda Licker]

I've heard a lot on here about there being Grateful Dead songbooks

and here I am sitting with my credit card, wanting to order.

But when I google it, I get about 40 different books to buy


I'm looking for something deffinitive. I cant decide if I'd be more interested in their being lots of songs with only chords, or less songs with more detailed tab/sheet music.

I'm up to recomendations.

And please try to recomend one that has 'Thats it for the Other One'

[Mr.Charlie]

I've got the Grateful Dead Anthology, has a bunch of good songs. Has chords as well as sheet music for piano, so you can get a good sense of the tune if you can read sheet music. And yes, it does have "That's it for the other one," however, this book started a bit of the controversy, by calling the Cryptical, the other one, and vice versa. They messed up on that, but its all there.

[Panda Licker]

Yeah, it was in the "Other One/Cryptical" thread that I saw about the songbook first

they called it an anthology there, but I didnt know if they were using it as a generic term or not. Amazon has shown me that its not

[strumminsix]

Personally I'd say don't buy!

Between this site, Jdarks, Deadstein and few others you'll have everything you need for a foundation. From there dissect the songs until you master them.

IMO this will make you a much more talented musician.

[jenkins]

I would suggest one of the anthologies. There are 2 versions, one is shorter than the other. The longer one is 260 pages, released by warner brothers. It has the whole cryptical/TOO.
For 20$ it is definitly worth it.

You can find any of the songs online but they aren't 100% accurate.
ALmost always they are missing at least one part of the song (usually the difficult part)
And I find a lot of these online tabs just conusing.
But I also agree that figuring out songs using messed up tabs and listneing to it does make u a better player. But many times it is easier just to learn the proper way to play it. Especially if u r planning on jamming w/ other people who do know the correct way to play it.

I also have the jerry garcia solo songbook, the led zeppelin songbook, miles davis, the beatles, and several more.

All well worth the investment.

[Tennessee Jedi]

Get something like Hundred Year Hall.
Way more in depth for the guitars of Bob and Jerry.
I dont like the songbooks that are piano style 'cause they sometimes change the key.
Good tab is good tab no matter where it comes from.

[Panda Licker]

I know the danger of following tab for too long. For my first two years of playing I did nothing but read tab and sheet music, and I ended up not having an ear for notes for a while

As far as having chords though, I sort of find myself needing them, since i'm not a guitarist, I'm a bass player. Playing the dead for me really isnt so much learning whats being played, but by seeing what Jerry/Bob are playing, then figuring out what Phil is doing under that. Then its reallizing I'm NEVER giong to memorize an entire song worth of phil basslines, and that I really shouldnt memorize it.

Not playing an instrument to play "chords" on really makes it hard to figure out the chord progressions of songs, since I' have a habit of doing that off of the basslines (Listening to the beatles too long I guess ), and you really can't do that off of Phils parts.

I' really like Hundred Year Haul, but I don't know if I want to get that as a book. I'm not so much interested in what Jerry and Bob are playing as far as improv. I'm more looking to just have a book for a quick reference to the basics. Something that I can quick look up the China Cat chords and main riff and then do what I personally want with it.

I already have a Beatles book of "note for note' transcription, and I find it sort of useless. If Paul is just playing a written bassline once and improvising on it later, I dont really want to learn his improvisation. I'd rather just listen, get a feel for what he's doing and then improvise myself. Not to say its a bad book though. I HIGHLY recomend the 'Complete Beatles Songbook' (Big white hardcover taht comes in a white box), to anyone with the desire and the $70 it cost.

[CaptainTrips]

Personally I'd say don't buy!

Between this site, Jdarks, Deadstein and few others you'll have everything you need for a foundation. From there dissect the songs until you master them.

IMO this will make you a much more talented musician.

[CaptainTrips]

Then its reallizing I'm NEVER giong to memorize an entire song worth of phil basslines, and that I really shouldnt memorize it.

I doubt Phil could do that!

[amyjared]

I have tons of music books (and boxes and boxes of magazines with tab in them from subscribing for 20 years!) IMHO, tab is the way to go. The big anthology books are fun for a jumping off point, to give you the chord progression, but they don't often give it to you in the correct key, and you can almost always find the chord progression on this site or others. The Tab books are better for learning the whole song. I would recommend the two Authentic Guitar Tab ones. They are well done. Oh, and I have several of the instructional DVD's and they are also excellent purchases. It's like getting a personal lesson over and over again.
And yes, as someone said, you will improve your ears if you don't have the books, but that was never my goal. My ears were never very good, but have improved even with the books/dvd's. BTW, the Beatles book that you mention isn't totally accurate, lots of flaws, but a good start.

[Django]

I'd have to agree with Tennesee about the 'piano' style songbooks for learning songs off of. About the key changes and all. Even lyrics can be suspect.
On the other hand I have a few that I think are just cool to have around for the covers and the fact that it just IS a music book about a band I like.
Tab can be incorrect as well, this site is heads above the others for accuracy, but in the long run it's you that makes the song something that speaks to others and sometimes that is accomplished by finding your own arrangment and that is done by your improving ear. I still have songs I do and have always done wrong, and I would be closer trying to figure them out now then when I learned them; but I've found no good reason to fix them, they work for me.

[Tennessee Jedi]

It all boils down to really listening to whatever you are working on.
This site is great 'cause guys make vids,which is great for learning.
Never listened to Steal your Face album too much till Jdarks kept referencing it.But I really wanted to learn them tunes.
Now I love it.
Those Authentic Tab books are pretty good for the guitars.

[GratefulPat]

i have two different one with tabs and the tabs for there so called solos... they are bogus, cant remember the names off hand, but they were about 20 books and they had red covers with all the songs in it on the back.. DONT BUY!

[shakedown_04092]

Personally I'd say don't buy!

Between this site, Jdarks, Deadstein and few others you'll have everything you need for a foundation. From there dissect the songs until you master them.

IMO this will make you a much more talented musician.

Gotta agree here. Unless the money's burning a hole in yer pocket, save it for something else and utilize what you're already paying for: the internet!

[I'm on the Bozo Bus]

I badly frustrate some of the folk I play with because I play the tunes, in time, and the proper chords, but I always throw a little "Bozo" in to it. I don't even attempt to copy Jer or Bob, however I will emulate what they have already played.

In other words, I make it my own. Those that go strictly by the book, will and do become frustrated with yours truly. I am quickly informed that "Jerry didn't play it like that" or "That's not the chord Bob used".
Having said that, you can only play the intro to say... "Friend of the Devil" (Old fast version) so many ways. you can play it in a lot of places on the fret board, but you are basically playing the same notes (my apologies to the music "therosist" (sic) out there). However if you bust into "Althea", you can improvise around the opening many different ways. Again the purist's will likely disagree. Get the gest of the tune in your head, know what chords they're coming from and moving too then.... Make it your own.
As you probably know, the real fun is leaving one foot in the box of the song, then have the other foot go where the spirit of the tune, the crowd, your cat..... dictates.
PEACE
Phil