Here’s the catch: the songs themselves (melodies and lyrics) are still under copyright unless in the public domain. While chord progressions aren’t copyrightable, distributing a full “Real Book” index as playable BIAB files can cross into grey territory. The legitimate route is to buy the official RealBook add‑ons from PG Music (makers of BIAB), which offer licensed versions of hundreds of standards. However, many users share their personal transcriptions of public‑domain jazz tunes (pre‑1928) — and those can legally exceed 10,000 songs when you include traditional, folk, and early blues.
If you need to quickly arrange a setlist, this library allows you to open a tune, adjust the tempo, set the arrangement (e.g., Intro, 3 Choruses, Solos, Outro), and export the audio in minutes. How to Find and Use the 13,000 Tunes Link
: 4.5/5
For the investment of time (and sometimes a small fee for third-party compilations), the is arguably the best "fake book" investment a modern jazz musician can make. It transforms passive reading into active, high-quality music production, making it an essential addition to any musician's digital toolkit.
However, here’s legitimate guidance for using Band-in-a-Box with Real Book content: band in a box real books 13000 tunes link
The 13,000 tunes collection is a massive user-compiled library of Band-in-a-Box song files ( .SGU and .MGU formats). It digitizes decades of traditional jazz, pop, rock, blues, and bluegrass fake books.
By applying (audio recordings of studio musicians) to these 13,000 chord progressions, you can instantly turn a basic 1990s MIDI file into a stunning, lifelike jazz trio or rock band. Simply load a tune from your new library, choose a modern RealTracks style, and press play. If you need help setting up your files, tell me: What operating system are you running (Windows or Mac)? Which version of Band-in-a-Box are you using? Here’s the catch: the songs themselves (melodies and
The primary selling point is speed. If you want to practice "All The Things You Are" in the key of E-flat at 140 BPM with a Bossa Nova feel, you simply open the file, type the new key, and change the tempo. It takes 10 seconds. Doing this from scratch requires typing 64 bars of complex chord changes.
If a song opens with an outdated MIDI style (e.g., JAZZ.STY ), open the StylePicker ( F6 ) and choose a modern RealTracks style (like Jazz Swing Kenny or Bossa Brushes ). The chords will instantly snap to the new audio-based musicians. However, many users share their personal transcriptions of
The "13,000 tunes" reference typically refers to large, community-curated or third-party collections of files designed to work specifically with Band-in-a-Box. These collections often include: