Saludos Carlitos!
I remember my first contact with printed real books in my early 19's y/o from a Berklee graduated guitar player with who I took some classes. When I had on hands that book with funny chubby fonts in front page the first reaction was to look for those songs I had chord doubts or I didn't know learned yet. At my 20 age I began to play with the jazz quartet of a famous and demanding pianist who didn't allow Real Books or scores even in rehearsals! ...but not problem to me because at that moment I had the habit of transcribe by ear the chords and harmony of many jazz songs from vinil records and cassetes. My Real Book was my memory cells. However of there from on I had that bulky books near of me like many contemporary jazz musician or student at 70's 80's do, and that was helpul mainly in the learning stage. Parallelly a good part of my home training came from the books and records of Jamey Aebersold since 70´s end and Band in a Box starting from 1992. Today with all this technological and internet informative madness I think that young people (and not so) should be careful, excessive easiness to obtain of everything in the net makes senses sleepy and leave aside the old wise practice of memorization and ear transcription. Overabundance never is good..it kill motivation and emotions.

Gabriel Arellano,
Nucleox Music