I'm a singer/guitarist, and I've been using iReal Book in live settings as of late.

Initially, it was an experiment, but it has turned out to be a very positive experience. In particular, the iOS version's "Player" feature has given me a lot more options, and I have some upcoming "jazz standards" gigs where my iPad may serve as my only backup.

For my "normal" shows, I play everything from Sinatra to Sabbath, so I haul around a computer rig with close to 200 hand-sequenced midi songs, feeding into racks of virtual drums, synths, and samplers, plus a virtual guitar rig and a soft processor chain for my vocals.

But for these impending jazz gigs, I will probably leave the "big rig" at home and just do a basic "jazz quartet + vocal" sound using the iPad, a guitar, and my voice.

Of course, BiaB is my go-to for songwriting/arranging, but this iReal Book app makes a great addition to my arsenal.


As a side note, it is my understanding that since the iReal Book software and library is limited to chord charts only, that there are no copyright violations.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.