Book excerpt: For keyboard players of all levels. Fake books are used by professional musicians at cocktail lounges, weddings, and many other performing situation. They are invaluable because they contain a thousand or more songs in one compact volume. But in order to use them one must know how to look at a kind of musical shorthand--a skeleton of each song which gives only melody, lyrics and chord symbols--and "fake" a full accompaniment. Now, anyone can! This book will teach you how to play any chord symbol you will find in pop, jazz or rock; how to create stylish arrangements on your own; and how to sound like a "pro" even when reading sheet music for the first time. Topics include bass lines, counter-melodies, intros and endings, rhythmic patterns, and embellishing a melody.--From publisher description