A Guitarist's Guide to Buying Sheet Music

There are plenty of reasons why learning the guitar can be beneficial to boost the potential of our brains. But when first starting out and learning, students in the earlier stages of their learning are taught to either learn music by ear or by tablature. While both methods are quick and effective ways to learn music, it’s going to be beneficial (if not required) for them at some point to read standard notation, as many composers/music directors will use scores as a means of reference. But whether you’re starting to learn about sheet music, or you’re a seasoned professional, it’s important to know how to access it.

Where Can I Purchase Sheet Music?

Many "mom and pop" music stores or larger corporations sell books containing sheet music. It can be found in instructional books, a book on a specific artist/band's discography, or maybe a score of your favorite movie. In fact, many guitar-centric books that commonly have tablature will also include a staff above it with the standard notation written out. These books are great ways to figure out how to read and even write out music in standard format. If you don’t want to necessarily shop around in these music stores, or can’t easily access one, you can always turn to the internet to see what resources are out there.  At Adirondack Guitar, we sell some sheet music but there is so much out there that we generally turn towards some great sites online.

Can This Be Accessed Online?

You bet! There are plenty of free music sheets sites available online, as there are many people transcribing or just sharing what they have.  From Ed Sheeran to Elvis, sites like Ultimate Guitar have almost anything out there. There is also a number of well-known software that deals with writing and editing music that is written out in standard notation and played back with MIDI instruments.  We highly recommend you check out Top Ten Reviews write up on software here. There are also similar programs that are much more friendly towards guitar players that include both standard notation and tablature as well.

Additionally, many popular websites for guitar players support some of the programs mentioned. All it takes is a quick "click" and the file is downloaded onto your computer's hard drive. After this, provided you have a reliable printer, you can go ahead and print these out! This can be a cost-effective option if you need to save some money on this. Make sure to shop around for affordable ink options as well, if you’re set on doing this (one we like is NeedInk.com). 

If you have a lot of loose-paper sheet music, then experts recommend using document boxes and hanging folders to keep them organized. This will help you avoid paper clutter and keep track of your music. 

What It Means To You

In today's day and age, there is no limit to how a guitar player can access ways to learn standard notation. Between books that are offered from many award-winning authors and forward-thinking programs, they, in their own right, can create their musical education. With the advancement of technology and the easy access to the internet, sheet music can be downloaded in a mere matter of seconds.

References:

http://www.toptenreviews.com/software/home/best-music-notation-software/

https://needink.com/

https://www.allstorageonline.com/industry-blog/how-to-organize-paper-clutter/

https://midnightmusic.com.au/2009/11/11-of-the-best-free-sheet-music-sites/