Music Sheets Library

Whether you're a musician or just a music lover dying to know the actual lyrics for your favorite song, online sheet music store outlets are great to check out.

Shopping online for sheet music can be one of the best ways to go for saving time, hassle and even money. Although a lot of metropolitan areas have more than one store where sheet music can be found, some locales have none. And even stores that do carry sheet music may only have a limited selection. This means shoppers very likely will have to check in multiple places for a particular title or have to wait for special orders to arrive. This of course translates into a return trip as well, which means twice the price in gasoline and wasted time, too.

No matter the genre of sheet music desired, online stores can be found that offer it. By shopping this way, a sheet music buyer can be assured of finding exactly what they want before clicking the buy button, too.

Considering the types of sheet music available, it really isn't a wonder that most stores simply can't carry it all. The types of music that can be found include:

* Simple lyric sheets for songs from just about every genre imaginable. This means Christian, country, rock, jazz, old time, you name it. These won't include the musical instrument instructions, but they prove useful for singers or would-be singers.

* Full orchestration sheets. This type of sheet music includes the parts for every instrument, including the voice, used in a version of a song. It can be pretty complex and once again, considering the number of musical genres, finding just the right work in a store might be tough.

* Instrument specific. There are some sheet music booklets that can be picked up that target just a single instrument either for solos or just for their parts in a song. Guitar tabs, for example, are meant simply to instruct the player of that instrument. Again, these can be found in music shops and locations that sell guitars, but finding a particular title might be difficult.

* Collections. Guitarists, singers and more often find these useful. Collections can include pop song lyrics and musical instruction, country, rock, hymns and more.

By providing shoppers the ability to quickly find exactly what they're looking for in sheet music, buying online simply makes sense. There's no reason to run all over the place or even to call from store to store. The styles and types of sheet music, ranging from old time and ancient music to modern rock, pop and country make it almost impossible for a store to carry it all. Looking online allows a shopper to "visit" hundreds of locations quickly, efficiently and with ease.

Most professional musicians play from a book called a "Fake Book". I bought my first fake book containing only about 200 songs when I was a teenager -- they were illegal then, but most musicians owned them -- for $50. That would be equal to $500. or more now. But fortunately, they have since become legal, so you can buy a real good one with 1000 songs now for $50. or less. A fake book contains just the melody (tune) and the chord symbols of a song, so you have to know chords to use one. But when you do, your playing comes alive -- you're only reading a few notes, but playing lots of notes.

Most people learn to play the piano by playing just the written music. Playing by written music is exactly what the phrase says it is -- playing the exact notation on a piece of sheet music. But playing by chord symbol is very different. Instead of following the harmony note by note, you follow the chord symbols (i.e. C7 or F) written above the harmonies, filling in the gaps with...well, whatever you want as long as it sticks to those chords. Of course, you'll still read the melody (it is, after all, often what makes the song recognizable) but even that is completely open to interpretation. Playing by chord symbol allows you a freedom that playing by written music simply doesn't. The freedom to create. The freedom to invent. The freedom to arrange chord patterns in the way you want.

Does that mean playing by written music is less important than playing by chord symbol? No. The ability to play by written music is an extremely valuable skill, one that even some of the most famous musicians don't possess. And while you don't necessarily need to know the skill backwards and forwards to create great arrangements, it's a great help.

Chord symbols -- sometimes referred to as "chord tabs" (for example, Cmaj7 or G6 or Fm7) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. This type of notation differs from that of classical music in that chord symbols don't show the function of a chord the way the Roman numeral notation does. Chord symbols, for modern music with lots of changes, are much easier to read. They function as a sort of shorthand for change-heavy music and are written with four chord parts in mind: the root, the quality, the extension, and the alterations.

The first part in chord symbols, the root, tells the musician which note is the root of the chord. In an E6 chord, for instance, the E serves as the root. In a C7 chord, C is the root. Easy enough.

Quality, the second part in chord symbols, denotes whether the chord is major, minor, diminished, or augmented. In a Cmaj7, the maj tells us that the C chord is major. The abbreviations for this area in chord symbols are maj, min, dim, and aug respectively. So Cm means the chord is a C minor chord. Caug means that the chord is a C augmented chord.

The extension in chord symbols, written after the quality, shows the musician if the chord differs from a triad, such as an 11th or 6th or 9th or 7th or 13th. So a C9 would mean that the C chord includes the 9th note above C, which is D. A C6 chord would mean that the C chord includes the 6th scale note above C, which is A. This part of chord symbols is not always shown; if there is no indication of an extension, the musician is to assume that the chord is a triad.

The last part in chord symbols, the alteration, is usually but not always expressed. Think of this part as the "notes" section in chord symbols; it gives the musician any specific (and sometimes irregular) instructions for playing the chord and is always written in parentheses after the extension (or the quality, if no extension exists). For instance, (no fifth) would tell the musician that the chord is to be played with the fifth tone left out. Sus - short for "suspension", would mean to play the 4th scale note instead of the 3rd. A minus sign would mean to lower (flat) a chord tone, such as C-9 which would mean to flat the 9th of the chord. Conversely, a plus sign would mean to raise (sharp) a particular chord tone.

Reading music using chord symbols allows a person to use written music as a map, rather than a note-for-note approach -- being tied to the written sheet music. By just reading the melody note and the chord symbols, musicians can improvise to their hearts content and create their own sounds on the keyboard. So you can use sheet music as a map instead of a ball & chain that ties you down.

Did you know that many pianists wouldn't have a clue what to do if a gust of wind blew their sheet music off the music rack? I've actually seen it happen, and it is very embarrassing to the pianist. And it's so un-necessary! And there's a true story about a famous concert pianist who could play most any piece of written music, but when asked to play "Happy Birthday" at a party, she couldn't do it because she didn't have any written music! Almost unbelievable, but true.

There is a veritable barrage of online resources for guitarists: how to select an instrument, how to care for it, chord charts for songs and sheet music along with lessons for various guitar techniques and styles. Some of these websites have useful information; others are merely teases trying to sell the site visitor some sort of guitar-related product or service. There are a number of online "lesson" sites, including beginning guitar lessons.

Perhaps some of these web resources will be of value to the beginner. Certainly, you can learn a little about the instrument and its various components.

You can learn how to tune a guitar and a few of the basic chords, so that the fret board doesn't feel totally alien to you. If you are shopping for an instrument, you can learn enough about them to ask informed questions at the music shop.

Even for this purpose, it helps to seek consultation from a professional who is not in the guitar sales business. You may not be sure what sort of guitar you want to purchase: steel strings or gut strings.

For a beginning guitar lesson, the difference won't matter much. However, as you progress, the type of instrument you're playing will be very important to you. Guitar teachers are excellent, unbiased resources for information on instruments.

* There is no substitute for a real, live guitar teacher and weekly or biweekly lessons, especially for beginning guitar lessons. Getting started with proper form is critical. You need to learn how to use your hands from a professional, not from an MTV video.

* Professional guitar teachers will give you a beginning guitar lesson that you will understand because you will be able to ask questions. There are no stupid questions when you are first starting out, with any new skill. There are no questions at all with an online lesson format.

* A schedule of personal beginning guitar lessons will force you to PRACTICE. Practicing is the key to progressing with your skill and it is also the key to persevering. Everyone has days when they don't want to practice. If you have an upcoming lesson that you'll want to be ready for, you'll have an important reason to practice - to avoid embarrassment.

* Consider renting an instrument until you have had enough beginning guitar lessons to know what you want in an instrument's design. Some guitar necks may be too wide for your hands. Steel strings can be hard on your fingers when you're starting out; even gut strings are going to leave you with sore fingers.

For anyone just starting out playing music, it is important to have a good solid basis of theory behind you. Many beginners overlook theory in favor of just sitting down and playing. But this can be a mistake for the person who is serious about learning to play and understand music. Music theory for beginner players is a vital part of learning how to play any instrument.

Knowing theory concepts like chords, scales, and notes is one way you can understand more about learning to play the piano with confidence. Chords and scales are the backbone behind learning how to play any type of music on a variety of instruments. The more you know about music theory, the better able you'll be able to learn how to play the piano in the comfort of your own home.

Once you know your theory, including the basic piano chord chart, you will be ready to play all types of music including jazz, gospel, rock, and classical. No matter the style of music you want to play, you will have the tools to play with a high level of success. The key is to start with something simple that you like to listen to and learn how to play it well. Include a course specifically designed as a music theory for beginner players program, and you will be well on your way to learning any of your favourite tunes. You can then work your way up to more complicated styles of music until you have a small grouping of musical selections to play for yourself and for others.

Learning online is a great alternative when starting out on the piano. You can learn at your own pace without having to plan around the schedule of another teacher. Online lessons will comfortably challenge you and keep you progressing at a steady rate. Incorporating theory lessons with your piano practice will also help you achieve better results over time, as you will have a solid understanding of the basic components that make up any song or musical piece.