Sheet music

when I want sheets I check out the nearest thing...Fakebooks. the one I have for country is huge and quite good. I can read a melody to a song I dont know, follow the chords and play the song quite decently. Fakebooks cover many genres now.
I agree, I rarely see single song sheet music in stores. smaller stores in older towns do have them. I have seen and bought sheet music at yardsales whenever I see them and for whatever song style. eBay has sheet music. enter that and you will get hundreds of hits.
I bought some vintage sheets because the cover sheet was very cool.
I am glad to know someone else does sheet music.

Thanks for the tips. I'll check them out. I've heard of Fakebooks before and have to look into them. I never thought of eBay either. There was a store in Irvington NJ called Major Music that had just about everything. I have no idea if they are even there anymore, since I live about 50 miles and 35 years away.

A number of publishers sell single sheet music on line. You can go into a music store and ask, "Do you have a relatively easy arrangement of Piano Man for a ten year old to play" and they go to Hal Leonard or another publisher, look through the files and print out the single song for you. Cost, as you may guess, is around $5 a song. I think the last one I got was $3.95, but that's not a memory I trust.

Depending on what type of music you want -"regular old" sheet music (meaning piano arrangements with melody and guitar chords), straight from the recording guitar tablature (not always totally accurate but usually a lot more so than most Internet tab sites) and sometimes total scores of recordings - there are some out there. Not every bit of music (not even close), but a lot more than folks think.

When I first started guitar, sheet music was between a dollar and a dollar and a half for a single song. Considering that was thirty years ago, four or five dollars doesn't seem that outrageous. But that might be the songwriter in me speaking! :wink:

In other words, check out online places for single sheet music pieces. Usually, you're able to take a look at it before you buy. If not, go to your local music store and ask who they work with and who they recommend.

Hope this helps.

Peace

Yes, that does help. Thanks. I just wasn't sure how accurate those on-line paid-for sheets were, but I guess they are about as accurate as anyone else's. I will also ask at the local music stores about getting a special order.

As a rule, they tend to be more accurate if they are "recorded guitar tab" versions. But sheet music, like anything else, comes in all sorts of varieties. Always try to get a look at what you're buying to see if it's it the right range as far as what you want. If you want the strumming patterns, for example, then you need to see written notation for the timing.

Most of the time, the written sheet music, sold through the publishing company, is fairly accurate (because the publishers are paying someone to do it), but not always. Again, getting a glance at some of the music should be able to tip you off whether or not you want the whole song.

Peace

I just surfed around through the Hal Leonard site, and looked up some fakebooks. Really pretty extensive. It seems Hal Leonard has a whole lot of authorized internet and real-world dealers. There are a couple of music stores, especially a larger one in my area that are HL dealers. It's like being a kid in a candy store. :lol:

I've seen some samples on musicnotes.com, and they have different versions. I print the first page just to get an idea of the song, and I always opt for the ones that are guitar-specific and have tabs.

Now I think I will be all right when I need a sheet. And the fakebooks are not expensive at all. Why, you could get a whole shelf full (well, maybe half a shelf) for about $100!

The only thing that is cheesing me off is that I can't find Dave Edmunds' version of I Hear You Knocking. Seems there is only the original out there. His intro and solo is way different than the original. I love his version. I can play the rhythm (it's just an E and A 12 bar blues). Well, maybe this is a sign that I should learn how to figure it out by ear.

I'm glad I fell in with you guys. :wink:

I heard some Muriel Anderson songs from CD then found that I could order downloads of her music from her website. Perfect notes and tablature arranged for guitar. I've been working on a Chet Atkins style version of 'Vincent' (Don Mclean)

So perhaps the artist, if a current one, might sell what you're looking for online from their website.

Beats my old Lightfoot or Don Mclean anthologies books because back in the 70's if it had notes it was usually arranged for piano.

Try looking at your local library. The St. Louis County libraries have a large collection of fake books with guitar tabs that I like to look through.

Try www.sheetmusicdirect.us - This is Hal Leonard's online sheet music site. The nice thing is that they sell many of the individual guitar tab selections for $.99 each.

I've been working on a Chet Atkins style version of 'Vincent' (Don Mclean)

Hijacking the thread, I know, but I'd pay good money to hear that

Classical Guitar music is even more difficult to get. Most places will have a couple of copies of Cavatina or Classical Gas, but you've got to hit a big music shop if you want anything more.

A :-)

The Hal Leonard site is great and has a number of songs for only $0.99. You can also check musicnotes.com and freehandmusic. com. They have a good selection as well. If, however, you see a song on musicnotes, double-check with the Hal Leonard site mmoncur mentions. Sheetmusicdirect often has it for less.

I've been working on a Chet Atkins style version of 'Vincent' (Don Mclean)

Hijacking the thread, I know, but I'd pay good money to hear that

You'd want your money back if I played it.....

Search YouTube. There's a video of Don Mclean singing the song as Atkins plays the tune his way.
Atkins tunes down the E and A strings so that 12th fret harmonics can be used for the "starry,starry night" phrase.

Now returning your thread to it's regularly scheduled route.

I just bought the "Led Zeppelin Complete" book from the local GC. I should have looked through it a bit more. Not happy with it. Although I realize i need to learn how to read music, I was looking for something that had tab included. When I breezed through the book, I happened to scan Stairway to Heaven. That song has the tabs included. However no other songs do. Go figure.

It does have the chords listed for the songs. But that sometimes makes for too many broad strokes. The Immigrant Song for example. The book does not give me a clue on how to do the openning riff but gives me the chords for the rhythm. I did get to learn how to play a few songs though, so I guess its worth the $$ I paid for it.

because back in the 70's if it had notes it was usually arranged for piano.

I noticed that too. Most annoying.