How To Purchase Sheet Music Notation
Which sheet music product should you buy?
In the following paragraphs, we will take a look at each type of sheet music product that is out there… and we'll investigate how to pick the one that meets your needs.
Different Types of Sheet Music
Sheet music typically comes in one of the following forms:
Lead sheet–A lead sheet is the name typically given to a few pages of sheet music where the melody, lyrics, and harmony are notated. Often, the melody is notated on a separate staff than the harmony; typically the lyrics are written beneath the melody line. Meanwhile, the harmony is notated with chord symbols above the lyrics/melody or on using standard notation on a separate staff. This is a very basic kind of sheet music. Lead sheets are common with piano players and in recording sessions. They are great when songwriters want to communicate the basic song structure to session musicians. In such an example, the lead sheets often just have the lyrics and chord symbols. However, when you buy lead sheets from a music store, the melody and harmony are written out in standard notation as well.
Multi-song collections/songbooks–Songbooks appear in many forms, but they all have more than one tune under a single cover, usually grouped by a common theme.
Songbooks can be grouped by band or artist (e.g. Beatles greatest hits), by style/genre of music (e.g. Classic Rock Songs for Guitar), or by album (e.g. Beatles Help! album).
Guitar tablature– A method for transcribing music designed specifically for guitarists that shows the positions of notes on the frets and strings, usually identified by the letter-name of the chord (also known as 'tab') or the fret number to finger. Tablature is recommended for guitarists–especially those who don't read music. All you have to do is to put your finger on the fret that matches the number in the tab. All you need is the tablature and a recording of the song to play along. Tablature is available on the Internet or in book form. (Be forewarned that what you get on the Internet is of questionable legality and is not official (i.e. not released by the publisher) –meaning, it could contain inaccuracies.)
Chord books–A collection of songs in which the chord changes and lyrics are listed, but none of the music is scored in tablature or standard notation. (Note: Some chord books have the melody line notated; others do not.)
Which sheet music format should I pick up?
Clearly, sheet music is available in a wide variety of forms. The key to picking the right product for your needs is to actually consider how you'll be practicing and performing the song (or songs) you're looking to learn. For example, if you're an acoustic guitar player who wants to strum along to a song in your bedroom or with a couple of friends, pick up a chord book or some chord-based guitar tablature. If, however, you are a guitarist who wants to play the guitar part exactly like it was performed on the record, guitar tablature is the way to go. If you want to learn all songs by a particular artist or on a certain album, a songbook is the best way to go. If you want to play a song on an instrument that was originally arranged for a full band, consider picking up a lead sheet and use it to create your own version. Also, consider picking up a chord book if you want to just get the basic structure of a song to create your own arrangement from.
Don't hesitate!
No matter how experienced a player you are, there's some sheet music designed for you. Make sure you check out what's out there before you buy, but do buy! It's too much fun to play along with your favorite artist to wait!
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