Whether you are an amateur or expert musician, finding sheet music can be a big part of keeping yourself motivated to improve at your instrument.
However, you have to pay to access a lot of the sheet music that you can find online. This isn’t always great if you want to try new pieces for the first time, and don’t want to commit to paying for a copy first.
A big part of learning an instrument is finding music that is at your level of skill.
You might hear a piece on the radio and want to play it, only to discover that it is too difficult for you at the moment and that you need more time to practice and learn before you can tackle it. However, if you have already paid for the sheet music, this can be a frustrating experience.
Many websites that have sheet music let you look at part of the piece, but they may only show you two pages out of 10, for example.
As a result, it isn’t always easy to get a full picture of the piece and an idea of what it requires before you have to pay for it. For example, the beginning of the piece of music may be very different from the rest.
Fortunately, many websites let you find and print off sheet music for free. Some specialize in particular instruments, while others offer sheet music for a variety of musical instruments and styles.
Many of these websites have a vast range of music available. We have compiled a list of the 10 best free sheet music websites based on testimonials from users around the world.
1. IMSLP – International Music Score Library Project
The IMSLP has the most extensive collection of free sheet music that is available on the web today.
This is an incredible amount of music, and there should be more than enough for you to preoccupy yourself with, regardless of your instrument or the style you play.
You can filter your search for the nationality of the piece, as well as instrument, language, and genre.
2. 8notes
8notes has a catalog that is divided into sections based on instrument, style, and artist. It also has an extensive collection of sheet music and a website that is very easy to navigate.
3. Sheet Download
Sheet download is a great site that users use to find and share sheet music among each other. There are many standard pieces, as well as some rare sheets to download.
4. Pianotte
Pianotte has a great selection of contemporary and classical sheet music for pianists, though the focus is especially on modern music. However, it does not have sheet music for other instruments.
5. Mutopia Project
The Mutopia Project has over 2,000 pieces available as sheet music, and it has Creative Commons licenses. This means you can perform and share the work without any fear of legal repercussions.
6. Making Music Fun
Making Music Fun was designed for beginners and has sheet music for different instruments and different levels of difficulty.
7. ChoralWiki
ChoralWiki is actually registered as a charity in the USA and has over 25,000 choral works available as sheet music.
8. The Gutenberg Sheet Music Project
The GSMP was part of the Gutenberg book project, and while people are no longer actively uploading works, there is an archived version of the site available.
9. Band Music PDF Library
Band Music PDF Library is a great site that focuses on big band music and has works primarily from the big band era of popular music.
10. Free Scores
Free Scores has a selection of public domain works and scores from contemporary composers as well.
