I'm searching for a good free piano sheet music website for popular songs. I'm hoping some KVRists can help me find some of the better ones. I have a sister that played classical piano for many years, but she never really ventured outside the classical realm. Now she has kids that are learning to play and she would like to help them play some of their favorite songs. She's a busy mom, so listening and figuring out songs by ear is not ideal.
Anyone know some good options? Something like Ultimate Guitar Tabs Archive, but for piano obviously. User driven, free piano sheet music, with a wide selection of popular songs.
Good free piano sheet music website for popular songs?
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1174 posts since 29 Apr, 2008
Hmm, well after a little searching it appears sheet music and guitar tabs do not have the same legal implications. So any sheet music for songs that are not in the public domain are not legal? Even if someone figures out a song on their own?
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- KVRist
- 350 posts since 11 May, 2008
Exactly. Sheetmusic is a bit like mp3... If you want to have them for free you will, but you'll be a pirate...
If you take by ear your sheetmusic there's nothing wrong with it. But you cannot sell them because the song it's not yours. That's why you don't find them out there. Only very sloppy versions. If you make a piano tab or just write the notes C, D, E, E then ok...
If you take by ear your sheetmusic there's nothing wrong with it. But you cannot sell them because the song it's not yours. That's why you don't find them out there. Only very sloppy versions. If you make a piano tab or just write the notes C, D, E, E then ok...
Play fair and square!
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- KVRAF
- 4222 posts since 23 Feb, 2004 from Tucson Arizona USA
Guitar tabs, in any legal context, are a form of sheet music. It is really a matter of publisher's rights organizations turning a blind eye to the guitar tab distribution, and something of a gray area because the guitar tabs are of independent origin. But that won't protect you in a dispute, since the fact of the matter, with a guitar tab, you are distributing in a tangible form, a derivative work of someone else's material.chj wrote:Hmm, well after a little searching it appears sheet music and guitar tabs do not have the same legal implications. So any sheet music for songs that are not in the public domain are not legal? Even if someone figures out a song on their own?
Because there is a solid argument that guitar tabs serve a valuable educational purpose, there is potential for a strong "fair use" defense, but that doesn't mean that most of the tabs out there are not infringing someone's copyright (and that "someone" is often the Harry Fox Agency.)
There isn't really a special "law" for "sheet music." Any music that has been placed into a durable tangible form is subject to the same protections and distribution rights as any other.
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- KVRAF
- 4222 posts since 23 Feb, 2004 from Tucson Arizona USA
Musicologo wrote:Exactly. Sheetmusic is a bit like mp3... If you want to have them for free you will, but you'll be a pirate...
There is plenty of copyrighted material whose creator expressly allows distribution of MP3's. I'm not sure I like what you're implying here. It's an idea that puts the rights of the people represented by performance rights organizations and production companies, above others, by perpetrating the myth that all free music downloading is somehow illegal -- or, more insidious, the idea that in order to distribute your creative work "for free (no charge)", you must *also* surrender your copyright. But this is not at all true. Yet we are bombarded with repetition of the myth that "downloading copyrighted material without compensating the creator" is a crime.
These days it may even be true that there is as much free material (that is, copyrighted, but freely distributed) as there is material for sale.
I can record a song, copyright it, assert "all rights reserved", and then make it expressly available for free, and this in no way diminishes the value of my copyright, nor does it make the downloader a criminal.
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- KVRer
- 10 posts since 25 Aug, 2009
There is Wikifonia, though it's only lead sheets, not full-blown piano accompaniments.chj wrote:I'm searching for a good free piano sheet music website for popular songs.[...]
Anyone know some good options? Something like Ultimate Guitar Tabs Archive, but for piano obviously. User driven, free piano sheet music, with a wide selection of popular songs.
There should be plenty of commercial song books with piano renditions of popular songs on the market, though.
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- KVRAF
- 2217 posts since 15 Jul, 2003
there are sheet music collections often available used on various book sites online, so there may not be much expense involved
if you want really current popular music that's a bit more of a problem
but for collections like Motown, Beatles 'Great American Songbook', Cole Porter, etc. there are always used bargains available. I see it as an opportunity to study some of the great popular songwriters which might have some appeal to someone classically trained.
if you want really current popular music that's a bit more of a problem
but for collections like Motown, Beatles 'Great American Songbook', Cole Porter, etc. there are always used bargains available. I see it as an opportunity to study some of the great popular songwriters which might have some appeal to someone classically trained.
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- KVRAF
- 4534 posts since 17 Jun, 2013 from very close to Paris, France
The thread is a bit old but... Does the OP search general popular songs for adults (love songs, etc.) and children ? Or more specifically songs for children ?
Build your life everyday as if you would live for a thousand years. Marvel at the Life everyday as if you would die tomorrow.
I'm now severely diseased since September 2018.
I'm now severely diseased since September 2018.
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- KVRAF
- 11001 posts since 15 Apr, 2019 from Nowhere
Amazon sells a ton of different collections, and if you can find ring bound versions they are great to put on a music stand.
As above, it’s harder to find legal websites, but it all depends on the copyright status of a piece of music.
As above, it’s harder to find legal websites, but it all depends on the copyright status of a piece of music.
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- KVRer
- 2 posts since 1 Nov, 2019
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- KVRAF
- 11001 posts since 15 Apr, 2019 from Nowhere
Not free, but those books are a cheaper way of getting popular music that is not free. Free popular songs would only include songs no longer in copyright.
