The first true piano was invented somewhere around the year 1700. Sheet music, surprisingly, has been around in the form of musical annotations since 2000 BC. In previous decades, pianists had to comb local music stores for sheet music to study. Sometimes, you could borrow or copy sheet music from another fellow student, or special order it from the publisher. The modern Liberace, Chopin, or Gershwin, however, needs only to look to the internet to find sheet music that can be downloaded and printed on demand. Whether you’re just starting to tickle the ivories, or you’re looking for a grand piece to play at your next concert, we’ll help you find and download legal piano sheet music on a piano wire budget.
There are hundreds of websites out there offering free sheet music, but not all of them are created equal. Some are thinly disguised search engines that just want to sell you music related stuff, while others are just ad portals. For this article, we have scoured them all, looking at the range of music, quality and speed of the download and for anything nefarious that might be tucked into those downloads.
The websites listed below are simple to use, free or low cost, and will only download the sheet music in its entirety.
The International Music Score Library Project
Quick Links
- The International Music Score Library Project
- Musescore
- The Pianist’s Library
- 8notes
- Virtual Sheet Music
- Musicnotes
- FreeScores
- Mutopia Project
- Musicianeo
- Sheet Download
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- Duke University Libraries
- Making Music Fun
- Musicnotes.com
- Classic Ragtime Piano
- Rag’s Rag
One of the most popular places to download free and legal piano sheet music is The International Music Score Library Project. It is a project that collects sheet music and compositions that are public domain or creative commons. There are thousands of pieces there, including audio recordings to scores from all eras and composers. The simple search options allow you to search for scores by composer, genre, composer nationality, composer time period, or melody. Just click on the buttons below the search bar to refine your search. There’s also an option that connect you to other sheet music resources. It is well worth supporting if music is one of your true passions!
Musescore
Musescore is a great place to find hard to locate sheet music. It seems to have a wide range of pieces that other sheet music websites don’t. If you’re looking for something obscure, old or niche, this is the place to come. It is a trading site, so to download piano sheet music, you need to share sheet music. There’s also an entire community of like-minded musicians willing to share and discuss their current trials and tribulations. If you’re a composer, you can also use their software to create and share your own unique compositions. It is an excellent resource for anyone serious about music.
The Pianist’s Library
The Pianist’s Library contains a wide range of sheet music from quite the selection of composers. It is a direct download site, so find what you want and download it free and legal. Simple. It doesn’t have the breadth of the Library Project or the hard to find pieces of MuseScore but it does have a very respectable range of sheet music. It also offers a large forum with musicians around the world, who might also have a rare piece they can share with you.
8notes
8notes is a good looking website that allows you to download free piano sheet music; in fact, they offer sheet music for nearly every instrument! It is a very deep site with a search function and categories to help make finding what you’re looking for slightly easier. You can search by instrument or music genre, and even pick out some lessons and resources to help you along the way. Many of the pieces featured on 8notes have an audio clip that accompanies the sheet music so you can listen before you download. It’s a neat feature that allows you to double check you have the right music.
Virtual Sheet Music
Virtual Sheet Music requires paid membership to access everything, but does feature free sheet music too. With its many features, this would be a great resource for music or piano teachers, who might need to access a whole variety of sheet music all at once. It features piano, guitar, vocal, violin, flute and more with a broad collection of sheet music covering most composers and music types. Navigate to the Free Stuff s. You will still have to log in to download the free sheet music but won’t have to pay anything for it.
Musicnotes
Musicnotes is not free but the sheet music is very reasonably priced. For around $5, you get a digital print of classical and contemporary piano sheet music which you can download. The quality is excellent, downloads fast and each piece is available in a range of keys which is ideal if you’re learning or developing your skills. Musicnotes also does everything in its power to make sure you’re comfortable with the piece before you buy it, allowing you to play an audio sample, and even print a sample of the sheet music before you buy the whole piece.
FreeScores
FreeScores is not totally free, but is mostly free. There is a mix of public domain and premium sheet music on this site that covers a wide range of genre, instruments, eras and composers. This site is especially useful for learning duets or quartets as it lists sheet music by instrument or combination of instruments. It is a simple but very effective feature than makes FreeScores well worth trying. The site itself is a bit busy, due to the sheer amount of offerings available, but it’s definitely worth a look when you’re trying to find inspiration.
Mutopia Project
The Mutopia Project is another open source music repository but this time, it features modern, popular, gospel, folk, jazz, baroque and all eras and genres of music. Over 2000 pieces of music for nearly any type of instrument you can imagine is featured here. You can search by Instrument, Composer, or Style, and check out the many collections compiled and shared by other musicians. It’s all free and you can contribute, too, if you have something that isn’t already there. Once you find a score that interests you, you’re able to download it as a PDF file, LilyPond file, or MIDI.
Musicianeo
Musicianeo lets you download free and legal piano sheet music from a range of composers and musical types. It includes modern, classical, baroque and all manner of styles. There are over 244,000 individual pieces on the site, all of which can be accessed through a brief search. Most pieces also allow you to choose the type of score you’re looking for, so if you’re looking for piano with voice, or for cello and piano, a select bar on the right side of the screen will help you find the best version. There are also other resources and an active community too.
Sheet Download
Sheet Download does exactly what it says it does. It is a resource for downloading piano sheet music for free. It isn’t as large or as deep as some of the sites featured in this guide but it does have some decent music. It’s a mix of eras including fairly modern/pop music. If you’re looking for something specific, this is definitely a site to try.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum website has a range of piano sheet music to download. The sheet music part of the site isn’t massive but it does have a nice selection of pieces from a range of composers. The site itself is absolutely gorgeous, and can help you find and listen to a wide variety of gorgeous performances and pieces that you might not be familiar with elsewhere. This is definitely a great resource for inspiration!
Duke University Libraries
Duke University Libraries has over 3,000 piece of sheet music that are free to download. They specialize in American music published between 1850 and 1920, which means there are thousands of potentially unexplored titles for you to discover. If you like finding and resurrecting obscure or forgotten pieces, this is definitely a website to try. From Irving Berlin to Fred Buckley, there is a little bit of everything from homegrown composers.
Making Music Fun
Making Music Fun is for younger musicians. It is a community that supports a wide range of musical activities from finding a piano teacher to developing skills. There is also a repository of free sheet music on the site that covers piano and other instruments. Each piece is graded according to difficulty and listed accordingly. This is an excellent idea for those learning music, as it helps coach you through those difficult moments in the learning curve. An excellent resource!
Musicnotes.com
Musicnotes.com has a selection of free sheet music to download. It is a subscription site that offers a selection of free downloads alongside its premium music. The range is wide and includes piano, strings, vocal, wind, brass and more within the site. The selection of free music isn’t huge but it is respectable; additionally, if you’re looking for plenty of music for future pieces, this might be a good subscription to have!
Classic Ragtime Piano
Classic Ragtime Piano is another self-descriptive website that gives more than a clue as to what you’ll find here. If ragtime is your thing, this is the place to come. The selection isn’t huge but it does contain a range of the more popular ragtime tunes from a golden era of our musical history.
Rag’s Rag
Finally, Rag’s Rag builds on what Classic Ragtime Piano does by featuring over 200 ragtime sheet music downloads. It also includes an audio clip of the piece so you know what you’re downloading. The site is simple and the collection narrow, but if ragtime is what you love this is another site you won’t want to miss.
Got any other websites that let you download free and legal piano sheet music? Share with the crowd!
FAQs
Where can I download piano sheet music for free? ›
- IMSLP. IMSLP, also known as the International Music Score Library Project Petrucci Music Library. ...
- 8Notes. The main focus of 8Notes is sheet music, but they also offer a wide range of resources for musicians, from tuners, to chord charts, to lessons. ...
- Musescore. ...
- Musicnotes. ...
- Pianotte.
If the music is in the public domain, you can perform it publicly — wherever you like, without paying any fees at all. You can make copies of it, record it, remix it, use it in a film or on a web site ... it's up to you. You do have to establish that the sheet music really is public domain, though.
What is the best sheet music download site? ›Sheet Music Plus – Sheet Music Plus will be a familiar name to teachers. This site claims the world's largest selection of sheet music, with plenty of digital downloads available. Sheet Music Plus has been a reliable, go-to for music teachers and enthusiasts alike since 1997.
What is the best app to download sheet music? ›Musicnotes (free with in-app subscriptions)
With over 50 million downloads, Musicnotes is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Another sheet music app that's compatible with many devices, Musicnotes is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Amazon [Best for Piano Sheet Music by Famous Contemporary Musicians] ...
- IMSLP [Best for FREE Sheet Music by Famous Classical Musicians]
- RCM Bookstore [Best for Levelled Piano Books Once You Graduate from Method Books]
It is released as free and open-source software under the GNU General Public License. MuseScore is accompanied by a freemium mobile score viewer and playback app, and an online score sharing platform.
Is it legal to copy sheet music for personal use? ›The only one who can give you permission to make copies is the owner of the copyright – the publisher, composer, etc. In other words, the U.S. Copyright Laws state that, if music or lyrics are under copyright protection: you CANNOT reproduce the music or lyrics without permission.
Which sheet music can be legally photocopied? ›Any sheet music composed before 1923 is considered in the public domain, and can be copied, redistributed, performed or otherwise used by anyone without restriction. However, if significant edits have been made to the original by a later composer, using the updated version of the composition may be liable infringement.
Is Musicnotes legal? ›Musicnotes still owns the rights for our specific arrangements of public domain works, and you'll see the copyright information on the bottom of Musicnotes Editions. We provide these professional arrangements for purchase, and allow you to print unlimited copies of our copyrighted works with your single purchase.
Is MuseScore safe to download? ›omg they say the compositions and all the sheet musics are legit free and they promised for it, look what's happening next... when you tries to download a music as midi, it keeps showing you and forces you to use 30-day trial.
How do I find piano notes for a song? ›
How to Find Notes on the Piano Perfectly Every Time - YouTube
How good is MuseScore? ›MuseScore has an intuitive layout which is great if you're new to music notation software. With visible sidebars and all the standard music and note input symbols right there on the screen it is surprisingly easy to pick up. However, inputting notes with a mouse can be time consuming.
Is there an app that turns music into sheet music? ›ScoreCloud turns your songs into sheet music. As simple as that! Score from MIDI or Audio.
Is there an app that writes music as you play piano? ›StaffPad lets you write music notation in your own handwriting; record and import audio; edit with the convenience of touch, and hear your composition played back with breathtakingly realistic sounds.
Is LilyPond free? ›LilyPond is free software and part of the GNU Project.
Where can I find good sheet music for free? ›- IMSLP.
- MUSOPEN.
- 8Notes.
- MuseScore.
- MutopiaProject.
- BandMusicPDF.
- Free Scores.
- Free Blank Sheet Music.
Simply scroll down to the bottom of the free page to see them all. Or, download the Musicnotes app for free to get our free songs automatically loaded into your library. Enjoy your sheet music!
Can you download sheet music? ›Easily buy and download sheet music from our catalog for a variety of instruments including piano, flute, violin, guitar, clarinet, drum, cello and more! Sheet Music Now™ has downloads available for musicians of every level, from easy to advanced, and almost every genre. Downloading our sheet music is easy and fast!
What is better than MuseScore? ›The best alternative is TuxGuitar, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like MuseScore are Guitar Pro, LilyPond, Rosegarden and Avid Sibelius. MuseScore alternatives are mainly Music Production Apps but may also be Digital Audio Workstations.
Why do I need to pay for MuseScore? ›Using MuseScore.org/ notation software will always be free of charge and without any limits—that's a promise. The musescore.com website and MuseScore mobile app can also be used for free but with limited functionality. Purchasing a PRO account unlocks additional PRO features.
How can I download MuseScore 2022 sheet music for free? ›
How to get paid Sheet Music on Musescore for FREE - YouTube
Is Musescore legal? ›The main purpose of Musescore.com is to let you share your music, so we encourage you to do that! When you create something original, you own the copyright for it, and your work is protected by law.
Is Screenshotting sheet music illegal? ›It's a copyright infringement to reproduce sheet music without the express permission of the copyright holder. The law makes a “fair use” exception that applies to teachers which is horribly vague.
Is it legal to download the music and then sell the song to your friends? ›It's not a personal use – in fact, it's illegal – to give away the copy or lend it to others for copying. The owners of copyrighted music have the right to use protection technology to allow or prevent copying. Remember, it's never okay to sell or make commercial use of a copy that you make.
How many pages can you legally copy from a book? ›Under those guidelines, a prose work may be reproduced in its entirety if it is less than 2500 words in length. If the work exceeds such length, the reproduced excerpt may not exceed 1000 words, or 10% of the work, whichever is less.
Is it OK to copy music that is copyrighted? ›Uploading or downloading works protected by copyright without the authority of the copyright owner is an infringement of the copyright owner's exclusive rights of reproduction and/or distribution.
Is it illegal to copy pages from a book? ›Photocopying textbooks can be considered reproducing copies of the work, so you may be infringing unless the copying is deemed fair use.
How long does copyright last for sheet music? ›As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years.
Does buying sheet music give you the right to perform it? ›Buying the sheet music is simply a legal transfer of a copy of the work. No other rights, such as performing, recording, or even putting a recorded sample of your work on Facebook, YouTube, or your website extends because of the purchase.
Does buying sheet music give you performance rights? ›Copyright owners enjoy a number of different rights including performance rights, print rights and recording rights. Rental or purchase of sheet music or the purchase of a record does not authorize its public performance. I want to record or videotape a song or record.
Is musicnotes safe? ›
Musicnotes.com is designed to provide a safe and secure shopping environment. When you access your personal account information or place orders, our systems work with the browser software on your computer to establish a secure, encrypted connection using an Internet-standard technology called SSL.
How long is MuseScore free trial? ›There are two types of MuseScore subscriptions: trial and non-trial (instant). Trial subscriptions provide 30 or 7-day free access to PRO features and the ability to use almost all functions available on the website and in the mobile app.
Is MuseScore sheet music legit? ›MuseScore is a good and inexpensive alternative to expensive versions of the music notation programs. The program certainly takes some getting used to for laypeople. You have to have a bit of experience with music. However, the program is well structured and easy to understand with a little practice.
Is there an app that listens to music and tells you the notes? ›Shazam: Music Discovery 12+
How do I find a song by melody? ›Ask Google Assistant to name a song
Play a song or hum, whistle, or sing the melody of a song. Hum, whistle, or sing: Google Assistant will identify potential matches for the song. Select one of them to view the Search results page and listen to the song, read lyrics, or view the music video.
According to most experts, the answer to this question is yes, it is a gift. Indeed, playing by ear is an innate talent that not everyone has but this doesn't mean that that person is necessarily going to be a great musician.
Is it easy to cancel MuseScore? ›Go to Account Settings or click your profile icon located at the upper right of the MuseScore website and choose 'Settings' in the dropdown. Then open the 'Subscription' section and click 'End my Free benefits.
Is MuseScore professional? ›Musescore is a free music notation software that allows you to write 'professional quality' scores for instruments including guitar, piano, bass, drums, keyboard, singers, orchestral instruments and much more.
How many GB is MuseScore? ›Musescore 2.4GB Memory Usage ? MuseScore.
Is Sibelius free? ›Free Music Notation Software Download - Sibelius | First. Get Your Free Download.
How do you transcribe a song to piano? ›
How to Transcribe Songs by Ear on Piano for Beginners - YouTube
How can I compose music for free? ›- Tracktion Waveform Free. Tracktion is an award-winning freeware program that can easily be compared to many paid DAWs in terms of functionality and intuitiveness. ...
- GarageBand. ...
- Ohm Studio. ...
- Audacity. ...
- Pro Tools First. ...
- Cubase LE. ...
- Cakewalk by BandLab. ...
- PreSonus Studio One 5 Prime.
Overall ScoreCloud is a fun, easy way to doodle around with musical ideas. The deal of being forced to use the app to make audio transcriptions is annoying but at the same time having the flexibility of being able to take it with you anywhere the mood presents itself is a nice benefit.
Does Finale have a free version? ›Explore Finale, for free, for 30 days. Create scores, generate parts, play, print, save: whatever you wish.
Is Finale Notepad free? ›Finale Notepad | Free Music Notation Software for Windows.
How do you install a LilyPond? ›Locate the downloaded file and double-click on it to start the installer. Follow the instructions given to you by the installer; we recommend that you leave all the install options checked and use the default installation location. Click the 'Finish' button when the installer has completed. LilyPond is now installed.
Can LilyPond play music? ›LilyPond can produce files that conform to the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) standard and so allow for the checking of the music output aurally (with the help of an application or device that understands MIDI).
Is Musescore safe to download? ›omg they say the compositions and all the sheet musics are legit free and they promised for it, look what's happening next... when you tries to download a music as midi, it keeps showing you and forces you to use 30-day trial.
How do you download Musescore for free? ›How to get paid Sheet Music on Musescore for FREE - YouTube
How do I get musicnotes sheet music for free? ›Simply scroll down to the bottom of the free page to see them all. Or, download the Musicnotes app for free to get our free songs automatically loaded into your library. Enjoy your sheet music!
Is there anything better than MuseScore? ›
There are more than 50 alternatives to MuseScore for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android Tablet and iPad. The best alternative is TuxGuitar, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like MuseScore are Guitar Pro, LilyPond, Rosegarden and Avid Sibelius.
Is musicnotes safe? ›Musicnotes.com is designed to provide a safe and secure shopping environment. When you access your personal account information or place orders, our systems work with the browser software on your computer to establish a secure, encrypted connection using an Internet-standard technology called SSL.
How long is MuseScore free trial? ›There are two types of MuseScore subscriptions: trial and non-trial (instant). Trial subscriptions provide 30 or 7-day free access to PRO features and the ability to use almost all functions available on the website and in the mobile app.
What do you call a sheet music to be played on a piano? ›The term score is a common alternative (and more generic) term for sheet music, and there are several types of scores, as discussed below.
Is Musescore good? ›Though there are many known notation programs on the market, we've done our research and found Musescore to be the best of the best. So, if you are looking for the perfect music composing software and scorewriter to start writing your beautiful musical compositions, Musescore is just the application for you.
Are free scores Safe? ›It can impact credit card approvals and maybe even a job application. Getting a free credit report can be safe if you are careful about the particular website from which you get it. Three major credit reporting agencies provide credit reports: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
Is MuseScore legal? ›The main purpose of Musescore.com is to let you share your music, so we encourage you to do that! When you create something original, you own the copyright for it, and your work is protected by law.
Can you download official scores MuseScore? ›Users with a basic account can download only scores based on compositions in the public domain and Original compositions written by MuseScore users (they are marked as Original on the musescore.com website). Users with a PRO membership can download all scores from the MuseScore Library except official scores.
What else can I do MuseScore? ›It supports unlimited staves with up to four voices each, dynamics, articulations, lyrics, chords, lead sheet notation, import/export of MIDI and MusicXML, export to PDF and WAV, plus online score sharing.
Why does sheet music cost? ›Sheet music is expensive because it costs a lot of money to produce. Many people are involved in the publishing of sheet music and they must be paid at every stage. Composing, engraving, editing, publishing, printing, shipping and selling at stores drive the cost of sheet music up.
What are Musicnotes called? ›
Written notes
In order of halving duration, they are: double note (breve); whole note (semibreve); half note (minim); quarter note (crotchet); eighth note (quaver); sixteenth note (semiquaver); thirty-second note (demisemiquaver), sixty-fourth note (hemidemisemiquaver), and hundred twenty-eighth note.
Simply Piano doesn't expect you to be always reading from the scrolling music; they provide printable sheet music that you can use away from the app.