Sheet music sources

[leecreighton]

In another thread, I thanked this forum’s members for their great advice, leading me to a Casio CT-S500 purchase. Just right for getting back into playing after a long gap.

Are there good places to look for note-for-note sheet music for classic rock songs? After a ton of searching, I can find a lot of sheet music of the Hal Leonard Piano/Voice/Chords variety, but I’m looking for music that leads me exactly through the recordings I know really well. For example, if I want to learn Elton John’s Border Song or Billy Joel’s She’s Always A Woman as they were originally recorded, is there anywhere I can look?

Back in my prime, I was a guitar player. Tabs and transcriptions abound, allowing me to figure out how to mimic what I hear. It was this mimicry that developed my technique and ear on that instrument. Is there an equivalent for keyboards?

What advice I mostly find on the internet is “watch YouTube tutorials” or something similar, and I guess I’m just too old school for that. Plus, I learned piano originally by reading music and probably over-rely on it. I’m a pretty shit by-ear player on this instrument as opposed to guitar, where I have very little idea what notes I’m playing.

 

[Biggles]

There are a lot of Apps available that may help, often they have multiple versions of the song available and Border Song is just one that Sheet Music Direct has.

This is a preview screenshot of the song in the App and the other shows what other versions are available.

 

[Biggles]

This Screenshot if of the Apps that I have on my iPad.

 

[leecreighton]

Thank you @Biggles! This is a trove!

I’ve been able to access the sheet music from most of these from the web. My problem is that everything is a version from a particular player or arranger, either simplified or adding the voice to the keyboard part. That is, mostly I find solo arrangements, or simplified arrangements, or something else that I will call “non-authentic” for lack of a better word. These things are fantastic and valuable and useful in their own right, but they’re not what I’m looking for.

So say I want to learn “Border Song” as recorded on his eponymous 1970 album, or “She’s Always a Woman” as recorded on The Stranger, exactly as what I hear, not as another artist’s interpretation. Seems impossible to find. If I wanted exact guitar tablature for, say, Boston’s “Peace of Mind” it’s everywhere. Not “here’s my version of it,” but exactly the studio recording. That’s what I’m looking for.

I hope I’ not coming of as harsh, or unappreciative of the wealth of stuff you recommended. I mean, I just found a killer arrangement of “Border Song” as performed by Elton live in 1999, note-for-note, and I can’t wait to learn it. I guess I don’t really get why the same thing isn’t easy to find for the recorded, LP versions that I know so well I can hear them in my head.

 

[Biggles]

What is available is what there is.

There is what looks like an original score on eBay for £55, but guess that is a bit more than you want to pay.

Good luck finding what you seek

 

[happyrat1]

Run the recording thru a few AI filters these days and you could probably transcribe any song note for note from the original performance on demand!!!!!

Look around. There may already be a shareware or a subscription service that could accomplish it by now.

I have yet to fully explore the AI additions in the last Logic Pro 12 update.

 

[leecreighton]

What is available is what there is.

There is what looks like an original score on eBay for £55, but guess that is a bit more than you want to pay.

Good luck finding what you seek

Thanks again for your help, @Biggles. It takes guys like you to make this forum the valuable resource it is.

 

[happyrat1]

This forum is strictly against sharing of any copyright material which might lead to legal liability on the part of itself and its members.

Pure and simple...

NO Sharing of copyright protected music, sheet, or software unless authorized by the owners.

 

[happyrat1]

If you insist on sharing pirate websites please send your links in email. Not published on the forums.

 

[happyrat1]

Is it any wonder the Music Industry is in such a state.

Reported to Admin

ditto

 

[happyrat1]

I don't know if they encouraged piracy on the PSR website, but it definitely doesn't fly around here.