Sheet music

Sheet music is musical notation written down on paper; it is the musical analog of a book.

Types of sheet music

Sheet music may come in several different forms. If a piece is written for just one instrument (for example, a piano), all the music will be written on just one piece of sheet music. If a piece is intended to be played by more than one person, each person will usually have their own piece of sheet music, called a part. If there are a large number of performers required for a piece, there may also be a score, which is a piece of sheet music which shows all or most of the instruments' music in one place. Scores come in various forms:

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• A full score is a large book showing the music of all instruments. It is large enough for a conductor to use in rehearsals and performance.
• A miniature score is like a full score, but reduced in size. It is too small for practical use, but handy for studying a piece of music.
• A study score is a rather vague term, sometimes used as a synonym for miniature score, and sometimes used to mean a score somewhere between the size of a full and a miniature score.
• A piano score (or piano reduction) is an arrangement for piano of a piece for many instruments. It will often include indications of which instrument plays the various melodies and other notes.
• A vocal score is one that has all the vocal parts, both choral and solo, on separate staves. It will sometimes also include a basic piano accompianment. It is used by singers and to rehearse vocalists separately from the instrumental ensemble.
• A short score is a reduction of a work for many instruments to just a few staves. Short scores are not usually published, but are often used by composers on their way to producing a finished piece. Often, a short score is completed before work on orchestration begins.

It should be noted that the word score can also refer to the incidental music written for something such as a play, television programme, or film (when it is called a film score).

Related Topics:
Incidental music - Play - Television - Film - Film score

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Popular music and jazz songs are often recorded using a lead sheet, which indicates the melody and lyrics, but only provides a rudimentary description of the harmony. Usually, this is done by writing the names of chords above the melody.

Related Topics:
Popular music - Jazz - Chord

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