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At Musicnotes.com we are proud to offer the world's most extensive selection of
instantly available digital sheet music. With a catalog of over 300,000 sheet music titles
available for immediate viewing and printing, finding and playing your favorite songs has
never been easier.
In order to access these digital sheet music files Musicnotes users must install
the necessary software. These programs are all available as a free download and are completely
free of any sort of spyware or adware, so you can feel confident using them to enhance your
sheet music buying experience.
Below you will find explanations of the different file formats and software packages used on Musicnotes.
While it is not necessary to have all these programs on your system, in order to access our
full catalog of digital sheet music, guitar tab and Guitar Guru Sessions, you will
have to download and install all three programs listed below.
To download and install any of these programs, and to determine what is available on your
operating system, visit our Get Software page.
To browse our full catalog of digital sheet music, visit our Digital Sheet Music Index.
File Formats:
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Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music:
Our standard digital sheet music format.
This is the most common type of digital sheet music you will find at Musicnotes.com, and is
listed in search results as a blue note icon. Developed by Musicnotes' talented staff of programmers, this sheet music is available for Instant Printing and includes a
Downloadable Sheet Music File that you can save to your computer for later use.
What About Transpositions?
Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music does not include the ability to automatically transpose or change
instruments. This is because when a piece of software automatically transposes music, there can
be instances where notation crashes into each other.
Many Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music titles do include the option to transpose, however, using transpositions created by hand by
our staff of professional arrangers. Look below the sheet music on a product display to see
if transpositions are available. If transpositions are available, and you want to purchase a
transposition of a Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music file, you must select the transposition
key prior to adding the piece to your cart.
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Musicnotes CD-Synched Digital Sheet Music:
This type of digital sheet music is listed in search results as a red note icon.
CD-Synched Digital Sheet Music is similar in all ways to standard Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music
except one. In addition to including MIDI audio for the playable file, the file also features
the ability to synchronize the notation to your audio CD.
Of course, a CD is not required as
the MIDI is included. If you do have the matching audio CD, however, you can place the disc in your
CD-ROM drive and see the notation synch up with the actual recording.
Transpositions follow the same rules as standard Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music (See above).
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Scorch Digital Sheet Music:
This type of digital sheet music uses Sibelius's "Scorch" software, and is listed as an orange
note icon in search results. Very similar to Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music, these digital sheet music
pieces allow for instant previewing and printing of the sheet music at your home or office printer.
There are several key differences, however. The most notable of these is that, due to publisher restrictions,
sheet music available in the Scorch format does not include a file to save.
A downloadable file is not included.
What about transpositions?
All Scorch digital sheet music titles include the ability to transpose the piece to another key or instrument.
However, we recommend that users scan through the sample of the transpositions to verify that the piece is
in the key you desire.
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Guitar Guru Sessions:
Interactive guitar lessons including printable notation.
In order to use Guitar Guru Sessions, you must have the Musicnotes Viewer and the Guitar Guru Software installed.
To take full advantage of Guitar Guru Sessions, we recommend installing the Musicnotes Player as well. This will
allow you to interact with the included digital sheet music in addition to the interactive Guitar Guru Session.
Software:
Musicnotes Viewer & Player:
Required to view, print and play Musicnotes digital sheet music.
The Musicnotes Viewer and Player are available as separate or combined downloads. If you visit a
page for Musicnotes digital sheet music (listed in search results as a blue note icon), you will
be prompted to install the Musicnotes Viewer.
The Viewer enables a user to view, purchase and print
Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music files from our selection of nearly 100,000 instantly available titles.
The Musicnotes Player is also available as an optional download, or with the Viewer with our Player / Viewer
package.
It is a required piece of software for any individuals who would like to interact with their
Musicnotes digital sheet music. When you play your Musicnotes digital sheet music (again, the blue icons
in search results), you can hear the music through your speakers, watch the notes light up, adjust the tempo
and access a complete musical term encyclopedia.
With CD-Synched Digital Sheet Music (red note icons in search
results) you can play the music and have it synchronize with the actual CD audio, provided you have the CD.
Any time you click on the "play" button in your Musicnotes Viewer, and if you don't already have the Musicnotes
Player installed, you will be prompted to install the Musicnotes Player.
Upon purchase of any Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music file, customers using Microsoft Windows
will be prompted to save their sheet music. This saved file can later be opened in your
Musicnotes Player as a learning tool. However, you can only print the full piece one time
(we recommend you do this before saving your file).
*Mac users please note that the Musicnotes Player is currently not available for the Macintosh
operating system. Mac users can preview and print Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music with the free
Musicnotes Viewer, but do not currently get a sheet music file to save.
Sibelius Scorch:
Required to view, print and play Scorch digital sheet music.
Sibelius Scorch software is similar to the Musicnotes Viewer and Player combination. However,
instead of using a separate program to play the digital sheet music, the music is played
in the viewer itself. This software allows the user to automatically transpose any Scorch
Digital Sheet Music file (listed in search results as an orange icon, see above).
Like Musicnotes Digital Sheet Music (viewed in the Musicnotes Player and Viewer), Scorch Digital
Sheet Music allows for instant printing of any Scorch song
from the musicnotes.com web site.
A free preview of the first page of any piece is available for printing, simply by clicking on the printer
icon on the top of the Scorch display. This is also how you print a full piece once purchased.
Currently, due to publisher restrictions, Scorch is only able to display and play the first
page of Scorch Digital Sheet Music files. No file is included with a purchased piece to later
play on your computer. After purchase you are given the right to print the complete piece instantly.
Musicnotes currently offers nearly 25,000 popular digital sheet music titles in Scorch format.
This is currently the only format these songs are available in, and in order for Musicnotes
to offer the widest possible selection of digital sheet music they currently can only be
purchased in Scorch format.
Guitar Guru:
Required to use interactive Guitar Guru Sessions.
As mentioned above, Guitar Guru Sessions go beyond digital sheet music and guitar tablature to offer
a truly interactive learning experience for guitarists.
Once downloaded and installed, this free
application (available for Microsoft Windows users only) gives guitarists access to our wide selection
of guitar lessons for many popular songs.
Featuring a detailed fretboard where proper fingering and picking/strumming technique is displayed
in synch with the audio, Guitar Guru offers a learning experience similar to having your own guitar
teacher.
To download any of the software above, please visit our
Get Software page.
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