11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites

11 of the best free sheet music sites for music teachers

11 of the best free sheet music sites for music teachers

11 of the Best Sheet Music Sites

This post was updated 3 December 2018

If you’re a music teacher on a tight budget it can be difficult to find the money to purchase sheet music for the myriad of music ensembles, instrumental and vocal students you may have at your school.  

It’s good to know that these days there are literally hundreds of websites that offer free sheet music and a large percentage (not ALL) of the titles are also copyright-free so you can arrange, transpose or transform the original to your heart’s content.  I’ve listed a few sites below, but if you’d like to find more, just search Google for “free sheet music”.

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1. International Music Score Library Project

The IMSLP (Petrucci Music Library) website houses a collection of public domain scores and Creative Commons licensed scores from a range of composers.  There are more than 110,400 works by more than 14,400 composers and the site also includes some MP3 recordings of performances that are available to download.

2. Mutopia

A collection of classical sheet music in the public domain.  Their collection of modern editions and arrangements is also growing.  All the music on Mutopia has been typeset using Lilypond notation software and the Lilypond files are freely available, alongside the PDF version of the score.

3. The Gutenberg Sheet Music Project

The Gutenberg Sheet Music Project was a sister project of the electronic book-sharing site Project Gutenberg from approximately 2001-2006.  Although it is no longer active, there is still an accessible collection of completed scores on the site.

4. Choral Music Public Domain

Founded in 1998, the Choral Music Public Domain site focuses on sharing free choral and vocal scores as well as texts, translations and other useful information.  There are currently more than 3600 choral and vocal works by at least 2754 composers.

5. Band Music PDF Library

Described as a collection of “music from the Golden Age of the American town band”, the Band Music PDF Library includes marches, waltzes, rags, theater music, solo works and more.

6. Sheet Music Fox

An advert-heavy site that has public domain music as well as links to other sites containing copyrighted music (available for purchase).

7. Free Scores

Like some of the other sites listed above, this one contains a variety of public domain scores and also scores from current composers.  Check the licence page for details of how each piece can be used.

8. EZ Folk

Folk songbooks from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s printed in their entirety for ukulele, guitar, banjo and harmonica.  The site also includes “how to play” tutorials and courses.

9. 8-Notes

8Notes.com offers original arrangements of free public domain songs and instrumental pieces.  The sheet music is provided in a GIF format (lower quality image format).  You can pay $20 to subscribe for a year which gives you access to the PDF versions of scores and removes the ads from the site.  They also have a useful riffs/licks section if you just want to know the basic main riff of a pop song

10. Mus Open

Mus Open is a non-profit focused on increasing access to music by creating free resources and educational materials. The site has a collection of recordings, sheet music, and textbooks.

11. Public Domain Sherpa

Although the sites above offer free sheet music it’s wise to be aware that not all titles are completely copyright-free.  Public Domain Sherpa offers a run-down of many sheet music sites (including ones not listed here) and lets you know whether the music may be subject to copyright restrictions.

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33 Comments

  1. Maria Lj November 15, 2009 at 9:56 pm - Reply

    “Free” doesn’t always mean music is in public domain or without copyright…

    On SibeliusMusic.com, “free” usually means that a visitor can print out a score without first paying for the copy of the music! But most of the scores by self-publishers or small publishers of contemporary composers are copyrighted editions, just like common printed sheet music bought from any music store. So it is not free to distribute, arrange or transform, unless you get the publisher’s and the composer’s permission. Transposing directly online before printing is ok, though, when that option is set by the publisher.

    BTW, the search function on SibeliusMusic has been dysfunctional for months, so if they haven’t fixed it yet (any day now, it is said), it’s better to google for “sibeliusmusic” + your search terms, to get a relevant result!

    • katiesw1 November 16, 2009 at 1:04 pm - Reply

      Yes – you’re absolutely right Maria, as I noted under the link to the final website in my list, Public Domain Sherpa. Many of these titles are $$ free, but it’s absolutely necessary to check the copyright implications by checking the licensing arrangements for each title. However, with the growing support for Creative Commons I imagine there will be an increasing number of sheet music titles available in coming years which you will be able to arrange or transform with pre-approval from the composer.

  2. Music Teacher November 16, 2009 at 3:41 pm - Reply

    Wow, looks great. Thanks for sharing these links and useful music teaching resources that most music educators out there can use today in their classrooms and studios. Creative and innovative music teaching doesn’t mean it has to be expensive; music teachers like us can still use it without overspending. Using innovative music teaching software and applications can take our music teaching experience to the next level. I also do agree with what Maria and Katie have said on the availability and accessibility of free sheet music as well as the importance of checking the licensing arrangements for each title. Again, thanks for this post and more power. See you around. Til your next posts!

  3. […] 11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites: “If you’re a music teacher on a tight budget it can be difficult to find the money to purchase sheet music for the myriad of music ensembles, instrumental and vocal students you may have at your school.  It’s good to know that these days there are literally hundreds of websites that offer free sheet music and a large percent of the titles are also copyright-free so you can arrange, transpose or transform the original to your heart’s content”.  Hat-tip: James Frankel […]

  4. Cary November 17, 2009 at 9:55 pm - Reply

    Very helpful. Thanks!

  5. lala November 21, 2009 at 4:04 am - Reply

    Two very helpful resources:
    http://wikifonia.org, hundreds of free leadsheets, you can transpose on site, publish and edit the sheets.
    http://pianofiles.com, hundred thousands of sheets to trade.

  6. […] -Assistive Music Technology: “So just what is the SoundBeam and how does it work? SoundBeam is a device that converts […]

  7. elissamilne December 28, 2009 at 6:05 am - Reply

    Just a thought – some music of mine (published by Faber Music and available at all good music shops) turned up on the Sibelius site – some rude person decided to create a copy and make it free without asking the permission of my publishers or myself.

    So free music in this case was fell off the back of a truck free, and everyone printing it off and saving their dollars was doing so was participating in the theft.

    An underwhelming example of ‘free’.

  8. […] (Englisch) zum Einstieg in MuseScore zu finden sind. Viel wichtiger für mich ist jedoch der Post 11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites, der, wie der Name schon sagt meine Sammlung von Seiten für freie Musik […]

  9. […] Wardrobe presents 11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites posted at […]

  10. […] 24. Music Tech Tips – Author Katie Argyle runs a music technology training business in Australia and is also a qualified teacher. When asked about her blog, Wardrobe describe it as a site which “demystifies” the use of technology in the classroom by providing video tutorials and articles which give “concrete step-by-step instructions explaining how to get the most out of notating, recording, teaching, learning and playing music.” Recommended posts: “Tutorial: How to Convert Audio Files Using iTunes,” “Cool Online Instruments and Games for the Music Classroom,” ”Musescore in 10 easy steps,” and “11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites.” […]

  11. Tammy Summerour December 15, 2010 at 7:10 pm - Reply

    Thanks! This received me additional than something I’ve discovered up to now.

  12. catherine April 10, 2014 at 10:05 pm - Reply

    awesome sites info for the best music ever…..

  13. Music Misc. | Pearltrees September 28, 2016 at 11:01 am - Reply

    […] 11 of the Best Free Sheet Music Sites | Midnight Music. 11 of the Best Sheet Music Sites This post was updated 8 September 2016 If you’re a music teacher on a tight budget it can be difficult to find the money to purchase sheet music for the myriad of music ensembles, instrumental and vocal students you may have at your school. It’s good to know that these days there are literally hundreds of websites that offer free sheet music and a large percentage (not ALL) of the titles are also copyright-free so you can arrange, transpose or transform the original to your heart’s content. I’ve listed a few sites below, but if you’d like to find more, just search Google for “free sheet music”. 1. International Music Score Library Project The IMSLP (Petrucci Music Library) website houses a collection of public domain scores and Creative Commons licensed scores from a range of composers. 2. […]

  14. wannabe musician December 21, 2017 at 5:33 am - Reply

    I enjoy using https://noobnotes.net and flutersmusic.blogspot.com as they write their music in letter notes so it’s really easy to read 🙂

  15. Julie January 26, 2018 at 1:17 am - Reply

    May I suggest my website with piano sheet music for all ages and levels: http://www.pianosongdownload.com/

  16. Music School of Delhi April 13, 2018 at 3:13 am - Reply

    Amazing list of websites.. Really helpful

  17. Any Guitar Chords April 13, 2018 at 3:34 am - Reply

    Great. Thanks for sharing these links. Really amazing

  18. […] A selection of websites offering free sheet music. — Les på midnightmusic.com/2009/11/11-of-the-best-free-sheet-music-sites/ […]

  19. […] A selection of websites offering free sheet music. — Les på midnightmusic.com/2009/11/11-of-the-best-free-sheet-music-sites/ […]

  20. Carlingford Music Centre July 8, 2018 at 10:47 am - Reply

    Thanks for post this great. I’m a long time reader but ive
    never commented till now.

    Thanks again for the awesome post.

  21. John Shearing August 18, 2018 at 4:50 am - Reply

    I would add musescore.com which has a large selection of music written by a community of composers.

  22. Max javier May 13, 2019 at 12:36 am - Reply

    Thank you very much. Big help here in the Philippines. Musicians here seldom no access to music sheets. Cannot afford to buy. This will be a big help for us.

    • Katie May 13, 2019 at 2:23 pm - Reply

      You’re welcome 🙂

  23. John M. Honeycutt June 10, 2019 at 1:00 pm - Reply

    Great site. I have a site with several thousand pages of sheet music, mostly piano classics and children;s music. About 400 pages of instructional materials and articles. Here’s the catch. The music is all on what I call key maps and diagrams. It’s like tablatures, but the notation also shows rhythm – all in what I call TruScaled. It is also in beautiful color. I think of it as a visual art form as well as something to play from. I have been developing this music for over 20 years -full time (I’m retired). I have a degree in music and give free piano lessons.This music has been developed and tested for over 20 years years. Much testing and revising based on student input. I own the copyrights to all of the music, but I make it available on a non-commercial basis. You can have it, but you can;t sell it. Cheers

    • Katie June 18, 2019 at 4:10 pm - Reply

      Hi John – I just visited your site. Looks really interesting. A little like some of the Youtube videos which show the keyboard MIDI notes in a “guitar-hero” style, although I’m sure your version came first! Thanks for sharing the link.

  24. Harry B March 25, 2020 at 8:31 pm - Reply

    Unfortunately a lot of the music on the musescore.com site is now behind a paywall even though it is unaltered public domain material. I don’t think the site is properly monitoring what is an original contribution and what is traditional and copyright free. Still worth checking out, but you may find the same piece from two subscribers, one charging and one not.

    • Katie March 26, 2020 at 3:14 pm - Reply

      Yes – that’s one of the reasons I didn’t include it in my list. Maybe you can find the same piece/s on a different public domain website?

      • Carl Reiter November 23, 2020 at 2:25 am - Reply

        Hi Katie,
        Are you familiar with Hi,

        Sheet Music International? SheetMusicInternational.com

        It is a large library of public domain sheet music with world wide distribution. Music on this website is free to the public either in public domain or has been uploaded for distribution by copyright owner. It is also translated into multiple languages.

        Users that register for a free account are also given a personal library to store their favorite music.

        Thanks
        Carl Reiter

        • Katie November 29, 2020 at 1:34 pm - Reply

          Hi Carl – thanks so much for commenting. It looks great. We’ll be updating this post soon and I’ll add in Sheet Music International when we do that.

  25. […] utilizing these free sheet music sources, pianists can access a variety of arrangements and interpretations of “When I Grow Up” […]

  26. translator September 9, 2023 at 5:08 pm - Reply

    I love finding new sheet music to play! Thank you for compiling this list!

  27. […] Considerations: Not all free sheet music sources adhere to copyright regulations. It’s essential to ensure that you are accessing legally […]

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