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I Wanna Play Like That!

© Jana Cole

Q: Here's my problem. I have been playing the piano for a few years, and I really want to play like this keyboardist in my favorite band. I would be so grateful if you can tell me the internet address where I can download pop sheet music. Thanks in advance.

A: There are relatively few sites that offer free piano sheet music for download. The vast majority of those sites offer classical music that is in the public domain. Popular music is protected by copyright, and the publishers generally make it available only for sale. You would most likely not find it available to download for free.

You might be able to easily find your favorite pop music through your local music store. Here's how:

Visit the store and browse the racks that have the latest pop music. The store will probably offer collections on music that contain many songs performed by one group or artist, and it will probably also offer sheet music for one individual song. If you do not see the song you want, ask a salesperson if the store can order it for you. If the music is very popular, it is likely to be available by special order if it's not already on their shelf. You may have to wait a few weeks, and you may have to pay a fee for the special order. Also, the store may expect you to pay in advance.

If the store cannot special order the music for you, try a few more stores. Perhaps one of those stores can order it for you.

If you are unable to find a store that can special order the music for you, your only choice is to learn the music from a recording. This is tedious and time consuming, but well worth it, because you will learn the notes that the musician actually plays, which are probably a little different from the notes that would be in the published sheet music. This method will be easier for you if you already have some practice picking out music by ear. If this is your first time learning by ear, go for it anyway!

If you choose to learn the music from a recording, purchase a cassette tape, not a CD. Then buy a tape player with speed control and slow the speed down so that you can hear the notes going by more slowly. If you play the tape at half speed the notes will be exactly one octave lower than when the tape is played at normal speed.

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