What is sheet music?
Q: What is sheet music?
A: Sheet music is a type of printed music, which is the written notation of what musicians are to play.
Q: How is sheet music different from printed music?
A: People often confuse sheet music with printed music, but printed music is a larger collection of music, while sheet music usually refers to a "single sheet" of music, one song or piece printed separately.
Q: Can sheet music be published in different forms?
A: Yes, sheet music can be published as a separate copy for one piece or song, or it can be a collection of pieces in a larger book.
Q: How do musicians play together when different instruments are involved?
A: If there is a piece of music for violin and piano, the pianist will play from the piano part, which will have the piano music written on two staves, and the violinist will play from a separate part which will just have the violin music.
Q: How does a pianist know what the violin is playing when they play together?
A: Above the two staves with the piano music, printed slightly smaller, will be another stave with the violin part so that the pianist can always see what the violin should be playing, but the violinist will not be able to see what the pianist is playing.
Q: Can a violinist play from music with both parts?
A: It would be difficult for the violinist to play from music with both parts because the violinist would need to turn the pages too often.
Q: Why might a violinist need to look at the piano part sometimes?
A: The violinist may need to look at the piano part sometimes to see how the violin and piano part fit together.
