Regardless of age and ability, every pianist should have their own library of piano music they like to play. This can include method books, repertoire volumes, piano sheet music, and digital downloads to tablets. For many pianists, the pressing concern is what type of music to acquire and how to organize it efficiently. With just a few steps you can build a piano library that will bring you enjoyment for years to come.
How To Select the Music
First, choose the music you want to play. If you’re not a fan of the Mozskowski Etudes or the Beatles’ “Come Together,” leave them out. This is your personal library and it’s a no-judgment zone. However, it’s a good idea to have a variety of levels and grades in your collection. It will encourage you to grow and progress as a pianist. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Have a few books that are a level below where you currently play. They are great for sight-reading practice. Also, some days you may feel like taking it easy.
- Have a few books that are right on your level that represent a wide variety of genres. You may want to play Bach right now, but you may feel more like John Williams next week. With a variety of styles on hand at your current level, you will always have something to play.
- Have a few books that are just above you. These pieces are the ones that you can start working on now in small chunks when you feel like a bit of a challenge.
- Have one or two dream pieces that are well above you at the moment. If you’ve always wanted to play Debussy’s “Claire de Lune” and aren’t quite ready to tackle it yet, having it on your shelf serves as inspiration.
How to Organize Your Sheet Music
Books are pretty easy. You can put them on a shelf alphabetized by the composer’s last name. Piano sheet music can get a little messy. However, nothing beats the ease of being able to select and print exactly the pieces you want without purchasing an entire book. Therefore, it’s worth owning sheet music and putting it into your library.
With a little forethought and planning, you can organize your sheet music in such a way that it is an asset to your collection. To make the most of your sheet music, purchase the following:
- Three-ring binders
- A three-hole punch
- Colored paper
- Non-glare page protectors (optional)
Decide how you want to classify your music. You can choose by genre, composer, date acquired, or another method. Using genre as an example, here are the steps for putting together your sheet music binders.
- Make piles of your different genres, such as rock, Broadway, praise and worship, or classical.
- Alphabetize each pile either by title or the artist’s/composer’s last name.
- Put the music in the binders, one binder for each genre.
- Use colored paper to separate into subgenres. For example, in your Broadway binder, you can separate according to Golden Age, contemporary musical theater, popera, etc.
- Label each binder accordingly and put it on your music shelves.
Now for a word about page protectors. If you like them and you are the only person who ever uses your binders, go ahead and place all your music in page protectors, two pages per sleeve, back to back.
However, if another pianist ever plays out of your binder, at an audition, for example, you should forego the page protectors. They are actually rather controversial in professional circles. Many accompanists at auditions hate them and may insist you remove them. You could have a separate binder for sheet music that others might play if you want to have page protectors on your music.
How To Find the Best Editions for Your Library
Building your piano library is an investment of time and money. Get the best editions you can. Then you will have music that can last for decades. If you love the song, it’s worth paying for the good stuff.
When it comes to bound volumes of classical music, there are a few publishers that stand out at the top of the pile. You will pay a premium for their editions, but the quality of the paper, binding, covers, and music engraving is simply superlative. These publishers include:
- G. Henle Verlag Urtext
- Bärenreiter Verlag
- Edition Peters
- Durand Salabert Eschig
- Boosey & Hawkes
Pianists who want bound volumes of popular music, whether rock, pop, movie, or Broadway, should check out Hal Leonard’s offerings. The company publishes beautiful editions of all types of fun and contemporary music.
For print-on-demand piano sheet music, the best source is Musicnotes. They have a tremendous selection of pieces, from Bach to the Beatles and beyond. All are well-edited and carefully engraved and will make a fine addition to your piano music library.