Sheet music can easily become a mess with all those rehearsal materials, PDFs, and numerous printouts. Have you ever found yourself trying to sort out random pages and figure out where everything belongs? In this article, we will share tips on building a clear storage system to keep your music archive tidy, whether you use digital or paper sheet music.
Digital Music Storage
More and more musicians and music teachers prefer digital files as they can always have quick access to them. Planning your digital music organization, you should consider two things: consistent naming and the app you trust.
forScore
This is a real industry standard favored by many musicians and teachers for smooth page turns, annotations, rearranging pages, adding bookmarks, and playing along to audio tracks. It’s very comfortable for performing. This app works with iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, providing you with quick access to all necessary tools and allowing you to totally immerse yourself in music. It effectively works both on your small iPhone and a high-resolution desktop display.
Using forScore, you can:
- save PDFs from the Internet and import them from cloud storage;
- download sheet music from retailers;
- have all your files alphabetized by composer;
- rename things;
- add genres, labels, and tags;
- rate the sheet music;
- change difficulty;
- add audio tracks to your files;
- create setlists and send them to other people.
Google Drive
Musicians use it to keep backups of all digital music files that they own as well as scans of sheet music from physical copies. It’s very comfortable if you accidentally lose your paper sheet, as you can always have quick access to the file you need.
Here you can also create a folder for each genre, type of music, or composer. You can divide all your files into worksheets, musicals, orchestral, chamber, piano music, and more, depending on your repertoire and needs. You can also add useful guides, recital prep materials, articles on music themes, exercises, and other teaching materials, storing them in separate folders.
Other Helpful Apps
• MobileSheets
It helps musicians manage, annotate, and play their scores on macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. Using this app, it’s easy to collaborate with other musicians, connect MIDI instruments, and group scores into setlists for rehearsals or performances. It’s very flexible, while providing you with the pro-level tools.
• MuseScore + MuseScore Viewer
These apps allow you to edit, arrange, or compose. They’re great for syncing between desktop and mobile. The Score View allows users to play any score in the MuseScore sheet music catalog. You just need to choose your piece, open the Score View, and turn the page with a tap once you’re ready. It’s a perfect option for composers and music makers.
Physical Organization
Even in a digital era, physical sheets with lessons, printouts, and old editions are still common among musicians and teachers. Here are five ways to organize your paper sheet music efficiently:
- Bookshelves
It’s the best option for visual people. If you have books, you just place them one after the other. However, if you have lots of sheet music that isn’t in books or binders, you need to use magazine holders to keep them standing on your bookshelf.
- Filing Cabinet
For those who aren’t visual people and prefer to keep their sheet music out of sight, this option works the best. You can use it with either hanging folders or as a cabinet to set your books upright. However, it may not be so comfortable to store single sheets as they can easily get damaged.
- File Boxes
It’s the best filing system for players on the go. These boxes are equipped with hanging folders and offer you the same principle as the cabinets but with more portability. File boxes fit musicians who frequently travel and go on tours with their sheet music. They are very useful for teachers and players who regularly travel for performances or rehearsals..
- File Boxes on Cube Shelves
You just need to place your music books in the boxes and then label them by instrument, composer, difficulty, or any other category you prefer. In a way, it’s as easy as using a filing cabinet, but without the need to pull the drawers. File boxes placed on cube shelves look more aesthetically pleasing.
- Binders
This is your best option for single pieces of sheet music. You just need to punch holes in your sheet music paper and put them in the binder. It’s very convenient to create setlists for performances or rehearsals. Alternatively, you can use binders with page protectors, placing each piece of sheet music in a separate page protector. If you don’t want your folder to get too heavy and bulky, then put one whole piece in each page protector.
Tip: For this latter option you will need bookbinding tape to keep multiple pages of the same piece securely held. Lay your pages close to the edge of the table. Take a tape and put it along the entire length of the area where two pages come close to each other. Then cut the rest of the tape with a razor blade or scissors.
Binder System That Works
We’ve already mentioned binders. You can use this method more effectively by sorting them in the following way:
- Binder 1 — Your Current Repertoire: This is the place for music you’re actively practicing.
- Binder 2 — Technique & Studies: Here you can store your helpful guides, scales, exercises for warm-ups, etc.
- Binder 3 — Ensemble / Band / Choir Parts: You can sort these files by group or year.
- Binder 4 — Archived Music: This is where you can store old repertoire, scores from past concerts, or old worksheets.
You can also split your large collection into genres: “Classical,” “Jazz,” “Pop,” etc.
Extra Tips For Secure Sheet Music Storage
• If you use a digital method, back up everything. Use both cloud and an external drive.
• Scan old paper sheets into your digital library to have all pieces within easy reach.
• Use color-coding to sort your files. For instance: blue for technique, red for repertoire, green for ensemble.
Final Word
We hope our tips help you figure out the best storage method for both digital and physical sheet music. Recently, we also shared advice on creating a musician’s portfolio that attracts clients. Feel free to check it out!
On our website, you can purchase a large collection of accessories for musical instruments, skill development tools, and other essentials at special prices.
Sources:
How I Organize my Digital Sheet Music
Play anywhere with Score View in MuseScore Mobile — Muse Group
6 Ways to Organize Your Sheet Music - YouTube
Professional tape binding sheet music - fastest method - YouTube
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