The Internet has become a valuable source of information and a standard form of research for just about anything. Music is no exception. There are many sources to obtain free sheet music. Whether you are looking for Beethoven or the Beastie Boys, an Internet search will result in many places to download free sheet music. Anyone looking to improve their music talent can benefit from using free sheet music. Struggling musicians no longer need to spend a lot of money at music stores; they can now download free sheet music.

Free sheet music sites will generally have a search feature to narrow down your options. When you go to a free sheet music site, there may be a category for the type of instrument. You can look up free sheet music for the particular instrument you play from piano to tuba. You may also look up free sheet music based on the genre of music. Whether you like classical or pop and rock, you’ll be able to find free sheet music to suit your needs. Many sites also have skill level searches for free sheet music. You can get beginner pieces to advanced examples of free sheet music. If you are looking for music for a particular song or by a particular artist or composer, you may search for free sheet music by those criteria as well.

Downloading free sheet music is a popular way for musicians to increase their library of music. A band that is just starting out can download free sheet music to learn new songs and add to their set. An established band can hone their skills by downloading free sheet music to learn more advanced songs. Individual singers can also learn lyrics and melodies by using free sheet music to enhance their repertoire. A band that has a set list of a variety of songs has better odds of getting paid performances than those who have a limited number of songs.

Free sheet music is a valuable tool for teachers and students. Teachers can download free sheet music in a variety of genres for the instrument they teach. This can make learning a lot more enjoyable for the student when they have a variety of song choices. Students can also search their favorite songs to practice at home using free sheet music. Students often learn the basics during class which may be a bit boring to them. However, searching for free sheet music on more popular songs may encourage the student to practice longer and enhance their skills faster.

Musicians used to have to purchase books of sheet music that may not have contained all songs that they needed. Alternately, they would have to purchase individual songs or try to work out the notes by trial and error. Those methods are time consuming as well as expensive. Today, the Internet provides a valuable resource for musicians and singers. By downloading free sheet music, they can have the music available instantly and at no charge.

Kevin Hansen

He has been a successful online business owner since 2003. He is also owner of http://www.ezymoneyathome.com, http://www.sheetmusicweb.com, and http://www.travelinsurancedot.com

Why ultralight sleeping bags? Because ultralight backpacking is only made possible by cutting the weight of the “big three;” the backpack, shelter and sleeping bag. The days of five-pound summer bags are gone - at least for those of us who prefer to go light.

One Pound Ultralight Sleeping Bags

There are several one-pound ultralight sleeping bags on the market now. My own is 17 ounces. It actually weighs 19 ounces with the stuff sack, but stuff sacks aren’t always necessary. It can be stuffed directly into my pack or put in a half-ounce bread bag. It’s a down sleeping bag, and has kept me warm down to below freezing - warmer, in fact, than my four-pound bag used to keep me.

It appears fragile, and I’ve babied it over the years, but it may be tougher than I thought. I’ve used it from sea-level to 16,000 feet, in all types of weather, usually camping under a tarp, yet it still has its loft, and it appears almost new. The zipper goes only half-way down, to save weight, and it’s a mummy bag, but I’m 6′3″, 165 pounds, and I’ve always been comfortable in it.

Sleeping bags weighing around a pound are summer bags, rated down to 40 to 50 degrees fahrenheit. A quick check of the newest bags out there, though, shows that even one or two of the 0 degree bags are under three pounds now. These are down filled bags, of course, as down is still the lightest insulation for its weight.

Another big advantage of any down sleeping bag is it’s compressibility. Nothing packs smaller than down. However, a good synthetic bag is probably better than down if you are regularly getting it wet.

Several sythetic-fill sleeping bags now come close to down in their warmth-to-weight ratio. At least one summer bag, using Polarguard fill, weighs an even 16 ounces. That’s amazingly light for a synthetic bag.

Using Ultralight Sleeping Bags

Ultralight sleeping bags generally aren’t tough. The lighter the bag, the more fragile, but treat them gently, and they work fine. I’ve used mine for many years, in snow and rain, from Ecuador to California to Michigan, and it shows little wear. Baby these things, and they can last a long time.

Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His advice, stories and sleeping bag recommendations can be found at http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com

I watched a TV programme about John Peel and how he listened to any music sent to him. He gave so many pop stars their first airplay who then went on to huge success. There are many more who deserved that success but never had the luck. Then there are people like yourself who have never taken the first step but who may be lucky.

But songwriting is difficult!

Songwriting is not difficult. Most songs are composed on a piano. This is because it is the only instrument that you can play more than one note at a time, unless you are a drummer, but they are all mad. Pop music composers who are wizard guitarists often compose hits on the keyboard. The piano lets them play the melody and the harmony together to get a feel for how the song sounds. Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Andrew Lloyd Webber all sit at their pianos with a blank sheet of paper in front of them.

Many popular songs are based on blues music. Elvis and The Stones began their careers singing the blues. They listened to recordings of blues artists in the 1950’s and learnt the songs by trial and error. The Stones went on to write their own songs whereas the King never had to. The simplicity of the blues is its great strength. It has captivated listeners for decades and has formed the basis for every type of popular music for generations.

Blues history

The blues developed in the beginning of the 20th century in the rural south of the U.S.A. Originally there was country blues played by the travelling musicians. The famous Robert Johnson was reputed to have sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in exchange for his talent. Urban blues emerged in the 1920’s as a more professionally presented entertainment form, played in the jukejoints located on the wrong side of the tracks. The blues has survived to the present day because it allows self expression and interpretation, and is simple to learn.

Piano keyboard - simplified

The beauty of the piano keyboard is that all the notes are available all the time, unlike stringed or woodwind instruments. You can play a melody and the chords that harmonise with these notes together. These 85 notes on the keyboard of a standard piano can look quite daunting. Better to think of them as 12 notes repeated 7 times. Each of these 12 notes is a key note or starting note. All music (in the western world) is identified by these keys. Within each key there are 7 chords, 3 major chords, 3 minor chords and a diminished chord. Think I’m getting too technical? That’s all there is to it.

The 3 major chords begin with notes 1, 4 and 5 on the scale, the 3 minor chords with notes 2, 3 and 6, leaving the diminished chord 7. Most blues tunes use notes 1, 4 and 5 as do many popular songs. Most of the greatest hits in the history of pop music use only three chords. If you can think of a catchy chorus and have a little luck you could make a lot of money. There will always be great singers like the King and Sinatra looking for great songs.

Roan Taylor is the author of How To Play Blues Piano, an easy to follow guide to playing the blues. You may use and redistribute this article on the condition that this paragraph remains intact and the link active.