Piano sheet music is abundantly available for almost every song ever written.
The same is not valid for sheet music designed for other instruments. If you play an instrument other than piano but want to play from a piano chart, is it possible?
Can you use piano sheet music for other instruments?
You can use piano sheet music for other instruments. All written music follows the same basic rules. If you can read piano sheet music and your instrument can reach the notes, you can use piano sheet music on other instruments. Piano sheet music can also be transposed to work on other instruments.
Using piano sheet music for another instrument is possible, but some instruments work better with piano sheet music than others, and there are some basic things to understand about piano sheet music before attempting to use it for another instrument.
Let’s take a closer look at using piano sheet music for other instruments.
Can You Use Piano Sheet Music For Other Instruments?
Piano sheet music is specially designed for use with the piano, as this instrument is unlike any other. Piano sheet music is written over two registers clefs, the bass clef and the treble clef, which is almost unique to music for the piano.
This type of sheet music is written over two clefs because the piano covers a very wide range of notes, ranging from very low to very high. Few instruments have a wider range than the piano. This necessitates the need for using multiple clefs and playing the instrument with both hands.
Due to the complexity and range of piano sheet music, it is a common misconception that it can only be used for playing the piano.
Piano sheet music can be used for other instruments, as long as you know how to read the music and if the notes can be reached on your instrument.
If the notes on the sheet music are not too low or too high for your instrument, and you can read the music, then you should have no problem playing the sheet music on another instrument. However, you will probably have to choose between playing the treble clef or the bass clef, as not many instruments can play both lines simultaneously.
Identify the notes from the piano sheet music that you want to play, even if it means switching from the bass clef and treble clef lines; find those notes on your instrument, and you should have no trouble playing the music at all.
Piano charts often include chords as well, and these can be played on any instrument capable of playing multiple notes at once.
Which Other Instruments Work Well With Piano Sheet Music?
While almost all instruments can use piano sheet music to some extent, some instruments are more capable of playing piano sheet music than others. Which instruments besides the piano are good for playing piano sheet music?
Any instrument with a wide note range is capable of playing most piano charts, either the treble clef lines or the bass clef lines, or both in some instances. Instruments such as the bass guitar, the guitar, the harp, and even some saxophones can be used for piano sheet music.
Most instruments can play piano sheet music to some extent. Even instruments that usually only play one note at a time can play one line of the piano music if the instrument can reach the note pitches.
Instruments such as the violin, the trumpet, saxophones, harps, the ukulele, the guitar, and even the kalimba can play the treble clef notes on the piano.
Instruments such as the bass guitar, the cello, the baritone saxophone, and the bassoon are good at playing the bass clef from piano sheet music.
There are a handful of instruments that can play both the treble and bass clef lines from the piano.
Some of these instruments include the guitar, the bass guitar, the harp, and the cello to some extent. Instruments such as the guitar can even play certain parts of both lines in piano sheet music simultaneously. If the correct techniques are used.
Here is a short list of instruments that can be used to play piano sheet music, whether the treble clef lines, the bass clef line, both, or even just the chords:
- The guitar
- The bass guitar
- The violin
- The cello
- Saxophones
- The bassoon
- The oboe
- The clarinet
- Harps
- The ukulele
- Kalimba
- Flutes
- Trumpets
- The viola
What To Look Out For When Playing Piano Sheet Music On Another Instrument
Playing piano sheet music on an instrument other than the piano can be a real challenge. Piano sheet music is meant to be used on a piano and is therefore optimized for this instrument.
When playing piano sheet music on another instrument, it is important to identify the parts of the music that you want to play.
This is usually the melody of the song.
Check out this YouTube video that teaches you how to read all 88 notes on a piano
If you want to play the main melody, identify where it is in the sheet music, and only play those notes while ignoring the other notes on the chart. Without identifying which note you will play, attempting a piano chart with another instrument can be very overwhelming.
The next most important aspect of playing piano sheet music on another instrument is playing the notes in the correct register for your instrument.
If your instrument primarily plays low notes, such as the bass guitar or the cello, try to stick to the bass clef lines of the piano chart.
If you want to play the melody line from the song on a low-range instrument, then transpose the music before attempting to play it. This way, the music will sound good even when played in a lower register.
The last point to be careful of is to ensure that you play the correct note pitches on your instrument.
Each note in a piano chart can only be played in one location on the piano. The same notes on other instruments may be found in multiple locations. This is especially true for stringed instruments such as the guitar.
Be sure to play the correct note pitches when playing piano sheet music on another instrument. This way, the music will always sound good.
Conclusion
You can use other instruments to play piano sheet music if you are careful to play the music well based on the instrument that you are using.
Every instrument is different, so to play piano sheet music well on another instrument, the musician must play according to the strengths of the instrument they are using, rather than trying to emulate a piano on another instrument.
If you take the time to make the piece work well for your instrument, almost any other instrument can be used to play sheet music.