LibGuides: Guitar: Scores & Parts

Jump to: Find a specific piece of music | Find any piece with specific instruments

Find a specific piece of music

Find Scores and Recordings

In the Allen Library

Open the library catalog.
Search the title and composer's name.
Limit to the format you desire.
Find a result for the piece you need.
Use the location and call number to find the item.

Image: Catalog search with the format limited to Printed Music, and search result showing location and call number.

Online

Can't visit the library? Use our guides to Music Scores Online or Streaming Audio & Video to find online score & recording sites, then search for the piece you need.

Get help

Searching for music can be tricky! If you can't find what you need, ask a librarian for help.

Find any piece with specific instruments

Browse the Shelves

Browsing is a great way to discover new music if you don't have a specific piece in mind!
Use these call numbers to find guitar music:

Most common guitar call numbers:

Call Number	Genre
M125 – M129	Solo guitar
M276 – M277	Solo guitar with piano
M1037.4	Concertos for guitar or other plucked instrument
M1623 – M1624	Solo guitar with voice

Full list:

Call Number	Genre/Instruments
M125 – M129	Solo guitar
M276 – M277	Guitar + piano
M292 – M293	Duets: Plucked instruments
M294 – M295	Duets: Plucked + bowed string
M296 – M297	Duets: Plucked + wind
M325 – M329	Trios: Plucked + piano
M330 – M334	Trios: Plucked + bowed + piano
M335 – M339	Trios: Plucked + piano + wind
M365 – M369	Trios: Plucked instruments
M370 – M374	Trios: Plucked + bowed
M375 – M379	Trios: Plucked + wind
M380 – M384	Trios: Plucked + bowed + wind
*see note	Quartets through nonets
M1037.4	Concertos with orchestra
M1137.4	Concertos with string orchestra
M1623 – M1624	Solo guitar with voice

* Quartets (400s), quintets (500s), through nonets (900s) follow a pattern similar to trios, for example:
M365–M369=Plucked instrument trios
M465–M469=Plucked instrument quartets

Use a Repertoire Guide

Repertoire Guide: A list of music for a specific instrument or group. Often describes style, difficulty, or musical features.
Here are a few selected guides online and in the Allen Library:

Online Guides

Classical Guitar Music in Printed Collections
An index to guitar repertoire in collections and anthologies, browseable by title, composer, or instrumentation.
Guitar Music by Black Composers
Small but growing list of pieces with timings, links to recordings, and more. Click tabs at top of spreadsheet to view electric/acoustic, solo/chamber, and other plucked strings.

Guides in the Library

Classical Guitar Music in Print by Mijndert Jape; Donald T. Reese (Editors)
Call Number: ML128 G96 J37 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1989, 1998
Lists thousands of works for guitar solo, in ensemble, and as concerto soloist.
Music for Voice and Classical Guitar, 1945-1996 by James Maroney
Call Number: ML128 G96 V7 M3 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1997
Lists over 550 pieces for the classical guitar and solo voice. Each entry includes the language, voice type, range and tessitura, duration, and difficulty for the singer.
String Music of Black Composers by Aaron Horne
Call Number: ML128 S9 H67 1991 [Allen reference]
Covers composers from Africa and the Diaspora. Each entry details the composer's life and career, and then lists all works with strings with information about commission, premiere, bibliography, and discography.

Find more repertoire guides

Browse the Reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML128 C4	Chamber music guides
ML128 G96	Guitar guides
ML128 S9	String guides

Browse the catalog by subject:
Guitar music > Bibliography

Browse the Catalog for Music

If you're not looking for a particular piece, browse the catalog using subjects, for example:

You can find even more subjects in individual catalog records. Find a piece of your desired ensemble/genre, then click on a subject to find more materials with that subject:

How do I choose the right format?

Here are some of the most common formats for printed music:

Score
Shows all instruments

Miniscore/study score
Small version of the full score

Vocal score
Piano and vocal line(s) only

Parts
Individual pieces for each instrument

You can determine the format by looking at the catalog record, in the Subjects or Description section: