If you’ve moved beyond tabs and are looking for a reliable source for classical guitar scores, I highly recommend IMSLP Petrucci Music Library.
IMSLP offers more than 5,000 scores for guitar, including the most well-known suites and compositions from famous composers.
However, their search feature and filtering method is kind of confusing. Navigating to the composer’s name, then having to filter only for arrangements featuring the guitar can also be time consuming.
Finally, I created links to the IMSLP pages of my favorite guitar composers with the music arrangements filtered for guitar!
Simply scroll down to see the list of composers, and learn how the completely free download process works.
Links to Popular Guitar Composer’s Music on IMSLP
You can link to the complete list of guitar scores category here.
Click on one of the composer’s names below to view their guitar arrangements on IMSLP:
- Aguado, Dionisio
- Albéniz, Isaac
- Arcas, Julián
- Bach, Johann Sebastian
- Barrios, Agustín
- Carcassi, Matteo
- Carulli, Ferdinando
- Coste, Napoléon
- Dowland, John
- Falla, Manuel de
- Giuliani, Mauro
- Granados, Enrique
- Legnani, Luigi
- Llobet, Miguel
- Mertz, Johann Kaspar
- Mozzani, Luigi
- Nazareth, Ernesto
- Paganini, Niccolò
- Ponce, Manuel
- Presti, Ida
- Regondi, Giulio
- Sagreras, Julio Salvador
- Sanz, Gaspar
- Scarlatti, Domenico
- Schubert, Franz
- Sor, Fernando
- Tárrega, Francisco
- Turina, Joaquín
- Villa-Lobos, Heitor
- Weiss, Silvius Leopold
How to Download a Score on IMSLP
You can download sheet music directly on the IMSLP website.
For some pieces, IMSLP may offer several versions of the score. Make sure to check the ratings and reviews for each, and most importantly- play through some of the piece to determine if you personally like the fingering and notation style!
Step 1: Click on the name of a piece
Once you click on the name of a piece, you will be taken to a page that has a breakdown of information about the piece that looks like this:
Then, you click on the “Complete Score” link, you will be taken to an intermediary page with a prompt to donate to IMSLP.
Note: You may also need to click the “Arrangements and Transcriptions” tab to access the guitar score if it has been notated for various instruments.
Step 2: Wait for the timer to countdown
Next, you just have to wait approximately 15 seconds to continue to your download OR you can skip the wait time by offering a donation to IMSLP.
Sometimes the countdown timer can be blocked by pop-up ads, so make sure to look carefully.
Here is what the waiting screens looks like:
Step 3: View or Download the Score
After that, your browser should open the PDF directly in a browser tab. From there, you can view, download, or print the score.
And that’s all there is to it!
Keep in mind these scores are for your own use, and should comply with the IMSLP Creative Commons Attribution License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). If you would like to contribute to IMSLP, you can find out more information on their website.