Guitar sheet music

If you are taking guitar lessons and want to master the instrument, guitar sheet music can be an invaluable tool. Sheet music is simply a visual representation of the guitar tabs for a particular composition. There are many online tutors available who promise to teach students to play the guitar without even learning how to read guitar sheet music, but it is a doubtful affair and your learning will never be complete without it.
There are certain advantages of learning how to read guitar sheet music. Firstly, learning to read guitar tabs is a great way to appreciate music of others. Also, it helps you to play an unknown piece just by reading the guitar sheet music which can be a great plus for musicians who are planning to make it their profession. Learning to read guitar sheet music is an absolute must for players who are being taught by an expert who will talk in notes and scales. Thus without knowing how to read, it would be very difficult to take up lessons under an expert of guitar. However, some players are naturally talented and they can pick up guitar nuances just by looking at someone else play it. For the majority of others, it's the hard way of learning how to read guitar sheet music.
Having learnt how to read guitar sheet music can help in other ways too. You can get help online if you are facing any problem. Many guitar tricks are available online which can only be understood if you know how to read sheet music. Most importantly, learning how to read guitar sheet music gives a very strong foundation of learning and helps you appreciate the principles behind playing a guitar.
Guitar sheet music consists of two major components - standard notation and tablature. In standard notation, the notes are denoted on a five line staff and the student has to identify these notes and try to play them on the guitar. Also, each note has a specific duration of its own, a quarter note being one beat, a half note being two beats and a full note being four beats. A tablature tells you the exact position your fingers on the guitar. It has six lines which denote the six strings of the guitar and there are numbers written on them to denote the frets of the guitar.
There are plenty of websites offering guitar sheet music. Many of them are available for free. Thus amateurs can pick them up and learn to play from them. Guitar sheet music of different genre and different difficulty levels are available so you can choose which one you would like to play. Also, guitar sheet music is available in the form of CDs which are being sold online at nominal rates.