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RESOURCES

Learning Braille Music / Braille Music Libraries / Free Print Music On Line / Become a Transcriber

>>>Resources for Learning Braille Music

HAPPY FINGERS: Easy Songs for Braille Music Readers - Book 1 and Book 2   Collected & Edited by Christina Davidson and Karen Gearreald. Read the details and download a copy in BRF or PDF format for FREE.  Also available at the Library of Congress, NLS web braille library.

Happy Fingers Book 1

Basic CHORD CHART for guitarists: BRF file with braille diagrams for embossing. PDF print of the braille codes that appear in the BRF file plus the chord diagrams at the end,  or PDF print of just the chord pictures. Transcribed by Christina Davidson, available for FREE on THIS website only!
A mini-dictionary of braille music codes used for guitar music. Includes braille signs for right and left hand fingering, string signs, positions, slides/glides, glissandos, full and partial bar signs, etc. This is just a brief list of the codes needed to get started on learning the music codes. BRF file for embossing. PDF print file showing the music signs in braille but the text in normal print for the sighted readers. Transcribed by Christina Davidson, available for FREE on THIS website only!
"How to Read Braille Music" (2nd edition) by Bettye Krolick available from the National Braille Press.
"Who's Afraid of Braille Music" by Richard Taesch & William McCann; A short introduction and resource handbook for parents and students; available from Dancing Dots.
"An Introduction to Music for the Blind Student: A Course in Braille Music Reading" by Richard Taesch
 a flexible course which equips the mainstream educator with no prior experience with braille to teach and learn music Braille; available from Dancing Dots.
A very basic Braille Music chart from the NFB; A one page summary of the symbols most commonly found in Braille music in PDF and BRF formats.  Other helpful Braille music resources are also listed on the NFB
For Transcribers:
Introduction to Braille Music Transcription Second Edition 2005, by Mary Turner De Garmo,  revised and edited by Lawrence R. Smith, Music Braille Transcriber; Print & Braille editions available for downloading from the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: Library of Congress)
(NBA) Handbook for Braille Music Transcribers 3rd Edition, 2010: An order can be placed by calling the National Braille Association at 1-585-427-8260. (see image below)
(NBA) Transcribing Guitar Music  By Christina Davidson & Richard Taesch. A workshop presented by Christina Davidson for the NBA Professional Development Conference, March 2010, Chicago. An order can be placed by calling the National Braille Association at 1-585-427-8260. (see image below)
NBA Handbood for Braille Music Transcribers 2010         NBA book: Transcribing Guitar Music
(NBA) Ask An Expert forum, a web-based Q&A led by Larry Smith. A friendly place to ask questions or just read the discussions.
(MENVI) Music Education Network For the Visually Impaired: An International coalition of parents, educators, and students.  Join the  menvi-discuss group for discussing music and braille literacy. A great resource for finding braille music transcribers, educators and specialists.
The National Resource Center for Blind Musicians: A Division of the Music and Arts Center for Humanity in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Information and referral services and the Summer Institute for Blind College-bound Musicians.

>>>Braille Music Library Resources
(NLS) National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped: Library of Congress: The world's largest braille music library!! All the music is available for free to patrons and thousands of selections can be immediately downloaded (BRF format). The collection has only a few guitar solos available for download,  but the hardcopy library has over 100 solos and many method books.  Anyone can browse the catalog but a password and login is required for downloading the music from BARD. If you don't find something you need, call the library at 1-800-424-8567  and they may be able to scan music listed in the catalogue but not yet in digital form.

The Music Section at NLS has a Blog and welcomes comments from braille music readers and transcribers!
NLS Music Notes “NLS Music Notes is a blog for and about those who want, need or provide the special format music of braille, audio, and large print offered by the NLS Music Section. We will showcase this collection, which covers both classical and popular music, with posts of new titles added, along with interviews of and articles about blind and low vision musicians, music braille transcribers, as well as features about current music events and activities.” – NLS

>>>Print Music Resources for guitarists
Facsmiles of 19th century publications are now in the Public Domain and some are available on line.
Musicians have also created their own print copies of classical guitar music & their own arrangements.
The following list includes several good resources for guitar music, both old and new.
Please send me suggestions for other sites: [email protected]
The Carl Oscar Boije Collection, The Music Library of Sweden: PDFs of 19th Century published guitar music now in the Public Domain. A wonderfully diverse collection and all original scans of the music.
The Mutopia Project: free music to download, print out, perform & distribute: Browse by instrument or composer. There are many guitar solos but most do not have fingering, positions or any other markings. The files are available in several formats including midi files.
WIMA: Werner Icking Music Archive: PDF, midi, music source files; Browse by composer. Another collection of re-copied solos, and some duplication of the above references.
The Guitar School-Iceland Created by Eythor & Sveinn Thorlaksson. Hundreds of classical guitar music arrangements for studying - including progressive studies, original compositions and ensemble pieces.  A wonderful contribution to guitar students around the world. Several classical arrangements by Eythor are available in braille on my transcriptions page.
Marc sa guitar: Marc Lamberg (Belgium) -- free original compositions for guitar; scales, arpeggios and charts of the notes on the guitar fingerboard - including solfege; and an excellent list of other resources for guitar. Some of his compositions are available in braille on my transcriptions page.
Delcamp.net: Classical Guitar Scores, Forums, MP3s, videos & online guitar lessons. Jean-Francois Delcamp. Very thoughtful arrangements by a professional guitarist and teacher.  Join the forum or browse the PDF collection.
klassiskgitar.net: Another great collection of free guitar music created by Dag Arve Lindsetmo (Norway).  Pieces include familiar classical pieces to contemporary pieces, including his own compositions. His four Studies for guitar are available in braille on my transcriptions page.
jubing.net: Jubing Kristianto - Professional guitarist, teacher, examiner, and endorsee for Yamaha Music Indonesia. Free downloads of his compositions & arrangements, purchace his CDs and books, follow his concert schedule. Watch him on YouTube. Jubing's "Lullaby" is now available in braille on my transcriptions page.
 

Become a MUSIC Transcriber!

If you are a sighted musician with a solid understanding of notation & theory,
and already know Literary Braille, you can learn the music codes on your own from the De Garmo book
or the Richard Taesch books listed above
-- or --
If you are already Certified in Literary Braille, you can become certified in Music too by
filling out an application with the NFB and contacting
Karen Gearreald, Braille Music Advisor for the Library of Congress via email: [email protected]

Lessons are FREE !!


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