Mustachian musicians: How do you store your sheet music?

[lizzzi]

I'm having trouble keeping a clutter-free, Zen, minimalist home with all my piano, harp, and whistle music strewn all over the place. Besides my own copious sheet music and collection of music books, I also have some Level I and II books and music belonging to the grandchildren, and of course, a lot of seasonal music as we move forward into Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. Researching online has left me more bewildered than ever, as I don't really see any ideas that grab me. Our grand piano is somewhat nice looking, and so is the harp…so I'd like a system that isn't too junky and plastic…but realize that classy,  Amish-made wooden storage cabinets are not likely to be within the Mustachian budget. Any wise counsel out there?

[Spondulix]

I played semi-pro when I was younger and recently was going through music. I think it's worth taking time to ask what is functional/gets played, and what is sentimental.

What I did: for the non-sentimental (but not often played) music I scanned as much as I could. It was single page pieces, copies, seasonal, short pieces I don't care for.  The original idea was to reprint (I'd rather spend a few cents for printed paper than have the clutter). But now, I could pull them up on my iPad instead. Holiday music might make more sense to store with holiday decorations (especially if you have the storage elsewhere). Why keep something in your living room that gets used a handful of days of the year?

Music that I might still play for a gig or for fun (but that I don't need often) are in a file folder box, like the storage boxes you get at Office Depot. I've got it down to one box in the closet, but if you have room to display, Joann's or Michaels has nice baskets that music will fit in (think magazine storage)

Pieces that are sentimental, big music books, or pieces that someone might play casually are on a book shelf (I have a Rhodes piano in my living room and a lot of musical friends). I may frame the covers of some and get rid of the books (they serve more of a sentiment now than useful, so why not have a nicer display to show what they mean)

I've still got a ton of scores, exercise books, etc that are hard to let go of (it was a collection that meant a lot to me back in the day!), but realistically I'm not going to play them again. For those, I probably just need to find a good music charity. If I knew they were going to a budding musician who didn't have the resources, it'd be a lot easier to part with.

[schoopsthecat]

I have actually been getting rid of tons of music (I'm a professional classical musician and conductor).  I grew up with the idea that throwing away music was sacrilegious.  However, now with imslp.org you really don't need to keep much public domain music...which would be anything 1922 and earlier.  I'm starting to enjoy playing off of a tablet or computer when possible as well.  I can actually read full orchestral scores and annotate them on some of the big touch screened all in one computers.  There's the ipad app that lets you turn pages with a pedal, but a new company just came out with software that listens to you and turns the pages without you having to do anything...pretty awesome.

[kyanamerinas]

i love to flick through my music when the fancy takes me so keep physical copies. plus, i don't like playing (flute) from my desktop and don't own a tablet so i think paper is more cost-effective for me. i keep all printed a4 music in plastic slips for neatness and store most of it in things like this: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30214429/  Although this doesn't work for larger music, which is most of my classical stuff (the printed is folk). yeah, i'm stilling looking for the best solution!

[Señora Savings]

Is there some reason not to use a bookshelf?  I keep mine in a filing cabinet, but it's pretty ugly.  Maybe you could find a wodden filing box that looks like a trunk or music box.

[former player]

I scored (!) a traditional mahogany music cabinet with drop-down fronts for £65 at a local auction - very similar to this one -

http://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/edwardian_mahogany_music_cabinet/as462a761

It takes all my sheet music.  Books and scores go on a bookshelf.

Advice on prettifying a filing cabinet is here -

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/8-great-stenciled-papered-and-painted-file-cabinet-makeovers-183194

[lizzzi]

Thanks for all the suggestions. What I'm going to do is: 1. Any books that would not "curve" if set upright will go on a section of our bookshelves. 2. After culling the sheet music, all the random 8 1/2 by 11" photocopied stuff, and soft, thin books, I will look for a used, tall filing cabinet, or two two-drawer cabinets,  and spray paint it/them a burgundy/cranberry red. (Good accent color in the living room.) 3. Then I'll keep the music in hanging folders, possibly color-coded for each instrument, or at least labelled clearly. Anything really odd-sized that won't fit in the hanging folders can go in some sort of labelled magazine file or flat storage box on the bookshelf. I don't have a tablet, and probably will never get into a digital system of storing all the music in my computer and tying in with a big flatscreen monitor on the music rack of the piano, as cool as that might be.

If serendipity happens, and I come across some kind of gorgeous, antique wooden music cabinet that somebody set on the curb, of course I might go that route. But I think a filing cabinet/s will be easier to find, and easier to customize. The living room near the piano has perfect empty corners either for one tall, or two two-drawer filing cabinets, if they're customized to look nicer than the generic blah-beige ones.   

[GuitarStv]

Music books on the shelf, loose papers get punched and put into 3-ring binders and go on the shelf, and I've put much of my stuff on the computer/iPad as well.

[lizzzi]

I find that punching holes and putting the music into a three ring binder works fine for vocal music--like from my old choir days, or  when I used to practice solos of whatever. It's actually easier to stand and hold the binder.  But I don't like the binder system for the harp's Manhasset stand or for the piano's music rack. Just seems unwieldy, and you end up with too much thickness and weight on there if you want multiple pieces at hand. It's just a personal preference. Nothing  wrong with doing it that way, and thanks for the suggestion, GuitarStv. (Are you able to play again after that bike accident?)

[lizzzi]

The sheet music question resolved even easier than expected. While clearing clutter, I emptied a small dresser, and realized it would make a fine place to keep the music, most of the books, and miscellaneous accessories such as the extra harp strings. Score! (No pun intended.)