The sheet music archive is free and open. You can play, print, share and use the notation in teaching without asking me first. Here is how it fits together.

The melodies belong to everyone

The traditional melodies in the archive belong to no one. They are in the public domain. A bukkehorn tune or a lullaby that has passed from player to player over generations can be used freely by anyone.

My sheet music is CC BY 4.0

Writing the melody down as notation is my own work. I share this sheet music under the licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). This means you may freely:

• use the notation for anything you like, including commercially
• copy, print and share it
• build on it and make your own versions

All I ask for is credit: state that the sheet music comes from Blåsemaker (Karstein Grønnesby), ideally with a link to the archive.

Sources and tradition-bearers

Many of the tunes I have learned from others, or taken from recordings and older collections. When I know where a tune comes from, the source or tradition-bearer is listed on the tune page. It is part of the story of the tune, and it is right to give them credit.

I only publish my own transcriptions. I do not copy other people's notation or arrangements without permission, even when the melody is free.

Would you like to contribute?

Do you have a tune you think belongs in the archive, or do you know more about the origin of one of those already here? I would be glad to hear from you. Get in touch at karstein@blasemaker.no.