As an educational and band/orchestra consultant, I get asked often for print music. Sometimes I have to put my Sherlock Holmes hat on and find the music. Many times the music is easy to find and upon occasion, I really get stumped and have to apply the little grey cells.

There are four things that I need when ordering music.
• The title of the piece.
• The composer or artist (for popular music).
• The instrument.
• The publishing company.

It is important to know the title because there may be several different pieces with the same title and some times there are different spellings of that title. For example, there is a dance called a Minuet, which sometimes is spelled Menuet or Minuett or Minuette.

A sonata is a collection of several pieces that are to be played together and written by the same composer. Some composers have written more than one sonata for a specific instrument. For example Handel wrote seven flute sonatas, and each one has been given a number, so it is important in this case to know which sonata it is.

If you are looking for a song sung by your favorite popular artist, I need the artist in order to find the correct arrangement of the song.

Most of the popular songs come P/V/G: P stands for piano, V stands for vocal, and G stands for guitar chords. If the piece you are after is for alto saxophone, I may find that it has been arranged for another instrument or by another composer. So, the kind of instrument that will be performing the piece is important for me to know.

For some reason there are pieces that have been arranged by different people and sold by different publishing companies. It is good to tell me which publisher has published the arrangement for which you are looking.

These are the things that a music detective has to find out from the customer in order to solve the mystery of what to order for you, the performer.

Nancy Breed, music detective, reporting. Please don't hesitate to call West Music to help you with your music needs. My magnifying glass is always "at the ready."