Musopen begins Music Theory Textbook Project

Musopen has begun a Music Theory Textbook Project (as announced on the Musopen blog) to create and release to the public domain a music theory textbook suitable for use in college courses. They're looking for volunteers right now, and although I doubt I can contribute much to the actual theory portion of the book, I've volunteered to proof-read. Give it a look!

One reason IMSLP is an important resource

One reason I contribute to IMSLP is that the scans on the site can (with, perhaps, a few exceptions) be used by anyone to create new, worthwhile material. Although this is a simple example, I'll point to a recent Mutopia release, Scriabin's Etude in c#, Op. 2 #1, which is based on the IMSLP score (http://imslp.org/wiki/3_Pieces%2C_Op.2_%28Scriabin%2C_Alexander%29). Now that this piece has been transcribed into Lilypond format, it can more easily be updated, arranged, or reformatted, which benefits anyone who is interested in it. And, although this piece is just a piano piece, many other pieces are made available this way, including ones for which individual parts are not widely available.

And that's why IMSLP in particular—and the public domain in general—are important.