Writing guitar sheet music

Hello all, I've just joined and have a question, how do you write sheet music for guitar, I can do it in viola but thats alto clef which is different also with a viola you only have 4 strings to manage. Ive been getting into music theory for guitar more over the past months and this would be a great place to progress in, thing is im sure theres a way to write without having to write in 5 staff lines when im in drop D. my orchestra instructor said you might have to transpose it and I only have the fuzzeist idea on how to do that. So anyway can anyone offer some help?

Kind of a huge/braod question to ask. I'm not sure how drop D affects how you would write it out. Everything is in basic standard notation using the treble cleff.

Have you tried Google?
https://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&source=hp&q=how+to+write+sheet+music+for+guitar&pbx=1&oq=how+to+write+sheet+music+for+guitar&aq=f&aqi=g1g-j1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2089l7648l2l7865l43l18l2l11l12l1l216l2606l1.13.3l29l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=8174c6c347ede012&biw=1680&bih=883

The very first link I think is pretty much what you're looking for.

Well thanks! I tried searching but I guess I worded it wrongly I kept getting pages explaining tab to me, so that page helps, I asked the band director today and he gave me a solution to the specific problem of drop d because I would loathe to have to write in 4 or 5 ledger lines every time I have a rhythm section that uses drop D power chords, anyway thanks for the help

If you get a demo, or a copy of guitar pro. You can just tab out what you want, and right above it will show you how to write the sheet music. :)

You can even transpose in that program. Just write the original and it will do it all for you. You will learn nothing from doing that other than how to make the program transpose for you.

You have to indicate at the begining of the piece or section that it is played in a drop-D tuning.

So when you read for example a low E note, you will play the open sixth string but the pitch will now be a low D. But still written as E.

Same idea applies to open tunings.

Originally Posted by: guitarjockYou have to indicate at the begining of the piece or section that it is played in a drop-D tuning.

So when you read for example a low E note, you will play the open sixth string but the pitch will now be a low D. But still written as E.

Same idea applies to open tunings.

But how would this work since there's 7 semitones between low d and a and only 5 or 4 for all others, wouldn't there be overlap? Or do you mean everything is written 1 step higher than its played which could work since I tend to leave my high e alone