The usual determiner of whether a dance music band uses sheet music is how large their repertoire is. No band playing for SCD could memorize everything they'll be asked to do.

Something else that drives the need for a written score is increasingly complicated arrangements. It's a trend you can't do much about, but a band that needs to stand out may well push the limits of what they can remember in chordings and bass lines, even for standard ceilidh band material which works for dancing in much simpler styles. And once they've got one set fixed in their heads it'll be time to move on to another one.


I DO NOT want to spend my evenings listening to souless crap!

And that's what you're dismissing the OP as? How the fuck would you know?