Finding and buying sheet music
As a music student you will need to source legal copies of your own music. Here are a few essential links to help you find the resources you need for your lessons. Please email the Music Department if you would like to recommend another source
Libraries and free sheet music online:
City Lit Library has instrumental and vocal sheet music, opera DVDs and online access to Grove Music.
IMSLP-Petrucci Music Library is a treasure trove of music that is out of copyright, and includes parts for ensemble music, often with transpositions.
Barbican Music Library has an extensive collection of all kinds of music, books, CDs and DVDs, and membership gives you access to many online resources including Naxos Music Library and Grove Music Online.
Westminster Music Library has a vast range of music scores, orchestral and chamber music sets, books and recordings (160 Buckingham Palace Rd SW1W 9UD)
Holborn Library on Theobalds Rd has a smaller collection of music, books, CDs and DVDs, but can order items from other libraries in its network.
Music shops
Denmark Street, London’s famous ‘Tin Pan Alley’ c. 10 mins walk from Ciyt Lit, has numerous music shops including Music Room and Rose Morris (specialising in guitar and piano). Nearby are:
Foyles Book Shop, one of the iconic West End bookshops, with huge premises on Charing Cross Rd with a huge range of books, sheet music, CDs and DVD, in all genres and styles of music.
Yamaha Music London [external website] in Wardour St, which has both sheet music, instruments and a wonderful showroom of pianos, including digital pianos.
Schott music in Soho, the official shop for Schott music publishers.
Travis and Emery, near Leicester Square, sells second-hand music and books (including out-of-print publications and also some new books and their own publications.
Dots Music Shop in Camden carries all of the exam pieces you need and can advise on choosing instruments and repertoire. They also offer instrument repairs.
Chimes has shops in The Barbican and Kensington, and sells both music and accessories.
Online stockists include:
ABRSM Shop is the official shop for the one the largest music exam board. Here you can buy their exam music collections, theory texts and workbooks, and a huge range of other instrumental and vocal music.
Forwoods ScoreStore offers an excellent range and educational discounts.
Specialist suppliers include June Emerson Wind Music and Early Music Shop.
Choosing your instrument
Renting an instrument
Renting is a great idea if you are just starting out, especailly for more expensive instruments such as cello, clarinet or piano. Many shops that have rental services will offer a rent-to-buy scheme, where they deduct your rental payments if you eventually buy your instrument from them.
Buying an instrument
Pianos:
An acoustic piano is best. We like Yamaha and Kawai pianos but there are very good deals on all sorts of second hand pianos.
We recommend Markson Pianos, which has an excellent range of new, second-hand and rental pianos and keyboards. Other suppliers include Piano Auctions, Piano Warehouse, or Coach House Pianos.
A keyboard or digital piano is fine for beginners up to about level 4. They're smaller, easier to store, don't need tuning, and you can use headphones to play in private and at times when you can't disturb your neighbours. Choose a model with full-size keys (not toy piano keys) and a full-length keyboard (88 keys). A good model from Yamaha is the Yamaha P-45
There are several shops with showrooms near City Lit, including Music Room, Rose Morris, Yamaha, Jacques Samuels and Peregrine’s Pianos
Guitars (acoustic/classical) and ukulele:
Recommended starter guitars include the Yamaha F300 range (acoustic) and Yamaha C/CX series (classical), starting from c. £160 new. Remember, you may also need accessories: case, shoulder strap, tuner, capo, footstool, spare strings…
Good suppliers near City lit include London Guitar Studio and Rose Morris [external websites].
Drumkit and Percussion
All drummers need a pair of drumsticks (c. £10) and a practice pad (c.£15). A practice kit with rubber drumheads for quiet home playing starts at c. £170. A digital drumkit starts at c.£200, and if you have somewhere you can play on a full acoustic drumkit, prices start at c.£250.
Good suppliers include Impact Percussion (East Dulwich) and Gear4music (online shop)
Violins / Violas / Cellos
Prices for a decent student instrument start at c. £150 (violins), c.£200 (violas), c.£450 (cellos). These come with a bow in a case. Essential accessories: rosin (for your bow), cleaning cloth (any soft cotton fabric), spare strings, and for violin/viola a shoulder rest (many models and styles available).
For a good starter kit all way through to instruments for advanced players, in London visit Stringers and Guivier [external websites]. Bass Bags in Derbyshire offers hire and buy facilities [external website].
JPB Music and StringZone [external websites] have an excellent range of accessories for online order and delivery.
Wind instruments
Accessories: spare reeds (clarinet, saxophone); cleaning cloth with rod, small screwdriver, joint grease (some instruments).
London Music Co, based in Haringey, offers woodwind instrument rental including hire-purchase, and repairs.
Yamaha Music London and many shops in Denmark Street sell woodwind and brass instruments.
Woodwind and Reed in Cambridge offers a good second-hand range.
Early Music Shop [external website] for recorders and other Renaissance / Baroque instruments
Wind instruments: advice from our teachers
Recommended brands of student instrument will cost £450-£500. Cheaper models (under £200) are much lower quality and often don't have a satisfactory mouthpiece, which makes playing much harder. You can always look for a better brand second hand, or consider renting/rent-to-buy.
Inspection before buying
Always look at the instrument before buying it. Contact the seller and ask to view it first. If this is not possible, check the pictures carefully and allow for returns if it turns out to be damaged/not as described. If you have a rental instrument and are looking to purchase a second-hand one later, take your rental with you when looking at a second-hand one. Compare the two, and look out for the following problems:
Keys: check that all the long rods and keys are straight (even a slightly bent rod will need to be fixed by a repairer)
Pads: Push down/lift up the keys and look at the underside of the pads. They should be white/ivory coloured and shiny. If too many of them look dirty, discoloured, fluffy, cracked or missing then you will need a complete re-pad. However having one or two pads changed will not be expensive.
Dust and dirt: Have a look down the inside of the instrument, at the plastic under the keys, and inside the holes where your fingers go down. If there is dust and grime it will need a clean. A little bit is manageable and you can clean it yourself lightly with pipe cleaners and a pull-through cloth.
Play it: Lastly, play it if you can, or ask the seller to play it. If you take a rental with you, compare the two in terms of sound and function. See if it makes a nice sound and feel the key movement to check if any are stiff or stuck. If so, they might be a bit bent or have parts missing.
In summary: If it looks like it needs a couple of news pads changed and/or a couple of keys fixed/springs replaced then factor that into the price; minor repairs would cost £20 - £50. So if you can find nice brand for £100 - £200 and need to spend £20 - £80 on repairs and new moutpiece, you could get a good instruments for much less than £400. However if it needs a complete clean and significant repairs, move on.
Useful accessories for all musicians
Accessories useful to all musicians include:
- metronome and tuner (you can get these as smartphone apps),
- cleaning materials for your instrument,
- music stand, instrument stand (winds/brass) and
- spare strings / reeds.
