The local music scene in Edinburgh will be broken down in full today. We will try to cover as much as we can as quickly as we can, but this is definitely a broad topic to get into.
We think it is best to start with the best Edinburgh musical instrument stores. Then you will find different lists for where to buy guitars near you and the best drum shops in the area.
Some may quibble about what store should go where, but we will try to differentiate them as well as we can. We aren’t sure if you are trying to buy keyboards, synthesizers, pedals, amps, or popular guitar brands like Gibson, Keisel, or Fender but a store on this page can probably help you out.
Contents
Where to get a broken instrument repaired will be where we go next. There are many repair companies that can tune a piano, repair a guitar, or work on all kinds of band instruments.
After that we will pivot to music classes and lessons for kids or adults before diving into local stores for music lovers with vintage CD’s and records. There are many places to enjoy live entertainment so you will learn about the best concert halls and music venues in your area.
Bars and restaurants with live music will also get their own sections, and a discussion about the Edinburgh music calendar wouldn’t be complete without giving a shout out to the festivals either.
At the end we will share a map to help you find these stores or venues. We have written about this region numerous times on our site if you want to see some other city guides.
Edinburgh Musical Instrument Stores
Some of the best Edinburgh musical instrument stores would be:
- The Wind Section at 11 – 13 Cumberland St
- Varsity Music at 8 Nicolson St
- Rae Macintosh Musicroom at 41 Shandwick Pl
- Bagpipes Galore at 8 Nicolson St
- Rimmers Music at 14 Elm Row
The Wind Section specializes in the purchase and repair of brass and woodwind instruments near you. They have a wide selection of wind instruments ranging from solid silver flutes and high-end clarinets to all things brass, trombones, and Xeno trumpets among other things.
Rae Macintosh Musicroom has over 250,000 products including sheet music, tuition books, examination material, instruments, and accessories. Rimmers Music sells instruments throughout the United Kingdom through their website, physical stores, a specialized education sales department, and through contracted local music services and schools.
Where To Buy Guitars
If all you care about is guitars or guitar accessories check out:
- Mcintyre Guitars at #5B, Albion Business Centre
- GuitarGuitar Edinburgh at 283-287 St John’s Rd
- Rikkis at Leith Walk
- Scayles Music at 50 St Patrick Square
At McIntyre Guitars creating custom guitars and doing repairs in your area are their specialties. Their experienced and highly talented staff will produce great results whether you want a guitar built from the ground up to your exact requirements or just a little repair job.
Scayles Music operates a traditional music store. They buy and sell a wide range of musical instruments and accessories from the well-known and well-loved instruments like guitars and mandolins to the strange and fascinating exotic instruments like UDUs and dulcimers.
Another place that we have mentioned throughout the post that is a great spot to buy guitars is Varsity Music.
Drum Shops Near You
At Drum Central at 125 Great Jct St drummers can choose from a wide range of instruments including whole kits, a huge selection of cymbals, a vast selection of percussion, an enormous inventory of accessories, sticks, and drum heads from top brands.
Instrument Repair
Instrument repairs are available at:
- JA Guitar Repairs at 31 Sighthill St
- Brass & Woodwind at 563 B Lanark Rd
Brass and Woodwind is a professional musical instrument repair and restoration studio near you. Full restoration services are available as well as silver and gold plating, relacquering, and chemical and ultrasonic cleaning.
Music Lessons
Level up by taking lessons at a music school in your area:
- Morningside School of Music at 138 Comiston Rd
- Edinburgh School of Music at Studio B1.08 St
- DC Music Lessons at 125, 3b Great Jct St
- Leith School of Music at 130 Leith Walk
- Key To Music at 36B Royal Terrace
Morningside School of Music is staffed by professionals who are completely qualified and have vast experience working in the music industry as both performers and teachers. They strive to provide the best music lessons to people of all ages including children and adults.
Edinburgh School of Music has baby music groups for ages 0-5, youth singing groups, performance coaching seminars, and summer school music groups. Voice, piano, guitar, violin, viola, cello, saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder, and drums are among the instruments for which lessons are given.
DC Music Lessons has some of the best instructional studios in the city. Their tutors have everything they need to take your abilities to the next level including acoustically treated rooms, audio recording and playback capabilities, and video projector screens in every session.
Leith School of Music provides a wide variety of services with the goal of providing accessible learning to people of all ability levels. Every student and kid has a different taste and lessons will be designed to meet their musical needs and interest.
CD & Record Stores
There will be a variety of vintage CD’s and records at these local stores for music lovers:
- Vinyl Villains at 5 Elm Row
- Backbeat Records at 31 E Crosscauseway
- VoxBox Music at 21 St Stephen St
- Underground Solu’shn at 9 Cockburn St
- Assai Records at 1 Grindlay St
Vinyl Villains aims to deliver the best of all genres of music including classic, indie, progressive rock, punk, metal, blues, jazz, reggae, soul, hip-hop, folk, world music, and soundtracks. The vast majority of their merchandise is in fantastic shape despite the fact that the majority of their recordings are pre-owned.
VoxBox Music buys and sells vinyl records near you as well as other types of music. They are an independent record store that mostly sells used records while also expanding their inventory to include new vinyl.
Underground Solu’shn has been selling fine vinyl and audio hardware since 1996 and they’re one of the oldest independent specialist record shops in your area.
Edinburgh Live Music Venues
Seeing a concert at Edinburgh live music venues is always a good time:
- Dirty Martini at 16 George St
- The Queen’s Hall at The Queens Hall, Clerk St
- Leith Depot at 138, 140 Leith Walk
- Malones Edinburgh at 242 Morrison St
The Le Monde Hotel offers great flavors from locally produced Scottish vegetables with a focus on great brunches, hearty classics, and superb afternoon teas. Their visitors can sample far-flung destinations, cultures, and experiences thanks to a spectacular champagne bar and a finely crafted cocktail program.
The Queen’s Hall is one of the city’s leading independent mid-sized live music venues attracting world-class performers from many musical genres including classical, jazz, folk and roots, rock and pop, and Americana.
Fun Restaurants With Entertainment
Woodreaux’s Bar & Grill at 2724 South Expressway 281 is a great restaurant for live local music and a nice meal.
Bars With Live Music
There are also some bars that play live music:
- Whistlebinkies Live Music Bar at 4-6 South Bridge
- Stramash Live Music Bar at 207 Cowgate
- The Jazz Bar at 1a Chambers St
- Badabing Live Music & Cocktail Bar at 25 Lothian Rd
- Bannerman’s Bar at 212 Cowgate
Whistlebinkies Live Music Bar is open every night till the early hours of the morning delivering superb live music for the city as well as some of the best of Scotland’s offerings from bands to beers. There’s something for everyone on the vast drink menu and eclectic lineup.
Stramash Live Music Bar is a live music venue with a capacity of 900 people. The quality, location, and one of the most unparalleled bars are all housed on two stories with a big live music stage accessible from all regions thanks to a unique mezzanine floor.
The Jazz Bar’s music program has evolved into a tremendous genre-mix since they began in 2005. They have superb bar service and an ever-changing creative energy making the venue incredibly popular with a varied spectrum of audiences.
Music Festivals In Your Area
Have as much fun as you can at these music festivals near you:
- Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival at 89 Giles St
- Midstock Festival at High St
We have also written about:
Enjoy The Edinburgh Local Music Scene
We tried to cover the scene as well as possible on this page. You learned about the best musical instrument stores, drum and guitar shops, instrument repair services, where to go for lessons, vintage CD and record stores, concert halls and other live music venues near you like bars and restaurants, plus the best festivals in the region.
You might just know a little bit about the local music scene yourself if you made it this far. If so tell us what we got wrong in the comments or share your own thoughts on the scene.
No matter if you are trying to buy a new instrument, wanted some live entertainment, needed a vintage CD and record, or just wanted to learn more about music in Edinburgh we hope you enjoy yourself.
