Kensington Chimes has hundreds and hundreds of sheet music books, certainly the biggest selection…read moreI've come across in such a small shop. Literally, every wall is lined with bookcases where you can find everything from Schubert piano solos to opera vocal scores. In fact, it was named the 'winner of printed sheet music' in 2005/6. So if you can't find what you need here, I doubt you will be able to anywhere else. The staff are all extremely knowledgeable musicians, but it does tend to get very busy in here so you may have to wait a while before you can grab their attention. There's also a nice selection of acoustic guitars, music related stationary for all the young budding Wagner's out there, and other bits and bobs. At the moment they have score printed crackers! What every Christmas table needs, ah hem...

Yes! Finally I've found what I've been looking for- a music shop that specialises in printed and…read moresheet music. They range from vocal to brass to percussion or jazz, blues and classical for almost any instrument. I was particularly interested in spanish guitar music and was immediately pointed to a massive stack on 2 shelves by an enthusiastic young lad. I walked out with about 4 pieces of music I was so happy. They also have a mail order system and for people in East/Central London there is a branch in Barbican as well.

There is nothing particular to note about this store apart from their excellent collection of…read morewell-priced Ibanez guitars. Other guitar brands include Washburn and Dean, while the Peavey and Stage brands make up most of their amplifiers. Staying true to the beginners, lots of neatly kept reading and music material can be found across a large range of subjects from self-teaching to advanced sheet music. All the usual music industry consumables can be found around the shop like drum sticks, plectrums and guitar pedals. Look out for the guitar strap section: they have some really cool ones, so you can look really good while serenading your neighbour's daughter with your own version of "Sweet Home Alabama". Ritz Music also has a repair shop upstairs in case any of your bedroom head banging gets out of hand.

I'm a professional spanish drummer and went to that shop just for drum sticks and drum heads. I…read morehave to say that the people, atmosphere and stuff they have there is just amazing. Nice place to go, see and buy. Don't miss it!!!

I really like the variety of guitars. If you are a music fan or professional player I recommend you…read moreto go there, you won't regret for your decision. The prices can actually be very high, but they depend on the thing that you're searching for.

With some friends we were invited on a birthday party and we decided to collect money and to buy an…read moreelectric bass guitar like a present. They were very friendly in the shop and the price was totally acceptable for us. Our friend Sam really liked his new acquisition. If you are interested you can check the variety of guitars there. You won't waste your time.

I hate revealing my sources but Hollywood Star Nails is a close rival to it's Hackney rival USA…read moreNail Supplies. You can get pretty much everything under the sun here for nails but the main pull for me was a glorious selection of nail decorations including tiny Chanel logos and all colours of the rainbow diamantes for extra nail bling.

This shop is absolutely awesome. Loads of great products at really good prices. The staff are…read morereally knowledgeable, helpful and super friendly.

Lots of books on offer. I was there today. The person working there was kind and friendly too. I…read morewas quickly able to find what I needed. I will return in the future. The shop is hard to find but worth the hassle in my opinion really. The place is massive. But the friendly employees should be able to answer your questions. A friend recommended this shop to me after I told her I could not find any good local music shops at all. And the prices are reasonable. A one stop shop for all music lovers etc. Highly recommended as well.

FANTASTIC customer service. Great deals. I purchased a flute case cover for 1/3 of what it cost in…read morethe states; and shipping was only $9USD. The total was still less than half the price of purchasing locally; and I could not find a retailer in the US who had the correct cover in stock. A great deal and nice people to work with.

Whilst in a rehearsal, one of my piccolo pads decided it didn't like me and jumped out and flew…read moreaway never to be seen again. As I've got a concert this Friday, I needed to get it fixed, but having never had my flute or picc serviced in London I wasn't really sure where to go. After talking to a couple of my flautist colleagues, I decided to go and give Top Wind a go. They'd been before and had lovely service and were happy to recommend it. It's near Lambeth North tube station which is a bit of a trek for me but I didn't mind as it was necessary and also a welcome break from revision. When I got there I was a bit surprised as to what I found. A nice little shop where you got greeted the second you walked in, the owners milling around ready to welcome you. This place is a pure flute specialist shop, where the owners are all flute players, so they know exactly what you mean and what you're after when you talk to them, which makes it a lot easier. Also they've got stacks of music, and CDs, all flute repertoire and recordings. On top of that they have a collection of flutes to try and buy, as well as piccolos, and no doubt some altos and bass flutes tucked away. I hadn't looked on the internet about the shop, and in hindsight I was probably a bit cheeky going in and asking as the guy working in the workshop area (there's only room for one!) was up to his eyes in flutes that he was fixing and servicing. Luckily a single pad replacement is a quick job and so they were able to do it for me. It only took about ten minutes as he was already halfway through screwing a flute back together so he had to keep going with that a bit before gluing a pad in. Decent price for a quick job as well. My flute and picc need a good service, so I'm going to try to get that done at some point, and I'll definitely go back here. They were lovely chaps, really helpful and friendly and looked to be doing a great job with the mountain of flutes around.

These Guys at Top wind totally know what they are doing. They have a detailed understanding and…read morerespect people as well as the instruments. Fair in price and verdict. I came across this shop after finding out the hard way where not to go and what not to do. Do not even think about going to get an estimate elsewhere, like me, you may find you have more of a repair job than when you started. So Top Wind restored my faith and my flute. Plus Plus.

Excellent small musical instrument dealership, and musical instrument repairer…read more SoundHeart, have a kind and personable approach to customer service and I found them to be very informative and helpful. I have made purchases and also had brass musical instrument repair jobs done, which i consider to be of the highest standard for very reasonable cost.

Stephen's replies to my grumpy review are pretty fair, I guess…read more Power to him for replying!

If any of you know that show 'Black Books', then this shop will be reminiscent of the one in the…read moreshow. It is a lovely shop which reminds you of a simpler time. They have lots of books, antiquarian and rare books, fine bindings, children's illustrated and first editions, prints, postcards and ephemera. It feels crammed but I don't mind this when it comes to books because it adds character and uniqueness to the shop. You can also take any old books and exchange them, or even sell them. It's like adding to a library were the smells of moist paper and wood are enticing and overwhelmingly delicious. (No, is not food but it really is special) It also helps that this shop is one of the oldest in the high road, dates back to 1800s. Being what the books are can make them expensive, for instance a 1930s alphabet and image book in french can cost £48, but you can find cheaper books like Joan Miro's Sculptures for £17. Even if you don't want to buy anything the sense of history and longevity is palpable.