Ted Brown Music

I don’t know anything about Ted Brown Music… I am interested if anyone out there remembers Capital Sheet Music that was located in downtown Seattle somewhere between 2^nd Ave and 4^th Avenue. It was a large building that sold nothing but sheet music — on two floors! It was amazing to be in that space with any kind of sheet music you wanted. That was back in the 1960s. I used to catch a bus from Edmonds, where I was living, and buy my piano sheet music from Capital. The owner/​manager was known as ‘Mr. O’ and he knew every piece of music that he had on his shelves. I don’t remember his last name. He was always around somewhere filing more new sheet music on the shelves, which were about 6 to 7 feet tall and probably twice as long. It has always reminded me of an archive. Nothing like it exists today and that is sad. ‘Mr. O’ is long gone but I remember him fondly — and his amazing memory. Does anyone else remember this building? and where it was located in downtown Seattle? contact me at

Great service and selection. One of the only if not the only place that really focuses on selling sheet music in Seattle. Most other stores are music instrument stores first with only a couple racks dedicated to books. Ordering on Amazon is ok but there is nothing that beats looking at the difficulty of the music.

Best service ever from Atlas, who repaired my son’s bass clarinet. We were in a bit of a panic, since my son needed his instrument for a performance. Atlas helped us on the spot. His ability to repair instruments is brilliant. He’s extremely good at what he does, and with a great attitude too. Thanks Atlas! We’ll be back, I’m sure.

While visiting Seattle over the weekend. I needed to pick up a quick birthday present for my sister, who is a musician.
The salesperson, named Cade, was obviously a musician himself and was xtremely helpful and knowledgable. He was able to steer me in the right direction amongst thousands of pieces of sheet music, guided me in the proper materials she could use as a composer. Her present made me look like a rockstar of a sister.

What a great experience. They actually had a decent selection of Christmas books for Saxophone and other brass and woodwinds. Service was friendly. I’ll be back.

I’ve not been here before so I decided to call ahead to see if they had what I wanted: sheet music of two different Christmas carols written for either guitar, piano, vocal or cello. I realize this is summertime but I wanted to get a jump start on a Christmas project and support a local store too. Just my luck I picked an iffy place with iffy guys.
One dude had white hair and glasses. The other looked like a Eugene levy stunt double. I walked in and told white hair guy I called about sheet music. He had told me they had a wide selection of Christmas books on the phone and that said books had … one of the songs I wanted. Ok. I walked in and said I had called earlier to inquire about Christmas sheet music. White hair guy said, «yes I spoke with you. And I specifically told ya they were in the back on the shelf.» well did you now? Specifically? Ugh if I were a guy I wouldn’t get the condescending tone. He left me to search through their «large selection» of books — yeah, a dozen books with one of the songs I wanted and no 3 to 6 part harmonies to the songs. Just sing a long beginner guitar stuff. Not helpful.
Eugene levy finally asks if im finding what I need and I say no and explained in more detail what I needed. He then asked, «haven’t I seen you before?» nope. Not really relevant to what were doing. Eugene’s doppelgänger then offers to do a search for the individual sheet music rather than books. Yay! Someone wants to help. He finds one of the songs in a big black binder and goes looking for the other one. Meanwhile white hair guy is discussing while ringing up another customer how his store is for real musicians, how everyone who comes there is a real musician and they aren’t lame like guitar center. So far dude, you’re not much better.
As Eugene levy is searching and white hair dude is playing with a pink plastic children’s ukulele (seriously, maybe you could clean and organize this «real musician» store) another guy walks in asking for guitar strings. Rather than have Eugene keep searching for my music and help the guy himself, white hair guy keeps strumming away while Eugene rings up guitar homie. Meanwhile im in the back of the store watching. I decide to keep looking through the big black binders and find the second song myself since neither Eugene or white hair guy seem that interested in me other than a string of, «so is it Christmas in June?» inquiries. Eugene then finishes with guitar dude and begins making cracks about Christmas in June. I say, «lets just finish up» as he presents me with more cello arrangements that aren’t what im looking for either.
I leave with the two SATB and piano individual sheet music for both songs. It cost me just under $ 4. Granted I got a good start and supported a local place, what a pair of local yokles. Honestly you probably could find stuff faster if you cleaned up, paid attention to customers when they spoke to you and organized a bit. If I were a dude would you have been so unhelpful white hair dude? Put the kids toys down and do your job. Eugene leave the jokes to the comedians. That’s the only $ 4 you’ll be getting from me.

I can tell this place can be disorientated and things can be lost.
However, the staffs are great and more than willing to help. Also, this place seems busy with violin lessons. Perhaps hiring more employees during busy hrs would leave customers more satisfied. Came to ask for them to tune my violin, the lady did it quickly and well. Will return to purchase piano and violin books next time!

They have sheet music for MOST categories, including musicals, classical chorales, and rock. Suzuki recorder supplies, gifts for music lovers, and VERY helpful advice if you get the right person. Some of the staff has a «I only work here» attitude, but two folks acted like owners and went totally out of their way to get me what I needed, including hand-​writing music notation for me. Great place; I’ll go again.

I must have came here on an off-​day for the employees. The two that were ‘working’ behind the counter were discussing something they had read on facebook earlier that morning. There were a handful of other people in the store and I couldn’t tell if they had been helped/​greeted but I know that I had not been. Not one word– I don’t care about the forced ‘hellos’ but when I’m rifling through bins and crawling on my hands/​knees looking for sheet music, it would be nice if someone would have assisted me. This did not happen this particular Saturday afternoon. When I was about to scream, someone who appeared to be the owner, walked out from the back and asked if I needed any help, said, hi, etc. He was friendly.
The two behind the counter– useless.
I will give them three stars because they had a wide array of blank manuscript paper as well as theory books.
Regardless of those two, I would still come back here because they had/​have what I need (ed).

Music stores are closing left and right but we have a good one right in the neighborhood. Asher, the owner is doing everything he can to give we music teachers a place to send our students for sheet music and instruments and to connect to the community. He even offers «Wednesday Nights Live» concerts of local musicians– a great chance for students to get performing experience. Admittedly their stock of music for instruments other than piano is small but I was able to give them a list of all the pieces my students would be needing in the next few months for them to order with no shipping costs to us. They even gave me a special section for my students’ music. The staff is willing to help and willing to learn. So let’s help build up this terrific resource in our community.

On a friend’s recommendation, on July 16^th, I took my brand-​new violin in to get fitted with new strings and a bridge at the shop so I could start my lessons. When told that the repair person came in once a week, no big deal, just let’s get the thing done and get, specifically, the bridge replaced and new strings put on it. I left the bow, spare strings, rosin, and new case in their care. I’m in no rush. Two weeks? Eh, a bit longer than I’d like, but no biggie. Let’s just get it set up. I have a bit of time.
Easy enough, right?
Hah.
A week later I called back. (July 25^th) The repair person had been in, but not looked at my violin. (Actually, the person had to wonder if I had brought a violin at all. It had been stuck on a shelf where nobody could see it). Apparently they forgot to tell her that it was there.
A week after, I called back again. (August 2). This time I was being sold an instrument full breakdown and repair for around $ 150 — which is precisely what I paid for my beginner’s violin. No, let’s just go with what I originally asked: fix the bridge and replace the strings. I authorized them to do the repair and get the work done so I could start lessons next week.
Giving them two weeks later, figuring that I’d have given them more than enough time to do the fix, today (August 18^th), I called.
Not only was the bridge and string work NOT done (the work of what, five minutes?), they:
Lost the violin bow that was in the case.
Couldn’t find the spare strings included in the case.
Didn’t do anything to the violin.
Here’s the key complaint: after thirty days of having the damn thing, they didn’t do anything to the violin. In point of fact, nobody put a record of repair in on the violin, even after three phone calls authorizing repair on the violin and a claim ticket issued to me.
Why bother offering repair services if replacing a violin bridge and strings is so onerous that it takes upwards of five weeks? And a lost bow?
When asked about authorizing repairs, I was told the (brand-​new) violin needed a polish, and that the bow should be rosined up. And for only $ 25 for each service!
It doesn’t need a bloody polish, it needs STRINGS AND A BRIDGE. That was it. The bow didn’t need rosin. It wasn’t the friggin’ Stradivarious of bows. It was a cheap $ 60 thing I picked up to be able to play said violin with.
Each time I called I got a different story about the instrument. The repair person was coming in. The repair person hadn’t looked at it. The repair person estimated a repair cost of nearly $ 200 on a brand-​new violin missing a bridge and some strings.
Seriously. The hell is wrong with this picture?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m positive they do brilliantly for piano sheet music, for the wonderful range of big band music and they have a decent series of things, but after this 30+ day runaround, I learned that regardless of personal recommendations by friends, people do slip through the cracks.
These are not bad people. They’re just thoughtless, and when it comes to dealing with personal instruments and customer service, thoughtless people are not the people you want to deal with.
I’m just glad my POS beginner’s violin wasn’t the one I originally planned on getting, or my beloved old mandolin, or the bass my dad gave me when I was twelve. I’m very glad that the violin I did bring to these people was something that I intended to play as a trial rather than investing a lot of money and emotion in, because after experiencing their repair system, I have a vast dearth of confidence in their abilities not only to take care of the people who come in, but also an utter lack of concern for the instruments themselves.
When speaking with the representative of the store, he mentioned that there had been issues with repair because of the summer season. Then he offered me a $ 25 gift card as recompense for the problem.
My response was, «Look, it was about $ 25 worth of work and parts I asked you in the FIRST place to do to the instrument. Why would I want to get $ 25 worth of stuff from this store?»
And while I understand that the lacksadaisical attitudes many have towards warm summers’ days and being able to run around in the park, it ain’t THAT hard to spend twenty minutes to wind some strings and glue a bit of wood in place on a violin. Twenty minutes out of a single month is not an onerous amount of time.
I picked it up, and the employees there immediately ran back to get the manager, who very nervously came out holding my violin, then explained, oh yes, sorry, our employee who is a piano player, she did not see the bow, here it is, yes, sorry.
Why would I buy instruments from these people? Come to think of it, why would I even bother going into a local brick and mortar if they treat people like this? Period, end of story — the selection sucks and their customer service is terrible.

This is an old-​school music store. Most of the other reviews mention the sheet music selection, but that’s just half the store. If you need a purple metallic music stand, tenor recorder, cutesy music-​themed stationery, oboe reeds, melodica, 8-​channel mixer, Chopin bust, and rent a soprano saxophone at the same time*, then this is your kind of place.
Places like this still exist in the mall zones, but in the city this is one of the few general music stores (if not the only one) that isn’t heavily tilted to either guitar heroes or zither enthusiasts.
* I saw all that stuff the last time I was in, but I’m now the proud owner of the aforementioned purple metallic music stand, so nyah nyah.

Even though they didn’t carry what I was looking for (steel drum sheet music), I’ll still rate ‘em high because they have a good selection of sheet music, and the workers are very helpful and gave me their business card in case I’d like to find my desired sheet music online and order through them.
Good job, Capitol, teach some of these customer service defunct bizzes something, would you?

I love this place for all my piano and violin sheet music needs– they also have a good assortment of strings for orchestral instruments (though the «big daddy» of them all is Bischofberger on Capitol HIll).
They have lots of rock/​pop sheet music and such too.
I daresay their old building in downtown Seattle has been demolished, because I could not find them last week! I thought I was losing my mind.
I checked their website — they are now conducting business just out of their Roosevelt branch — 1032 NE 65^th Street #B, across from Whole Foods.
And yes, their staff are very very friendly — very «Old Seattle».

Nice store, old school and very proud of it! Tons of sheet music, instruments, pleasant and helpful staff, ready and standing by to help you order that special Marty Robbins or Eddie Cochran songbook that no one has.
It’s a great place to get what you want, and the help to find it. And isn’t that all you need?

Sheet music and music books galore. For every instrument, for every level player. If there’s a teaching method out there, they probably have the books. NIce store to browse in, and staff is willing to help you find what you need.

I am not sure about their selection of popular music, but if you are looking for classical music materials, this is the place (and seems like the only place around Seattle, unfortunately). The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.