Today the Library's collections of music are made up of approximately 400,000 printed scores, around 23,500 published music sound recordings, and 1,000 music manuscripts. These collections include:
- Books on music: Most books on music are part of the printed book collections (British books, rare books, and international books) of the National Library of Scotland.
- Manuscript music: Music manuscripts, ranging from the early 16th-century Carver choirbook to 20th-century composers such as Robin Orr and Ronald Stevenson. There are managed by Manuscript Collections.
- Modern printed music: This collection includes almost all modern publications published in the British Isles. It contains music of every genre. Educational publications are also represented. Music items published abroad are purchased selectively.
- Sound recordings: There are about 23,500 published sound recordings which are mainly of Scottish content (78s, reel-to-reel tapes, cassette tapes, LPs, CDs, and videos). There are a small number of CDs and floppy discs that contain media. Most of these accompany periodicals and magazines.
- Special collections (Scottish and early printed):
- Glen Collection: Collected by John Glen, and presented to the Library by Dorothea Ruggles-Brise in 1927. View selected Glen Collection items online.
- Inglis Collection: Collected by Alexander Wood Inglis, and bequeathed by him to the Library in 1929. View selected Inglis Collection items online.
- Murdoch Henderson Collection: Collected by John Murdoch Henderson and bequeathed by him to the Library in 1973.
- Balfour Handel Collection: Early editions of Handel, gathered by Julian Marshall and purchased by the Library from the estate of its late owner, the Earl of Balfour, in 1937.
- Hopkinson Berlioz Collection: Contemporary and later editions of the works of Berlioz, collected by the music bibliographer Cecil Hopkinson, and presented by him to the Library in 1952.
- Hopkinson Verdi Collection: Contemporary and later editions of the works of Verdi, collected by the music bibliographer Cecil Hopkinson, and purchased by the Library in 1970. View selected Hopkinson Verdi Collection items online.
- Special collections (sound):
- Dean-Myatt Collection: This collection contains about 10,000 sound recordings, mainly shellac records, cassette tapes, and a small number of wax cylinders. The collection includes Scottish music of various genres. Artists represented in this collection include Jimmy Shand, Jim Cameron, Harry Gordon, Harry Lauder, Archie Grant, Bob Smith, William Ross, and Henry Forsyth.