Top Ethnomusicology and Cultural Music Studies

The best Ethnomusicology includes Audible: How Music Works [Audiobook], Hip-Hop Is History: An Audible Journey Through Time, Hip-Hop History: Questlove's Journey [1 Book] and many others as mentioned below.

1

Audible: How Music Works [Audiobook]

  • Insightful exploration of music's cultural and social impact.
  • Includes a new chapter on digital curation.
  • Written by renowned artist David Byrne.
  • Combines autobiography, philosophy, and business insights.
  • Reveals how music shapes human experiences.
  • Explores collaboration with Talking Heads and Brian Eno.
  • Highlights music's role in personal liberation and joy.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $17.72
2

Hip-Hop Is History: An Audible Journey Through Time

  • Captivating audiobook narrated by Questlove.
  • Explores hip-hop's rich history and cultural impact.
  • Features personal stories from Questlove's journey.
  • Recognized by prestigious literary awards in 2024.
  • Recorded at iconic Electric Lady Studios.
  • Intimate reflections on hip-hop's evolution and significance.
  • Combines storytelling with a musical journey.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $17.71
3

Hip-Hop History: Questlove's Journey [1 Book]

  • Insightful reflection on hip-hop's rich history.
  • Written by renowned musician Questlove.
  • Explores hip-hop's cultural impact since the 1970s.
  • Combines personal anecdotes with broader historical context.
  • Highlights both hits and overlooked influential tracks.
  • Unique perspective from an industry participant.
  • Essential reading for hip-hop enthusiasts and historians.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $14.76
4

Blues People: African American Music History

  • Explores music's role in American cultural history.
  • Analyzes blues and jazz influences on society.
  • Highlights African American contributions to popular music.
  • Discusses music's reflection of social values and perspectives.
  • Essential reading for music and history enthusiasts.
  • Written by influential cultural critic Amiri Baraka.
  • Illustrates the journey from slavery to citizenship.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $13.59
5

Soundscapes: Music in a Changing World

  • Global exploration of music beyond borders.
  • Diverse repertoire for cultural significance and understanding.
  • Accessible listening model: sound, setting, significance.
  • Facilitates comparisons of various musical styles.
  • Total Access provides essential digital resources.
  • Enhances listening skills applicable to all music.
  • Discover new music in a connected world.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $146.27
6

"Down On The Corner: Busking and Street Music"

  • Explores history of street music and buskers.
  • Features diverse genres from folk to indie rock.
  • Includes interviews with legendary street performers.
  • Captures spontaneous moments of live street performances.
  • Highlights iconic locations for busking across America.
  • Offers insights into the lives of street musicians.
  • Celebrates the art of informal, public music sharing.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $20.41
7

Blues People: Negro Music Audiobook [1 CD]

  • Explores African American music's impact on culture.
  • Analyzes blues and jazz in American history.
  • Highlights the evolution of 'Negro music'.
  • Discusses music's role in social identity development.
  • Written by renowned author Amiri Baraka.
  • Reflects on music's influence on white America.
  • Essential reading for music and history enthusiasts.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $13.62
8

Jazz as Critique: Adorno & Black Expression

  • Explores jazz, black culture, and critical theory.
  • Revisits Adorno's writings on jazz and society.
  • Examines jazz's critique of modern life inadequacies.
  • Highlights jazz as “gathering in difference” model.
  • Challenges perceptions of jazz and American individualism.
  • Calls into question the integrity of contemporary society.
  • Engages with the unique history of black America.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $2.99
9

Ocean Sound: Ambient Listening in Communication

  • Explores history of ambient sound and music.
  • Features diverse artists like Brian Eno and Kate Bush.
  • Connects cultures from Amazonas to Tokyo.
  • Examines influence of Javanese music on Debussy.
  • Highlights evolution of 20th-century sonic experiences.
  • Offers a groundbreaking narrative of ambient sounds.
  • Engages listeners in radical auditory exploration.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $14.36
10

I Went Down to St. James Infirmary (Vinyl Record)

  • Explores the history of a jazz-blues classic.
  • Features fascinating characters and their rich stories.
  • Analyzes its cultural impact over a century.
  • Includes numerous artist covers across generations.
  • Infused with humor and meticulous research.
  • Fourth edition reveals new insights and discoveries.
  • Captivating read for music enthusiasts and historians.
  • Price Range: $22.95
11

Norþhærpe: Anglo-Saxon Lyre Guide & Tunes

  • Beginner to intermediate lyre player guidance.
  • Learn to hold, tune, pluck, and strum.
  • Variety of plucking and strumming techniques included.
  • Explore multiple tunings for enhanced play.
  • Contains 80 tunes from easy to intermediate.
  • All tunes in Tabs and Music Notation.
  • Features medieval, later, and original compositions.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $19.02
12

Black Music and Free Jazz Revolution 1957-1977

  • Classic account of 1960s and 70s black music.
  • Explores revolutionary musicians and their impact.
  • Features artists like Ayler, Coleman, and Coltrane.
  • Contextualizes music within political and social movements.
  • Celebrated photographer Val Wilmer as the author.
  • Inspires contemporary musicians with its insights.
  • Essential reading for music and culture enthusiasts.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $17.62
13

Bachata: A Social History of Dominican Music

  • Explores bachata's rich cultural history.
  • Highlights its origins in Dominican shantytowns.
  • Reflects struggles of the poor and dispossessed.
  • Draws parallels to American rap music.
  • Unveils social and economic themes in lyrics.
  • Celebrates bachata's evolution and global influence.
  • Essential reading for music enthusiasts and scholars.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $36.95
14

Rebirth of Hindu Music by Dane Rudhyar

  • Explores the revival of traditional Hindu music.
  • Insights from renowned musicologist Dane Rudhyar.
  • Covers purification and transformation of musical styles.
  • Discusses the essence of living tones.
  • Analyzes the geometry behind musical compositions.
  • Connects melodies to civilization's evolution.
  • Encourages deeper understanding of sound's impact.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $29.00
15

Jimi Hendrix - Black Legacy (Limited Edition)

  • 50th Anniversary Edition commemorating Jimi Hendrix's legacy.
  • Explores Hendrix's impact on the Black Community.
  • Includes updates on R&B Hall of Fame induction.
  • Features special section on Hendrix in Harlem.
  • Contains over 30 new pictures and commentary.
  • Challenges misconceptions of Hendrix transcending race.
  • Highlights voices often overlooked in traditional biographies.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $16.00
16

Poetry of the Blues: A Collection

  • Explores blues lyrics as profound cultural expressions.
  • Features quotes from legendary musicians like Son House.
  • First published in 1963, influential in blues revival.
  • Includes vintage black-and-white photographs by Ann Charters.
  • Highlights complex literary forms in blues art.
  • Connects poetry lovers with the essence of blues.
  • Pioneer in documenting obscure musicians of the South.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $9.95
17

Native American Music Traditions of Washington State (CD)

  • Explores Native American sacred music traditions.
  • Includes personal narratives from tribal contributors.
  • Accompanied by a compact disk of traditional songs.
  • Documents diverse musical genres across Washington tribes.
  • Highlights historical context of music and dance.
  • Features essays on spiritual traditions and preservation.
  • Collaborative effort among Washington State’s tribal members.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $6.25
18

Noise Uprising: Audiopolitics of Music Revolution

  • Explores cultural revolutions through music history.
  • Covers global sounds from 1925 to 1930.
  • Features diverse musical styles and genres.
  • Highlights unknown musicians and their recordings.
  • Connects music to historical moments of decolonization.
  • Insightful analysis of audiopolitics in modern music.
  • Captivating narrative of urban street sounds.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $24.95
19

The Games Black Girls Play: A Guide

  • Award-winning exploration of black girls' games.
  • Connects games to African American music traditions.
  • Highlights cultural significance of childhood play.
  • Incorporates interviews and recordings for authenticity.
  • Shows how games influence musical creativity.
  • Celebrates contributions to black popular culture.
  • Essential reading for music and culture enthusiasts.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $29.00
20

Gilberto Gil's Refazenda (33 1/3 Brazil)

  • Explores Gilberto Gil's influential album, Refazenda.
  • Connects diverse cultures from Brazil to Japan.
  • Offers unique insights into the artist's interpretation.
  • Includes first English translations of album lyrics.
  • Features rare 1970s Japanese liner notes.
  • Recounts a significant moment during album's debut tour.
  • Part of the 33 1/3 Global series.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $22.95
21

Ethnomusicology: A Brief Overview

  • Explores music's role in human experience.
  • Studies diverse musical forms globally.
  • Offers insights from leading ethnomusicologist Timothy Rice.
  • Examines traditional and contemporary music styles.
  • Discusses research methods in ethnomusicology.
  • Analyzes music's cultural and social meanings.
  • Part of Oxford's Very Short Introductions series.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $12.99
22

Exotic Pentatonic Guitar Soloing: Master Unique Scales and Licks

  • Master 11 exotic pentatonic scales for guitar.
  • Learn 55 essential licks for creative soloing.
  • Enhance your guitar vocabulary and musical ideas.
  • Includes one-on-one video lessons with Simon Pratt.
  • COVER CAGED shapes for effective scale application.
  • Unlock new sounds with unique scale adjustments.
  • Transform your playing and inspire fresh creativity.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $19.99
23

Go Back and Fetch: Early Black Music

  • Accessible songbook for early Black Atlantic music.
  • Nineteen playable tunes for fiddle and banjo.
  • Modern treble clef and banjo tablature included.
  • Engaging historical essays accompany each tune.
  • Explores Black music's influence on popular genres.
  • Essential resource for musicians and historians alike.
  • Restores Black music roots to the canon.
  • Price Range: $19.95
24

Manuscript Paper Notebook [120 Pages]

  • 120 pages of staffed music manuscript paper
  • 12 staves per page for easy notation
  • Elegant turquoise vintage-looking soft cover
  • Full size: 8.5" wide x 11" high
  • Perfect for musicians, songwriters, and composers
  • Includes a music notation guide for reference
  • Great gift for pianists and guitarists alike
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $7.99
25

Blacksound: Race and Music in America

  • Revolutionary exploration of American popular music history.
  • Introduces the concept of "Blacksound" in musicology.
  • Examines racial foundations of American musical culture.
  • Uncovers links between blackface minstrelsy and popular music.
  • Discusses performance, racial identity, and intellectual property.
  • Highlights political stakes for creators and audiences alike.
  • Recognized as Best Music Book of 2024 by Rolling Stone.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $27.25
26

Carnatic Melakarta Ragas Simplified Guide

  • Beginner-friendly guide to Carnatic Melakarta ragas.
  • Explains the structure of Carnatic music clearly.
  • Introduces 72 Melakarta ragas and their significance.
  • Utilizes a modern matrix notation for simplicity.
  • Highlights six diagonal Melakarta ragas and their relationships.
  • Includes keyboard illustrations for better understanding.
  • Offers a new method to comprehend Melakarta swaras.
  • Price Range: $9.95
27

Hungry Listening: Indigenous Sound Studies (Paperback, 256 Pages)

  • Winner of multiple prestigious Indigenous literature awards.
  • Explores Indigenous listening and settler colonial perspectives.
  • Critiques the "whiteness of sound studies" methodology.
  • Details decolonial practices for understanding listening positionality.
  • Examines Indigenous participation in various music genres.
  • Challenges Western musical values in performing arts.
  • Offers innovative approaches to Indigenous performance art.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $28.00
28

Blacksound: Race and Popular Music in U.S.

  • Explores sonic history of blackface minstrelsy.
  • Uncovers racial foundations of American musical culture.
  • Develops the concept of "Blacksound" for musicology.
  • Examines impact of slavery on popular music industry.
  • Analyzes performance and racial identity connections.
  • Highlights issues in intellectual property and copyright.
  • Addresses political stakes for creators and audiences.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $15.04
29

Ring Shout to Bomba: Ethnographic Music Insights

  • Explores Gullah/Geechee cultural preservation techniques.
  • Documents connections between African and Afro-Latin music.
  • Compares Ring Shout and Caribbean bomba traditions.
  • Examines religious customs in diasporic communities.
  • Presents archival and field research findings.
  • Discusses ethical interpretations of cultural identities.
  • Offers insights into evolving cultural histories.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $18.74
30

Between Beats: Jazz and Black Dance

  • Explores jazz's intersection with popular dance.
  • Analyzes cultural influences on jazz music's development.
  • Highlights amateur and professional dancers' contributions.
  • Discusses choreographies of listening in jazz context.
  • Fuses historical material with contemporary dance experiences.
  • Challenges perceptions of jazz as a cerebral art.
  • Advances participatory dance as a key analysis topic.
  • Average Rating out of 5:
  • Price Range: $35.51