Thinking Musically

Designed for undergraduates with little or no background in the subject, Thinking Musically is an ideal core text for any introductory world music or ethnomusicology course. It incorporates music from many diverse cultures and establishes the conceptual framework for exploring these cultures in a global context. The central book in the Global Music Series, it is supported by a variety of single-volume case studies, each of which covers a single musical culture. Thinking Musically discusses the importance of musical instruments and describes their significance in a culture's folklore, religion, and history. It also defines fundamental musical terms and concepts including rhythm, pitch, sound, scale, and melody, and examines how they vary across the traditions of world music. Considering the effects of cultural influences such as gender and ethnicity on the perception, interpretation, and performance of music, the text also looks at how the forces of nationalism, acculturation, and westernization can affect musical traditions. It concludes with an instructive chapter on how to conduct fieldwork in ethnomusicology. Thinking Musically is packaged with a 70-minute CD that features selections from a wide variety of musical cultures and includes activities designed to build critical listening skills.