Music

A fascinating investigation into what defines 'heavy' in music and how heaviness transfuses culture.

The fun and easy way to learn to play the mandolin The newest addition to the highly successful Dummies instrument-instruction line, Mandolin For Dummies gives you easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction on learning to play the mandolin.

Play your way to banjo-playing expertise Traditionally associated with country, folk, and bluegrass music, the banjo is accessible to anyone with the patience and willpower to learn it.

A selection of Mozart's letters, translated into English, complete with notes, linking commentary and chronology.

A remarkable memoir from the legendary drummer with The Police.Stewart Copeland is a genuine rock legend. As the drummer with The Police he was part of the biggest rock band in the world. They sold over 50 million records, won 2 Brits and 6 Grammys and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. When they reformed in 2007 they played to nearly 4 million fans on a record-breaking world tour which grossed over $400m.But his time with The Police is just a tiny part of his story.Growing up in Lebanon, unaware that his dad was a major US spy. Being best friends with Kim Philby's son. Singing in the choir in Wells Cathedral. Performing arts college in San Diego. Drumming with prog-rock gods Curved Air. Appearing on TOTP as Klark Kent in full camoflage make-up. Spray painting The Police logos around London at night. Rock stardom and fan obsessions. Filming experimental movies with a pygmy tribe. Playing polo against Prince Charles. Recording the score to Rumblefish with Francis Ford Coppola looking on. Composing operas. Reforming the band. Arguing with Sting. Embarking on one of the biggest tours of all time as he approaches sixty.These are just a few of the episodes covered in this revelatory autobiography. It is destined to be a must-read for thousands of Police fans and music enthusiasts.Strange Things Happen is an unforgettable memoir from a musician who has earned his place in rock history.

Anaïs Mitchell named to TIME's List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World of 2020An illuminating book of lyrics and stories from Hadestown-the winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical-from its author, songwriter Anaïs Mitchell with a foreword by Steve Earle On Broadway, this fresh take on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has become a modern classic. Heralded as "The best new musical of the season," by The Wall Street Journal, and "Sumptuous. Gorgeous. As good as it gets," by The New York Times, the show was a breakout hit, with its poignant social commentary, and spellbinding music and lyrics. In this book, Anaïs Mitchell takes readers inside her more than decade's-long process of building the musical from the ground up-detailing her inspiration, breaking down the lyrics, and opening up the process of creation that gave birth to Hadestown. Fans and newcomers alike will love this deeply thoughtful, revealing look at how the songs from "the underground" evolved, and became the songs we sing again and again.

The first book of photography to be published by the Academy Award-winning film director and photographer Spike Jonze. Will appeal to every fan of Beastie Boys and golden-era hip hop, as well as photography and Spike Jonze's own focused audiences.

Excursions in World Music is a comprehensive introductory textbook to the musics of the world, creating a panoramic experience for students by engaging the many cultures around the globe, and highlighting the sheer diversity to be experienced in the world of music.

A Quick Ting On : Afrobeats, the first book of its kind chronicles the social and cultural development of the music genre. Tracing its rich history from the African continent all the way to the musical centre of the Western world.

"The first academic overview of one of the most advanced and controversial approaches to sound studies, offering insight into its background, history, the present discourse surrounding it, and its likely future impact"--

Benjamin Piekut tells the story of the English experimental rock band Henry Cow and how it linked its improvisational musical aesthetic with a collectivist, progressive politics.

An original and compelling account of the social nature of music and its interplay with the wider society to which it belongs. Crossley explores the doing and meanings of music, as well as its interface with economic, political and wider social structures. -- .

Original jelly roll blues -- What did I do to be so black and blue? -- One o'clock jump -- Hothouse -- We speak African! -- Lullabye of birdland -- Haitian fight song -- Kind of blue -- I wish I knew how it would feel to be free -- Song for Che -- The blues and the abstract truth.

Jon Savage's oral history of Joy Division is the last word on the band that ended with the suicide of Ian Curtis in Macclesfield on 18 May, 1980.