Thinking Musically: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Global Music Series, 1) (Paperback)

by Bonnie C. Wade (Author) "All over the world, people make music meaningful and useful in their lives..." (more)
Key Phrases: colotomic structure, thinking musically, instrument classification system, North Indian, Middle Eastern, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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.

About the Author
Bonnie Wade is at University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195136640
• ISBN-13: 978-0195136647
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #608,279 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful for self instruction and teaching, August 4, 2008

By	J. McMurray (Raleigh, North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have found this book useful as a curriculum base for general music study in Middle School and High School settings. It could also be useful for a college introductory course to ethnomusicology or general music. Unlike many other general music and music history methods, this book takes a truly global perspective on concepts like melody, harmony, rhythm, structure, notation, historical development, uses of music, and cultural influences.

As an introduction to world music from an ethnomusicologist's perspective, Thinking Musically is a concise, well-organized study. Bonnie Wade pulls examples from the various studies in the Global Music series, creating a cohesive overview. Each chapter provides definitions (in bold type,) and a categorical framework for the material covered. Concepts are clearly mapped throughout the chapter with subheadings and clearly organized paragraphs. Wade pulls examples from the studies in the Global Music Series to illustrate each concept. Using these examples and musical samples on the CD she invites readers to apply these musical ideas in the highlighted activity boxes. This structure makes the book useful for independent study as well as group instruction.

Ch. 1:Thinking about Music- explores perspectives on music's meaning and uses, investigates definitions of music, and musical values and aesthetics inviting the reader to explore his/her personal ideas about music as well (Sample activity: "Think about music in your life. Does it have some meaning for you, beyond its musical qualities? How do you use music? Can you distinguish between its meaning and function?")

Ch. 2:Thinking about Instruments- explores instruments as an expression of culture- spiritual association, social status, aesthetic value, etc , provides a brief intro to the Sachs-Hornbostel classification system, defines timbre from various aesthetic viewpoints, classifies ensembles, and influences of/upon instrumental capacity (Activity example: One activity investigating timbre and heterogenous sound ideals asks the reader to listen to a selection of Japanese gagaku ensemble music on the CD and attempt to identify each instrument as it enters.)

Ch 3: Thinking about Time- explores definitions of rhythm, tempo, and organization of time in meter, tala, changdan, rhythmic mode, polyrhythm, and colotomic structures (Sample activity: One activity invites the reader to feel the rhythm of Korean kutkori changdan by breathing and bending ones knees (ogum) while speaking the syllables for the strokes of one drum within the ensemble.)

Ch 4: Thinking about Pitch- defines and classifies pitch, melodic, harmonic structures and their combinations (Sample Activity: Wade asks readers to use a stringed instrument to discover harmonic ratios.)

Ch 5: Thinking about Structure- begins with clarifying the ethnomusicologist's general position on improvisation as composition, then proceeds to classify and define forms and patterns found in improvised or pre-composed music from various regions of the world based on the cultural purpose or setting of the music (Example activity: "Listen to at least three musical selections of your choice. Analyze and articulate how the ending is created and consider why.")

Ch 5: Thinking about Issues- explores the history behind and current ideas of "global culture" and "world music", authenticity, and "transculturation/ transnationalization" (Sample activity: One activity asks readers to discuss with friends positions on who can be defined as an authentic performer of various types of music.)

Ch 6: Thinking about Fieldwork- guides readers through their own fieldwork project

Thinking Musically also includes a glossary of terms used in the book and a short compilation of resources. Whether you have a background in music or are just beginning a music study, this book is the most useful tool I have found for presenting introductory general music without a western focus.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thinking Musically: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture, July 26, 2007

By	Florence Kuek Chee Wee "Flo" (Wake Forest, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Writing such an ethnomusicological monograph is not easy. I am happy with what Thinking Musically has achieved. The CD that comes with the book helps a great deal to widen my horizen on music of all peoples.