Research Guides: Music: Books

Browsing Music

Use these call numbers to browse for books at the Cabell Library:

M -- Music.
ML -- Literature on music.
MT -- Instruction and study.

Find Books on the Shelf at Cabell Library
Learn what to do when you find a book using VCU Libraries Search, how to read a Library of Congress call number, and what to do if you can't find a book on the shelf.

Music Search Tips

Use VCU Libraries Advanced Search to find Music Books

Find music-specific books by choosing Material Type=Books, and adding Subject terms such as:
Books on specific instruments are found using the name of the instrument + 'Instruction and Study' e.g.
Geographic and cultural traditions are found using the Music/Musicians + country/cultural group name. Examples:

Music Books

Disability and Music Performance
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2018
Disability and Music Performance examines discriminatory social practices in music conservatoria, orchestras, music festivals and music competitions, which limit disabled people's access to music performance at a professional level.
(Also in print: ML3916 .T46 2018)
The Craft of Contemporary Commercial Music
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2017
This book integrates three areas of concentration--music theory and composition, audio engineering, and music business--allowing students to understand and practice how to successfully navigate each stage of a score's life cycle from concept to contract.
The Music Technology Cookbook
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2020
Featuring 56 lessons by 49 music technology experts from around the world, this book is a guide to the world of music technology, covering topics like: composition, production skills, creating multimedia, beat-making, programming and designing instruments.
A Natural History of the Piano
Call Number: ML650 .I83 2011
The Rest is Noise : listening to the twentieth century
Call Number: ML197 .R76 2007
This Is Your Brain on Music
Call Number: ML3830.L38 2006
Psychology of Music : from sound to significance
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2017
Considers music on a broad scale, from its beginning as an acoustical signal to its different manifestations across cultures.
Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior
Call Number: ML3830.R15 2012
The text is comprehensive in its coverage of diverse areas comprising music psychology from the traditional and more contemporary domains, with special emphases on psychoacoustics, musical preference, learning, and the psychological foundations of rhythm, melody, and harmony.
Psychology for Musicians: Understanding and Acquiring the Skills
Call Number: ebook
Publication Date: 2021
The text examines diverse views of why people have music and considers music's functions for individuals, its social values, and its importance as a cultural phenomenon.