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Ethnomusicologists believe that all humans- not just those we call musicians- are musical- and that musicality is one of the essential touchstones of the human experience. This insight raises big questions about the nature of music and the nature of humankind- and ethnomusicologists argue that to properly address these questions- we must study music in all its geographical and historical diversity. In this Very Short Introduction- one of the foremost ethnomusicologists- Timothy Rice- offers a compact and illuminating account of this growing discipline- showing how modern researchers go about studying music from around the world- looking for insights into both music and humanity. The reader discovers that ethnomusicologists today not only examine traditional forms of music-such as Japanese gagaku- Bulgarian folk music- Javanese gamelan- or Native American drumming and singing-but also explore more contemporary musical forms- from rap and reggae to Tex-Mex- Serbian turbofolk- and even the piped-in music at the Mall of America.To investigate these diverse musical forms- Rice shows- ethnomusicologists typically live in a community- participate in and observe and record musical events- interview the musicians- their patrons- and the audience- and learn to sing- play- and dance. Its important to establish rapport with musicians and community members- and obtain the permission of those they will work with closely over the course of many months and years. We see how the researcher analyzes the data to understand how a particular musical tradition works- what is distinctive about ...