Best Music Bibliographies & Indexes Books of 2025

The Complete Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics is a must-have for any Grateful Dead fan. This book provides standard versions of all the original songs, accompanied by annotations on sources that provide a gloss on the lyrics, going to the roots of Western culture as they are incorporated into them. The essays by Dead lyricists Robert Hunter and John Perry and Jim Carpenter’s original illustrations bring to light the whimsical elements in the lyrics. This gorgeous keepsake edition is an absolute must-have for the fiftieth anniversary of the band. If you are a hardcore Deadhead or just a lover of music, this book is for you.

This book is a perfect fit for parents who want their kids to learn to play the piano. It contains 65 classic melodies, including Hot Cross Buns, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Happy Birthday to You. The book's simple sheet music, labeled notes, and clear fonts make it easy for kids to learn, even if they have no prior experience. The bonus crash course for beginners is a great addition, teaching everything from basic rhythm to clever tricks for identifying each note. The free MP3 files for each song make the learning process even easier. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for children's musical instruction and study books.

Piano for Beginners is the ultimate beginner piano songbook for kids, containing 50 well-known and simple favorites for kids to master on the piano. With comprehensive lessons on reading notes, QR codes that lead directly to instructive videos for every song, and divided into three separate levels of difficulty, this book includes everything a child needs to start playing without further instruction. From nursery rhymes to Christmas carols and birthday classics, the wide range of well-known tunes makes it the ultimate sheet music treasure trove, guaranteed to inspire a love of music in any child!

The Hal Leonard Pocket Music Dictionary is a contemporary music dictionary that provides readers with over 2,000 concise definitions of music terms, including notation and theory terms, instruments, and pop music, electronic music, and music business terms. The book also includes more than 400 capsule biographies of composers and other musicians, as well as reference charts that offer instant summaries of music essentials. Published by Hal Leonard LLC, the world's largest source of music performance and instructional materials, this book is a valuable resource for musicians and music enthusiasts of all levels.

This book, "Degas, Painter of Ballerinas," by Susan Goldman Rubin, offers a captivating glimpse into the life and works of Edgar Degas, one of the most celebrated painters of the impressionist movement. The book is filled with his beloved paintings, drawings, and sculptures, which convey the wonder and excitement of the ballet world. Through clear and graceful prose, Rubin describes Degas's artistic techniques and media, his perfectionist approach to craft, and the behind-the-scenes world of Paris Opera ballerinas. This book is a must-read for ballet enthusiasts and non-dancers alike. It is elegantly designed, with numerous quotes and informative captions that enhance readers' understanding of both the artist and his prolific output.

The Singer's Repertoire, Part II is a comprehensive guide for nine voice classifications, containing 8,200 songs in 818 lists. It includes an index of vocal range, composer, title, and publisher, which makes it easier for singers to locate the songs they need. This book is a result of the living song repertoire of today, compiled from various sources such as recordings, broadcasts, and recital programs. It is an excellent reference book for vocalists who want to expand their repertoire and find new songs to perform.

The Decca Labels: A Discography is a six-volume discography that covers all recording sessions made by Decca label and its subsidiary labels from 1934 to 1973. The book includes details on the big bands of the pre-war era, jazz stars, pop stars, legendary vocal groups, and country hit makers. Michael Ruppli has assembled the largest and most inclusive label discography ever with his mammoth work on the Decca recordings. This latest labor of love is the Ruppli crown jewel, and reading this documentary on the history of Decca is like peering into a secret diary that reveals undisclosed mysteries.

Free Jazz: A Research and Information Guide is a comprehensive reference tool for anyone interested in exploring the literature of free jazz. The book offers a carefully selected list of sources, including academic books, journal articles, dissertations, and more. It covers English-language materials extensively, with selective coverage of materials in other languages. This book is a must-have for students, scholars, librarians, and serious fans of free jazz. Jeff Schwartz, a reference librarian and working bassist, has done an excellent job compiling and annotating the sources. Overall, this book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and development of free jazz.

Learn Your Fretboard: The Essential Memorization Guide for Guitar (Book + Online Bonus Material) provides a definitive system for fretboard visualization that will help guitar players of all skill levels. The book offers a fresh and straightforward approach to memorizing the guitar neck, making it easy to locate any note, chord, or scale shape with ease. The online bonus material that comes with the book is also a great addition, including audio examples, backing tracks, and bonus downloads. This is a must-have book for any guitarist who wants to develop a command of the fretboard in real playing situations.

The All Music Guide to Rock (3rd Edition) is a comprehensive guide to rock, pop, and soul music, featuring reviews and ratings of over 14,000 albums by more than 2,200 artists in over 400 styles. The guide also includes brief profiles of each performer's career, insightful reviews of top recordings, and expanded biographies of major figures with complete album discographies. Additionally, the book features educational essays and "music maps" that chart the evolution of rock's diverse subgenres. Although the guide tends to focus on newer artists, it offers useful guidance for a wide range of styles, including those often reviled by critics. Overall, this is a valuable resource for any music lover looking to explore the vast world of rock music.