An excellent book covering some of the wackier instruments to make it into pop recordings, like the theremin, clavioline, sitar, melodica, ocarina, stylophone, and more. What's great here is getting away from the traditional use of guitar, bass, drums and keys in pop music and delving into the history of these instruments-from manufacturing to eventual use on pop songs. There's even a CD included with demonstrations of these instruments (a fun thing to throw on iTunes). This is a perfect book for inspiring record makers and artists to try and use different instruments, and it's also a wonderful conversation starter around the studio. I wish we'd gotten this book early enough to review pre-Christmas; it'd be a great gift for anyone reading Tape Op!
($24.95; www.backbeatbooks.com)
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