"The second volume in the new series of Studia instrumentorum musicae popularis is dedicated to the themes “Rural” Musical Instruments in the 21st Century and Instrumental Melodies and Voice Construction. Both themes were widely discussed during the 18th Meeting of the ICTM Study Group on Folk Musical Instruments in Stubièke Toplice, Croatia, held in April 2011. One reason to organize meetings of this globally working Study Group at different places is to include local researchers, and to get in close contact to instrument makers and musicians of that region. In this volume, therefore, contributions to the theme "Rural" Musical Instruments in the 21st Century focus regionally on the Balkan and Mediterranean area. The second theme Instrumental Melodies and Voice Construction is discussed in twelve detailed papers embracing four continents. All authors deserve acknowledgement for their contributions to the field of musicology, anthropology and neighboring academic disciplines. Additionally, the new series of Studia instrumentorum musicae popularis comes with an audiovisual supplement on DVD that not only helps to understand the discussed matters. Audiovisual documents become increasingly an inseparable part of knowledge provided in the publication."--Publisher description.