"Everything But Bach, Beethoven and Brahms," comprises this multicultural repertoire guide for pianists, composers, music teachers and students, world music enthusiasts and scholars. It identifies pieces in the contemporary solo piano literature which show world music influences not traditionally associated with the standard repertoire of Western European art music. The resulting annotated bibliography therefore includes pieces which use or attempt to emulate non-Western scales, modes, folk tunes, rhythmic, percussive or harmonic devices and timbres.

Axford highlights the music cultures of the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, India, the Far East, Indonesia, Oceania, ethnic North America, Latin America and Spain, and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Scandinavia. Separate bibliographies for each world music region show examples of contemporary solo piano pieces that demonstrate some of the traditional musical influences associated with the region.