China: National Geographic World Music

China: National Geographic World Music: "hina Overview:

China is the home of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and is also home to the earliest musical scale in recorded human history. During the 20th century, a 7000 year old xun, or globular flute, was unearthed in China. The instrument was designed around the minor third interval, which is still one of the organizing principles of Chinese music. As a result, preference for minor third and major sixth intervals masks the semitones of the Chinese scale, giving it the distinctive tone that's often difficult for the Western ear to discern even today."