ABSTRACT
Asia is the largest continent on the planet and contains a vast and varied number of musical styles, instruments, and traditions. To a remarkable degree, all of Asia is truly musically interrelated. The status of music, where it is played, and for what purpose or ceremony, how it is used as a means of communication, the content of folk songs and work songs, the type and range of instruments used, and how music has been treated over time are just some of the facets of Asian world music that share a common base, from Azerbaijan to Korea. All of these shared features of Asian world music, coupled with how the music has been accepted, used, or banned by the ruling powers, gives strong substance to the argument that music is part of the human genome.
