Music has its origin in Nature, a fact which is recognized by the Chinese. Music may be conscious (men) or unconscious (animals, storm, etc.). Vocal imitation preceded instrumental, which may have originated in the limitations of the human vocal chords.
Speech is communication between man and man, between mind and mind; music is communication between man and Nature, the gods, the spirits. Ancient music was no more than the sounds of Nature combined into some sort of system. As we see in this work, vocal imitation of the sounds of Nature came before instrumental music. Learners of whistling were numerous when Shun ‘developed music and invented the lute’.