Every musical system in the world is a complex cultural phenomenon. Culture underlies a set of concepts that impart the musical system to other basic cultural activities of society. It is then defined and conceptualized by society at large and then rooted in cultural phenomena. Therefore, to fully understand the specific music of a particular culture, we must examine it in its cultural context and in its musicological context. There could be no real understanding of a specific musical culture without first examining its concept and meaning of music. It is widely recognized that every human society has music, but the definition differs widely in many cultures. Bruno Nettl presents three ways to find the definition of the term music in a society. This is done by asking an "expert", who is the company's qualified scholar, or even a dictionary; asking members of society at large; and observing people with the help of fieldwork. He states that dictionaries often avoid explaining music, and there are others that explain it, but with their own Western concept in mind. Secondly, the other alternative is to ask members of society at large. This approach might even be somewhat supernatural as the people being asked might have ample time to consider the question and modify their natural responses. Nettl argues that the third approach, which involves obtaining information from an informal conversation between some friends, is the most reliable. With the help of a conversation between friends during a cocktail party, Bruno Nettle discovers that they define music as something that must have certain characteristics to be accepted as real music. His friend...... middle of paper ......everything necessary for a company to project an identity. With the help of studies of different musics, we could achieve a balance between understanding the differences between cultures around the world and recognizing the common character of our humanity. Works Cited Excursions in World Music [Book] / aut. Nettl Bruno. - New Jersey: Prentice Hall Inc..Harvard Dictionary of Music [Book] / aut. Apel Willi. - Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1969. The anthropology of music [Book] / aut. Merriam Alan. P. - Northwestern: Northwestern University Press, 1980.The Study of Ethnomusicology - Thirty-one Issues and Concepts [Book] / aut. Nettl Bruno. - Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2005. Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples [Book] / aut. Titon Jeff Todd and Mark Slobin. -New York: Schirmer Books.