COmPARISON

Japanese people received their ancient knowledge of music from China through Korea. They have very similar styles, but Japan uses more flutes, light strings, and is more calm, while Chinese uses more heavy strings and big drums that create war-like or celebration sounds. However, both countries have the same set of instruments. They only differ in musical style.

There are differences.

I notice that Japanese music tends to use negative pentatonic more than chinese music (and viceversa)

unique (i.e. obviously different) jap instruments include shamisen

unique chinese instruments include pipa, erhu.

common instruments include, bamboo flute, zither, drums.

they all have a common root but have branched off for hundreds or years. * 2 months ago

The Japanese had their ancestral knowledge of music from China via Korea. Very similar styles, but Japan uses more flutes, strings of lights, and is quieter, while China uses heavier strings and drums that create great sounds like war or celebration. But both countries have the same set of instruments. They differ only in musical style.
KOREA
Traditional Korean music includes both the folk, vocal, religious and ritual music styles of the Korean people. Korean music, along with arts, painting, and sculpture has been practiced since prehistoric times.[1]
Two distinct musical cultures exist in Korea today: traditional music (Gugak) and Western music (yangak).
See Music of South Korea and Music of North Korea for contemporary Korean music.

CHINA
Traditional music in China is played on solo instruments or in small ensembles of plucked and bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and various cymbals, gongs, and drums. The scale is pentatonic. Bamboo pipes and qin are among the oldest known musical instrumentsfrom China; instruments are traditionally divided into categories based on their