The xiao’s soft volume and graceful and mellow sound is suitable for both solo playing and blending with the qin (zither). It is also used in small chamber music ensembles. The earliest known xiao is made of bird bone and dates to roughly 6000 BC. Not until the Jin dynasty (AD 265–420) was the number and position of the holes on the instrument standardized, and its name was not finalized until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
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Answer:
The xiao has a range of two octaves.
The xiao’s soft volume and graceful and mellow sound is suitable for both solo playing and blending with the qin (zither). It is also used in small chamber music ensembles. The earliest known xiao is made of bird bone and dates to roughly 6000 BC. Not until the Jin dynasty (AD 265–420) was the number and position of the holes on the instrument standardized, and its name was not finalized until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).