Although there are major differences of opinion as to what is music and what is not, one very broad definition is any sequence of sounds made by humans using musical instruments or their voices that some people enjoy listening to. Examples of sequences of sounds that might be considered music by some people but not by others include sequences that contain only percussion and sounds made by whales and other marine mammals.
Music is extremely diverse, varying greatly according to the culture and era. Common to much Western music are the use of melody, harmony, counterpoint, timbre and rhythm, whereas music in many other cultures typically lacks harmony and counterpoint. Melody has long been a main feature of both Western and most non-Western music, but its role has been greatly reduced in much Western art music in recent years.