Then students have the daunting task of learning to pronounce Mandarin, where one word can have four meanings, depending on which of four tones is used.

NPR: Chinese Classes Grow in Popularity with U.S. Students

It's a major-key sound, but unlike our major keys, which have a half step between the third and fourth tones, the Lydian scale has a whole step there, and the half step between steps four and five.

WSJ: Making Music Against the Odds | Ensembles of Afghanistan National Institute of Music