The national musical symbol of Mongolia, the morin khuur is a long, guitar-like instrument with two strings and played with a bow. Its sound is wild and free, like the horses running unrestrained on the huge, open steppes of central Asia. It is an instrument with a magical origin, a warm, independent sound, and a legacy that extends backwards through history to the court of Kublai Khan.

Kublai and Genghis

It is not known exactly when bowed instruments first came to the central Asian plains, but they are thought to date from the fifth century. As for the morin khuur, it is first mentioned in history about 900 years ago. It was being used by the time Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson, came to power in the 1200's.

Folk origin

There are several traditionally held stories of the morin khuur's origin. They revolve around a man who sees his beloved horse die. To preserve the memory of the animal, the man creates a new instrument using the horse's bones, skin, hair...and head. The instrument is magical, and used to praise the horse and the natural world that brought together man and beast.

Male and female strings

The two strings of the morin khuur are made to exacting specifications: the smaller is a clump of 105 strings from a mare's tail, while the bigger uses 130 hairs from a stallion's tail. The body was traditionally made of stretched animal skin, although now it is generally made entirely of wood. The neck is also made of wood, as is the carved horse's head that gives the instrument its name. ("Morin khuur" is always translated as "horse-head fiddle", but a more accurate translation might be "horse melody" or "horse rhythm".)

Shamanistic rituals

The carved horse-head is probably a relic of the morin khuur's past use in shamanistic rituals. A shaman would go into a trance, entering the elusive shadow world of the spirits. Upon returning, the shaman could use the morin khuur to describe his experiences. Today, the morin khuur still holds a deep-rooted seat in the Mongolian psyche, its mystical history contributing to its exalted status.

Harmonic fingers

The player of the morin khuur has a great deal of control over the sound. The bow (also made of horse hair) is held in such a way that the fingers can tighten its strings as required, and the other hand is used to mute the strings and shorten notes. The two hands working in unison requires considerable skill, and this skill is rewarded with the tender, expressive sound that has come to be indentified with the morin khuur.

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