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Playable heritage gameMorin khuur
Also known as Морин хуур · horsehead fiddle
A two-string bowed fiddle of the Mongolian steppe, with a trapezoid wooden body and a carved horse head at the top of the neck. The strings are drawn with a loose horsehair bow and tuned a fifth apart, giving a steady open drone beneath the tune.
How to play
- The drone sounds under everything: listen for the low and the high string ringing together.
- Touch a note lane for each bow stroke; the falling notes of the guide show a phrase to follow.
- Pick a slow long-song phrase, a galloping figure, or a call in open fifths.
- Play for a minute; steady, even bows score best.
Rules at a glance
- Two strings a fifth apart: the three left lanes are the low string, the four right lanes the high string, in a five-note scale.
- Strokes are graded against an even pulse; a stroke on the pulse is perfect, a near one is good.
- The guide is only a hint: you may play freely, but extra strokes cost a little.
About the tradition
The morin khuur is a national emblem of Mongolia and is played in family and community gatherings, in long songs and in pieces that imitate the gaits of horses. Craftsmen and teachers keep its making and playing alive, and it has been recognised on international heritage lists since 2008.
Origins
Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Steppe and Arctic.
Credits
- Instrument and tunes: Mongolian tradition, simplified patterns written for this game
- Photo: Antonrood, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Morin khuur is one of 11 instruments in the String Music of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Live on Google Play. Submitted to the App Store; in review, and the store link appears here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
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