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#Small key shaped instrument skin
Sükhe created the first morin khuur with the horse’s bones as the neck of the instrument, along with horsehair strings, horse skin covering the wooden soundbox, and the scroll carved like a horse’s head. The horse's spirit came to Sükhe in a dream and instructed him to make an instrument from its body, so the two could be together forever. The popular legend of the morin khuur's origin is of a boy named Sükhe, whose prized white horse was killed by a wicked lord. The other two fingers maintain a slight pressure on the strings. The bowing technique is unique, as it uses the little and the ring finger of the right hand to touch the bow hair for sound accents. The strings are constructed from horses' tails and strung over a wooden bridge on the body and up a long neck, past a second smaller bridge, to two tuning pegs on the scroll, which is often carved in the shape of a horse head. Many festivals are held in celebration of the morin khuur, and Mongolians often have the box-shaped wooden instrument with two strings in their home, as it is seen as a symbol of peace and happiness. This traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument is considered a symbol of the Mongolian nation and one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified by UNESCO.
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The erhu is an alto or middle range instrument with a history of almost 4,000 years.Ĭheck out this video of an erhu accompanied by piano:Īlso known as the horsehead fiddle, it is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people. The erhu’s bow is made of horse tail hair and bamboo, and is mounted between the two strings and can’t be taken out. The sound box (drum resonator) is typically covered with python snakeskin on one side and ornamental wood on the other. There is no fingerboard like the violin, so the player's fingers must hold and vibrate the strings by pressing only against the strings themselves. It sports a round or octagonal sound box at the bottom with a long thin neck with two tuning pegs, one for each of the two strings. It is an extremely expressive instrument made of rose or red sandalwood. The erhu or “spike fiddle” is the most common of the Huqin family of bowed string instruments popular in Chinese music. You may find some inspiration, and at the very least, be surprised. All over the world, bowed string instruments can find that date back centuries within their respective cultural traditions. The violin and its string family - the viola, cello, and bass - are not the only string instruments that are played with a bow.