It is a Mongolian folk instrument, we also call it as horse-head fiddle (morin huur), features a wide body with a long neck on the top of which is carved a horse head. Derived from the xiqin, the horse-head string instrument became popular with the Mongolian people during the 13th century.
In my area, the Turgott style is popular in western Inner Mongolia and is characterized by a clear, bright timbre as the performer presses the strings with his finger tips. The sound of this instrument likes a wild horse neighing, or like a breeze in the grasslands.
Traditional music instruments now in China are not as populer as western music instruments. So many people prefer to learn piano, violin or flute rather than urheen or 4- string Chinese lute. That is why may Chinese traditional music are lost.
Now, people try hard to collect all these lost things among people. Although I live in that area, I never consider it as a valuable cultural heritage. The traditional music instruments are those Han music instruments such as urheen, lute and Chinese zither, as I consider them as high art. I think it is typical cultural aggression. Many other people have the same idea that horse head string instrument is unqualified to take its place in the higher circles.
With long term of study of the history of morin huur, people find that Italian explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324) even brought a horse-head fiddle back to his native Italy, aiding in the future development of European bowed and stringed instruments. So now people pay high attention on this instrument and try to ask more people to learn so that we can keep it our next generation.
The link of play horse head stringed instrument
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoZEOF9kGHY
Here is the other good web site which introduce all the Chinese traditional music instruments in English as well as video and audio records. It is good to teach Culture differences as students will feel astonished when they see the differences and similarity occur among the instruments.
http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/
In my area, the Turgott style is popular in western Inner Mongolia and is characterized by a clear, bright timbre as the performer presses the strings with his finger tips. The sound of this instrument likes a wild horse neighing, or like a breeze in the grasslands.
Now, people try hard to collect all these lost things among people. Although I live in that area, I never consider it as a valuable cultural heritage. The traditional music instruments are those Han music instruments such as urheen, lute and Chinese zither, as I consider them as high art. I think it is typical cultural aggression. Many other people have the same idea that horse head string instrument is unqualified to take its place in the higher circles.
With long term of study of the history of morin huur, people find that Italian explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324) even brought a horse-head fiddle back to his native Italy, aiding in the future development of European bowed and stringed instruments. So now people pay high attention on this instrument and try to ask more people to learn so that we can keep it our next generation.
The link of play horse head stringed instrument
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoZEOF9kGHY
Here is the other good web site which introduce all the Chinese traditional music instruments in English as well as video and audio records. It is good to teach Culture differences as students will feel astonished when they see the differences and similarity occur among the instruments.
http://www.philmultic.com/home/instruments/
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