Morin khuur

What it is

The morin khuur belongs to the Mongol people and is often described as their most important instrument. In Mandarin it is called 马头琴, and English speakers usually say horsehead fiddle. Its full classical Mongolian name means fiddle with a horse's head. The body is a wooden box with two strings; one end of the long neck holds tuning pegs inside a scroll carved as a horse's head. The instrument is held almost upright, resting in the player's lap or between the legs. Since 2008 UNESCO has listed the traditional music played on it. In Mongolia it counts as a national symbol.

Stories of origin

Mongolians tell more than one story about how the instrument began. In one, a shepherd called Namjil the Cuckoo, or Khuhuu Namjil, was given a flying horse and rode it at night to visit the woman he loved. A jealous woman cut the horse's wings; it fell and died. Grieving, the shepherd made a fiddle from its hide and tail hair and played sad songs about it. Another story tells of a boy named Sükhe, or Suho, whose prized white horse was killed by a cruel lord. The horse's spirit came in a dream and asked the boy to build an instrument from its body, so that they could remain companions and neither would be left alone.

How it is made

Makers once stretched camel, goat or sheep skin over the frame, leaving a small hole at the back. From the 1970s some began building sound boxes entirely of wood, with carved f-holes borrowed from European string making. Student instruments often use pine for the top, with birch or laminated wood behind; better ones use spruce, and some models meant for classical playing use maple for a brighter sound. The two strings were once twisted from tail hair, the heavier one from 130 hairs of a stallion and the lighter from 105 of a mare, though nylon is common now. Styles differ by region: instruments from central Mongolia are bigger and louder, while Inner Mongolian ones are smaller and often have metal tuners rather than wooden pegs.

Playing it

The modern instrument is usually tuned to B flat and F, a fourth apart, though older instruments were tuned a fifth apart. A player's fingers fall almost naturally on the strings: on the low F string the index finger takes G, the middle G sharp, the ring A, and the little finger B flat, with matching places on the higher string. Melodies run from F up to the octave F, then move to the B flat string. The bow is held from below, which lets the right hand tighten the loose hair and shape the tone. Accents come from the ring and little finger touching the hair. Vibrato and accents are used; pizzicato and col legno are not.

Learning and festivals

Three Mongolian schools teach the instrument: the University of Arts and Culture, known as SUIS, the Mongolian State Conservatory, and the culture school attached to SUIS. The conservatory takes students up to ten years old, and since September 2017 it has offered bachelor's and master's degrees in morin khuur performance. Many players also learn from private teachers or from relatives. Players from many countries have gathered for a festival and competition every second year, starting in 2008, under the World Morinhuur Association. A smaller closed gathering called Roaring Hooves takes place each June. At Naadam, praise songs are sung on the instrument for winning horses, wrestlers and archers.

How Morin khuur is kept

A player sits or stands with the sound box resting in the lap or held between the legs, the long neck slanting upward, and draws the bow across the two strings from below. Songs are built on set hand positions, so the left hand moves only a little as a tune climbs. The music is heard at family gatherings and in concert halls, at Naadam when praise songs honour winning horses, wrestlers and archers, and in winter or early spring, when a player may be called in for the жавар үргээх custom. Many households keep an instrument even when nobody in the family plays.

When and where

The instrument is played all year round. A festival and contest for players from many countries falls every second year; the smaller Roaring Hooves gathering is held in June; praise songs belong to Naadam; and in winter and early spring a player is called in for the жавар үргээх custom.

The morin khuur belongs to Mongolia, where it is treated as the national instrument and taught in the country's music schools. It is also played in Inner Mongolia, where instruments tend to be smaller and to have metal tuners. Similar horsehair fiddles belong to Mongolia's eastern Turkic neighbours, and the gusle of Serbia, Croatia and Albania is very like it.

What Morin khuur means

Mongolians call the morin khuur their national instrument and treat it as an emblem of the country itself. Many keep one at home because it stands for peace and happiness. The carved horse's head ties the music to the animal that carries so much weight in Mongol life, and both origin stories turn on a beloved horse that dies and is remade into an instrument, so that player and horse stay close. At Naadam, praise songs played on it honour the winners.

Days Morin khuur is marked

Questions people ask about Morin khuur

See also

Throat singingSeveral deep, guttural singing styles, each named and kept by its own peopleTuvan throat singingA style of singing from Tuva where one voice sounds a drone and a melody at onceShagaiTraditional ankle bone games and fortune-telling played across Central Asia.Hunting with eaglesThe Central Asian tradition of hunting foxes and hares from horseback with golden eagles.

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Traditional music of the Morin KhuurUNESCO, Heritage listing
• Traditional music of the Morin KhuurUNESCO, Article

• Morin khuur on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.