This distinctive looking trapezoid-shaped sound box instrument is the two- or three-stringed Mongolian bowed double bass, complete with a ornately carved horse head neck, and related to the better known fiddle equivalent and Mongolia’s national instrument, the morin khuur, listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity identified by UNESCO. Strings are made of dried deer or mountain sheep sinews, it is played with a bow made of willow, stringed with horsetail hair and coated with larch or cedar wood resin.
Here it is demonstrated beautifully and expressively alongside its smaller cousin by players from Sedaa; Naraa on the morin khuur, and Naraa on the ikh khuur, respectively known in Mongolian as морин хуур and их хуур.
In this further video, they play their song Mongol Nutag, vocals also partially using the traditional Mongolian throat singing technique. The ikh khurr is also sometimes known as the contra bass morin khuur:
The instruments are also used for a variety of western classical music, such as this famous tango played by four musicians from the Mongolian State Conservatory, and below an excerpt of Igor Stravinsky’s Norwegian Dance:
But the instrument is best heard playing traditional Mongolian music alongside other instruments and singers, as in this recital as part of the Human Planet concert series:
A horse head neck
So then, any more ikh khuur or morin khuur music? Feel free to suggest examples from any genre, or even film, art, or other contexts in comments below.
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