Instruments of Mongolian Music

Mongolian Sihu, the Mongolian language called "Houle", "Hu Huuer", "Huer", compiled by the Kangxi dynasty, "justice after the compilation of the law" called the "fiddle". "Fiddle". Mongolian Sihu is one of the most characteristic Mongolian musical instruments, divided into soprano Sihu, alto Sihu and bass Sihu three categories. The soprano sihu has a bright, brittle tone, and is mostly used for solo, repertoire, and ensemble; the bass sihu has a thick, rounded tone, and is good at playing lyrical music, and is mainly used for the accompaniment of Horqin's national rap art, Uligar and Hao Lai Bao. They play a very important role in the cultural life of Mongolian people. The representative repertoire of Mongolian Sihu includes "Catching the Road", "Eight Voices", "Asir" (above is the big Sihu), "Modrema", "Bending Grape Vine", and "Hoying Flower" (above is the small Sihu), etc. The culture of Mongolian Sihu is rich and rich. Mongolian Sihu has rich cultural deposits, rich expressive power, self-contained skills, melodious, simple and ancient, is engaged in half-farming and half-pastoral mode of production of the Mongolian people's outstanding musical creations, in the Mongolian historiography, culture, folklore, Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges and other aspects of the high value of academic research.

After the Yuan Dynasty, the art of Sihu was widely circulated, and was once popular in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang and North China and other areas inhabited by Han Chinese, which had a far-reaching impact on Han Chinese folk rap. Tongliao City, located in the hinterland of the Horqin Steppe, is currently the most prosperous area for the art of Sihu. Horse head qin is the most respected by Mongolians. The horse-head qin is a traditional instrument unique to the Mongols, with a very distinctive style. The traditional horse-head fiddle is about four feet long, with wood as the pole, the top carved a horse head, the bottom end of a shovel-shaped drum, with the horse's tail tied into two strings, and then the horse's tail made into a bowstring, playing it can send out a melodious and deep sound. The performance of the horse-head qin is different from that of other stringed instruments in that its bowstring is not sandwiched between the strings, but is played outside the strings.

The horse-head qin music has been developed in Mongolia in an unprecedented way. Famous horse-head qin players such as Qi Baoligao transformed and further improved the traditional horse-head qin, making its pitch higher and its sound more beautiful so that it can participate in large music ensembles. Michael J. Smith, the famous Swedish piano player, wrote in his memories after his visit to Inner Mongolia: "On the grassland, I listened very attentively to the horse-head qin performance, heard the lover's sighs in the music, felt close to the land and attached to it, and felt deep in my soul the beauty of these strong men of the north who drank strong wine and lived on horseback. I understand why they love to live here, love the arrangements that life has made for them, and love to be who they are now ...... I also met the best horsehead violin player in Hohhot. I sat down at the piano with him and his beloved horse head fiddle. We closed our eyes and started playing. In this moment, I heard East and West blending together like the rising sun embracing the earth. His vibrant instrument and the piano blended together as 'one music, one language, one soul'. We did excellent improvisation. I've played with many famous musicians around the world, but Horsehead ...... without a doubt, this is the best music I've ever heard and participated in." Qi? The International Horsehead Harp Association, headed by Qi Baoligao, often organizes concerts at home and abroad, making the sound of "ten thousand galloping horses" of the Mongolian steppe resonate all over the world. More and more domestic and foreign horse-head qin enthusiasts are studying and researching this unique ethnic instrument. In the mid-summer of 2001, a group of 1,000 musicians from home and abroad, led by Qi Baoligao's "Wild Horse Team", held a grand Horse Headqin concert in Hohhot, which has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The huzh (ukulele) is a stringed instrument and is one of the favorite instruments of the Mongolian people. Especially in Eastern Mongolia, almost everyone can play it. It is shaped like a jinghu, but it is larger than a jinghu. Hurri's piano box, piano pole is generally made of mahogany, piano box covered with python skin or sheepskin, bamboo bow, horsetail strings, bone code. The wooden shafts of the qin box, the qin pole and the tuning strings are carved with various patterns and designs, which are very artistic and beautiful. Huzhi mostly used in the art of rap accompaniment or self-singing.