Mongolian music: a beginner's guide
From herders' songs on the open steppe to rock stages, the sound of Mongolia in five minutes.
Quick answer
Traditional Mongolian music is built on the voice and the horse: throat singing (khöömii), the long song (urtyn duu) and the morin khuur, a fiddle topped with a carved horse head. Today Mongolian musicians also mix these old sounds with rock, pop and electronic music.
Throat singing (khöömii)
One singer makes a deep drone and a whistling melody at the same time. It is Mongolia's most famous sound, and it has been on UNESCO's list of world heritage since 2010.
The long song (urtyn duu)
A long song is not called long because the song is long, but because every syllable is stretched into long, free-flowing notes. Long songs are sung at weddings, festivals and family celebrations, often with a morin khuur. The other main kind is the short song (bogino duu), with simple rhythms and short lines.
The instruments
- Morin khuur: the horsehead fiddle: two strings and a bow, the best-known Mongolian instrument
- Tovshuur: a plucked lute from western Mongolia
- Yatga: a plucked zither, laid flat
- Tsuur: an end-blown flute, played while the throat hums along
- Limbe: a side-blown flute
- Khengereg: a large drum
- Aman khuur: the jaw harp
Dance and stories
Biyelgee is a folk dance from western Mongolia that shows everyday nomad life with the hands and shoulders. Epic singers perform tuuli, long heroic stories that can last for hours.
Modern Mongolian music
Ulaanbaatar, the capital, has a busy pop, hip-hop and rock scene. Since the 2010s, bands mixing throat singing and the horsehead fiddle with heavy rock have won fans all over the world.
Mongolian songs to start with
UYANA's songs blend these sounds into steppe folk and dark folk-rock, sung in Mongolian.
Mönkh Tal · The Endless Steppe
Inspired by the Mongolian long song (urtyn duu), with long, free-flowing notes.
Read the lyrics and meaning of Mönkh TalTenger · Eternal Sky
A joyful dance song for Tenger, the eternal blue sky that people on the steppe have honored for centuries.
Read the lyrics and meaning of Tenger
Quick questions
What are the main types of Mongolian music?
Throat singing (khöömii), the long song (urtyn duu), the short song (bogino duu), epic singing (tuuli) and music for the morin khuur, the horsehead fiddle.
What is the most famous Mongolian instrument?
The morin khuur, or horsehead fiddle: two strings, a bow and a carved horse head at the top. It is often called Mongolia's national instrument.
Is there modern Mongolian music?
Yes. Mongolia has pop, hip-hop, rock and metal artists, and many of them mix in throat singing and folk instruments.