Mongolia may be sparsely populated, but its musical tradition is very rich and central to Mongolian culture. Family and friends often gather to sing and play music together, always encouraging visitors to join in. Traditional Mongolian folk songs tend to be about their land, their animals (especially their horses), and the nomadic lifestyle, using instruments and vocal tones that have roots in the sounds of nature: whistling winds or rushing rivers, animal cries or birdsongs. The music in general is closely tied to ancient folklore and virtually without exception evokes images of the country's vast, open plains.

Listen to some clips:

http://www.think.org/mongolia/cds.html
http://www.panasia.org.sg/news/mn/mn01i011.htm
http://mediachi.com/nomads/artists/overtone.html

(Do not miss the throat singing! Trust me.)

Some great modern Mongolian folk music by Urna Chahar-Tugchi:

http://www.urna.de/download.html (4 full MP3s)

Instruments

Historically, the nomadic shepherds of Mongolia strictly played string and wind instruments, though percussion instruments were introduced in connection with Shamanism and Buddhism. Some traditional Mongolian string and wind instruments:

• Bishguur
  A richly ornamented metal trumpet referred to as a "shell trumpet" in Mongolian.


• Hel khuur
  Essentially a metal jew's harp, but it used to be made from wood or bamboo.


• Khun tovshuur
  A two-stringed lute carved from cedar wood and covered with the leather of a wild animal, camel, or goat. The head of the neck is swan-like and the strings are plaited with horsehair. It is used by Western Mongolians to accompany heroic-epic myths (tuuli) and songs of praise (magtaal).


• Khuuchir
  A four-stringed instrument with a small square or cup-like resonator made from bamboo, wood, or copper, which is covered by a snake skin and open at the bottom. The strings are made of silk and the instrument is played with a horsehair bow.


• Lavai
  A wind instrument made from white shells.


• Limbe
  A wind instrument usually used in accompaniment, but also occasionally solo. Traditionally, the limbe was made of wood or bamboo, but the modern incarnation is typically made from plastic. Much like a flute, the instrument is approximately 64 cm long and has nine holes. The limbe is often played using circular breathing, which means that the musician breathes through his nose while still continuously playing a note, much like playing a bagpipe.


• Morin khuur
  A typical Mongolian two-stringed instrument, also known as the horse-head violin. It is carved from wood, the neck is in the shape of a horse's head (of course), and the instrument is similar to a violin or cello in sound. The strings are made of deer or mountain sheep sinews and the bow is made from willow and horsehair coated with larch or cedar resin. The morin khuur is the most common instrument in Mongolia and is played during many celebrations as part of rituals or accompaniment for dances and songs. Legend has it that the morin khuur traces its orgin to a Mongol who missed his dead horse so much that he used its head, bones, and hair to build an instrument that would allow him to hear the familiar noises of his old friend.


• Shudraga
  Comparable to a banjo, the shudraga is a long-necked three-stringed lute with snake skin stretched over both faces of its wooden resonator. The instrument is plucked either with a horn plectrum or one's fingers. Every note is struck several times since the tones do not resonate much.


• Surnai
  Similar to an oboe, the surnai is a reed instrument with a conical body made of wood or horn. The instrument is played using seven finger holes and one thumb hole. The shorter version of the surnai is called the haidi, or "flute of the sea".


• Tsuur
  A type of flute made from uliangar wood. Its sound is said to resemble the River Jeven.


• Yatga
  A half-tube zither with a moveable bridge. Constructed as a box with a convex surface and one end bent towards the ground, the yatga is plucked and produces a smooth sound. The twelve-stringed version was considered to be sacrosanct and was mainly used in courts and monasteries since the twelve strings represented the twelve levels of the palace hierarchy. Shepherds were forbidden to play this version of the yatga, but were allowed to play a ten-stringed version that was used during the recitation of epics. Probably the same thing as a yat-kha.


• Yoochin
  A richly decorated box zither with thirteen double-wire strings that are struck with two wooden sticks.

Vocal Music

Usually accompanied by a subset of the instruments listed above, there are five main types of Mongolian vocal music:

• Urtyin duu
  A "long" song described as "melismatic and richly ornamented, with a slow tempo, long melodic lines, wide intervals and no fixed rhythm". Urtyin duu are sung in verses, without a refrain, and with a full voice over a melody covering three octaves. The performance has strict rules and singers traditionally practiced alone, riding along in the open steppe. These "long songs" are meant to reflect the liberty and vastness of the Mongolian landscape and are used to accompany traditional ceremonies.


• Bogin duu
  A "short" song described as "strophic, syllabic, rhythmically tied, sung without ornaments". Bogin duu are far less formal than the urtyin duu as they are much shorter, improvised, and usually satirical in nature. They are often about friends, anecdotes, and everyday life in general.


• Tuuli
  Mongolian heroic-epic myths relating clashes between Good and Evil in poetic form. Tuuli are always bound to rituals and were believed to have magical power. These songs were usually sung before the hunt or a battle, and also to prevent infertility or disease.


• Magtaal
  Songs of praise sung in honour of gods, spirits of nature, heralds, or particular animals.


• Hoomij
  
Throat singing that usually takes place during regular social events.