Musical Instrument Assignment - Morin Khuur - SHAO HAN


The Morin Khuur, in Mongolian: морин хуур, is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongolian people and is considered a symbol of the nation of Mongolia. The Morin Khuur is not only the national instrument in Mongolia but also is popular in northern China, including Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Gansu, Xinjiang, and other areas where Mongolian ethnic people live, and is a representative stringed instrument of Mongolian folklore.

The instrument consists of a trapeziform wooden-framed sound box to which two strings are attached. The instrument's body comprises Acer wood, elmwood, pearwood, and mahogany. The material requirements are not very demanding. Due to the different materials used in production, the sound quality and cost will differ.

The essential step in making a morin khuur is the selection and treatment of the head. The head is usually made of spruce and paulownia. The paulownia is the most commonly used because of its light and soft texture, uniform wood density, and straight surface. It is a high-quality wood for musical instruments and is frequently used in various musical instruments. The material is softer than spruce. On the one hand, its wood is easy to dry and moisture-resistant. On the other hand, its grain is straighter, facilitating sound transmission. 


Meanwhile, Both materials, spruce and paulownia, do not belong to the nationally protected species in China, and their artificial cultivation yields are relatively high in China. They are mainly produced in western China and are essential materials for making furniture and musical instruments. At the beginning of this century, because the local government was not guided by the correct management ideology of ecological and economic harmony, all forest areas in the western region focused on timber production as the only meaningful indicator and neglected the creation and protection of forests. As a result, forest resources are consumed too fast, and the forest coverage rate has dropped significantly, making the situation very serious. 40% of land in western China has been eroded, with the Loess Plateau being the most serious, and the proportion of eroded area has accounted for about 1/3 of the total land area. Although the need to make Morin khuur is not the most critical factor in this problem, it is one of the causes of environmental issues.

In addition, Mongolian people live on the steppe. Therefore the ancient Mongolian musical instruments used several animal bones and skin as well as hair, Such as goatskin, calfskin, horse skin, horsetail hair, and horse skull. In the 1970s, python skin had no pores, low moisture absorption, and was not susceptible to moisture. Some Morin Khuur was made using python skin. But now, as people's awareness of wildlife protection is gradually increasing, It has started to study the use of bionic animal skins or wood to make Morin Khuur so that people no longer base their playing instruments on the suffering of animals.

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