The Steppe Fiddle Strung from Mare and Stallion Hair
The morin khuur, or horsehead fiddle, is the defining instrument of Mongolian nomadic culture. Carved with a horse head at its pegbox, the two-stringed instrument produces a rich, cello-like resonance said to mimic the galloping of steeds and steppe winds. Steppe craftsmen traditionally string the instrument using horsehair: the higher-pitched female string holds about 105 hairs from a mare's tail, while the male string binds roughly 130 hairs from a stallion.
Anatomy of the Horsehead Fiddle
The morin khuur occupies a central place in the musical life and material culture of Mongolia. Visually striking, the instrument consists of a trapezoidal wooden soundbox, a long neck, and an ornate pegbox crowned by a carved horse head known as the morin tolgoi. The instrument features two prominent tuning pegs protruding from the sides of the pegbox, controlling two thick strings made of bundled horsehair. A loose horsehair bow, gripped underhand with the palm facing upward, completes the instrument, allowing the performer to adjust tension dynamically with the fingers during play.
The two strings of the morin khuur are distinctly gendered in traditional steppe craft, reflecting nomadic ideas of balance and the dual nature of the herd. The thicker, lower-pitched string is known as the male string and is traditionally assembled from approximately 130 hairs gathered from the tail of a stallion. The thinner, higher-pitched string is designated the female string and is typically made from roughly 105 hairs gathered from the tail of a mare. The tension, thickness, and inherent texture of the stallion and mare hair work in concert to give the morin khuur its deep, warm, and slightly raspy timbre, often compared to the lower register of a cello or a viola.
Crafting these hair bundles requires meticulous preparation. Nomadic artisans wash the selected hair in warm water, clean it, and sort it by length and thickness to ensure smooth, uniform vibration across the entire string. In modern contexts, particularly for conservatory students and touring orchestral musicians, players sometimes substitute nylon or synthetic filaments for natural horsehair to achieve greater tuning stability across shifting temperatures and humidity levels. However, master makers and traditionalists continue to insist that genuine horsehair is irreplaceable for creating the complex acoustic overtones essential to steppe repertoire.