The ''igil'' ( Tuvan:

игил The ''igil'' (Tuvan language, Tuvan: wikt:игил, игил) is a two-string instruments, stringed Tuvan musical instrument, played by bow (music), bowing the strings. (It is called "ikili" in Western Mongolia.) The neck and lute-shaped sound ...

) is a two- stringed

Tuva Tuva (; ) or Tyva (; ), officially the Republic of Tyva,; , is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. Tuva lies at the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders the Federal subjects of Russia, federal sub ...

n musical instrument, played by

bowing Bowing (also called stooping) is the act of lowering the torso and Human head, head as a social gesture in direction to another person or symbol. It is most prominent in Asian cultures but it is also typical of nobility and aristocracy in many E ...

the strings. (It is called "ikili" in Western Mongolia.) The neck and

lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...

-shaped

sound box A sound box or sounding box (sometimes written soundbox) is an open chamber in the body of a musical instrument which modifies the sound of the instrument, and helps transfer that sound to the surrounding air. Objects respond more strongly to vibr ...

are usually made of a solid piece of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

. The top of the sound box may be covered with skin or a thin wooden plate. The strings, and those of the bow, are traditionally made of hair from a horse's tail (strung parallel), but may also be made of nylon. Like the

morin khuur The ''morin khuur'' (), also known as the horsehead fiddle, is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument. It is one of the most important musical instruments of the Mongol people, and is considered a symbol of the nation of Mongolia. ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

, the igil typically features a carved

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

's head at the top of the neck above the tuning pegs, and both instruments are known as the horsehead fiddle. The igil is held nearly upright when played, with the sound box of the instrument in the performer's lap, or braced against the top of the performer's boot. Playing technique involves touching the strings with the nails or fingertips, but without pressing them to the neck. The igil has no frets. The bow is held with an underhand grip. The igil formerly had an entire genre dedicated to it, with a repertoire of songs meant to be performed only on the igil. During the communist period in

attempts were made to "modernize" the igil. This was nothing more than an attempt to westernize the instrument making it more like the European cello. However the instruments and playing style used by most

n musicians today are largely the same as the original form of the igil. Famous players of the igil include Ak-ool Kara-sal, Andrei Chuldum-ool,

Kaigal-ool Khovalyg Kaigal-ool Kim-oolovich Khovalyg (born 20 August 1960) is a Tuvan throat singer and co-founder of the Tuvan music group Huun-Huur-Tu. A self-taught overtone singer, Khovalyg worked as a shepherd until the age of 18. His musical career began ...

, Igor Koshkendei, Mongun-ool Ondar, Aldar Tamdyn, Radik Tulush and Evgenii Saryglar. Very similar and related ("iki" means "two" in

Turkic languages The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...

) Turkish insturment from western

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar,'' Greek language, Greek'':'' Ταύρος) are a mountain range, mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal reg ...

is "ıklıg", played by Yoruks it is slowly being revitalized from obscurity.

References

External links

Igil Demo, folktale, photos, and text
Bowed string instruments Necked bowl lutes Drumhead lutes Tuvan musical instruments {{lute-stub ru:Морин хуур

See also

References

External links