Mongolian sounds of DOLAN

DOLAN uses matouqin in almost every song. This traditional guitar-like instrument, about 120cm in length, is said to be the best instrument to accompany long tune, another traditional form of Mongolian art. It is made almost entirely of wood, and is decorated with a delicately carved horse's head (hence the Chinese name matouqin, literally translated as horse head guitar.)

Unlike other string instruments, matouqin is played with the back of the fingers. It is characterized by its sweet and rich sound. Depending on how the artist plays it, it can either be dreamy or dreary. "I change my style of play to match the mood of the song," said Chaoluomeng.

Xoomei (or hu'mai in Chinese) is a biphonic singing technique. The singer produces two (or more) sounds at once by skillfully vibrating their vocal chords and manipulating their throat cavity. It strengthens and concentrates the harmonics, adds a metallic feel to the high notes and produces an entrancing sound effect. In 2009, xoomei was listed as one of the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritages.