Matouqin is a two-string stringed musical instrument with a trapezoidal body and a handle carved into the shape of a horse's head. It is a favorite musical instrument of the Mongolian people.

modern styling
The matouqin is composed of a resonance box, a headstock, a piano rod, a peg, a bridge, a string and a bow.

sound box
It is in the shape of a trapezoid, and some are made into a hexagonal or octagonal shape. The frame board of the piano box is mostly made of hard wood such as colored wood, elm, rosewood, mahogany or mulberry. The through holes of the piano bar, the left and right side panels have sound holes respectively, the front and back of the piano case are covered with horseskin, cowhide or sheepskin, and the leather surface is decorated with painted ethnic patterns. of.

headstock, stem
Use a solid piece of sapwood, rosewood, mahogany or pine. The head is in the shape of a square column, the top is bent forward, and it is shaped like a finely carved horse head. There are horse heads of galloping horses and horse heads that are immediately horse. of. The chord groove is opened at the back, and there are many groove covers, and two chord shafts (one on the left and one on the left) are placed horizontally on both sides.

peg
Also known as handle, it is made of boxwood or piano rod wood. Twist, and some shaft tops are spherical. The piano bar is a semicircular cylindrical body, the front is flat and the back is round, the front is a fingerboard, the upper end is provided with a mountain mouth, and the lower end is installed in the through holes of the upper and lower frame plates of the piano box.

bridge, strings, bow
A wooden bridge-shaped bridge is placed in the center of the leather surface, and two ponytail strings are attached. The two strings are composed of 140 (inner strings) and 160 (outer strings) long ponytails respectively. Both ends are tied with filament strings, and the upper end is wrapped around The peg, the lower end is fastened to the tail post of the bottom of the piano. The bow is made of rattan or wood, and the ends are tied with horsetails as bow hairs.

traditional styling
The traditional matouqin is mostly made by the matouqin players on the spot and used by themselves, so the materials and specifications are very inconsistent. It is usually divided into two types: large and small, which are suitable for outdoor or indoor performances. The bigger ones are 100cm-120cm in length, the length of the case is 26cm-30cm, and the bottom width is 22cm-28cm, which is suitable for outdoor performance; the smaller ones are about 70cm in length and 20cm in length. Centimeter, bottom width of about 18 cm, suitable for indoor use.

Matouqin is a stringed instrument belonging to the type of fingerboard. There is no weight, and a section of strings from the mountain pass to the Qinma is the effective string length. Its most prominent feature is that the front and back of the piano box are covered with film, which is different from the general stringed instrument that only has a front (front opening of the barrel) skin, and a sound window or an open type on the back (rear port of the barrel). Using the ponytail bow to rub the ponytail string, the sound is sweet, rich, melodious and beautiful, which is extremely unique among Chinese and foreign stringed instruments.