Igil

Overview

The igil is a two-stringed bowed instrument of the Tuvan people, who live in the Tuva Republic of southern Siberia (within the Russian Federation), bordering Mongolia. Wikidata describes it precisely as a two-stringed Tuvan bowed musical instrument and classifies it under necked box lute played with a bow. It is one of the central instruments of Tuvan traditional music and the standard accompaniment for the country’s internationally recognised khoomei throat-singing tradition.

The instrument is closely related to the Mongolian morin khuur (the horsehead fiddle) and to the wider Inner Asian family of bowed instruments with carved zoomorphic head ornaments, but it has distinctive Tuvan features in tuning, playing position, and repertoire that mark it as its own tradition.

Origin & History

The igil belongs to the wider Inner Asian and Central Asian bowed-lute family that developed across the steppe-and-mountain region from at least the medieval period. Bowed two-string instruments with carved horse-head ornaments are documented in Mongolia, Tuva, Buryatia, and the wider Altaic-language region for at least 800 years; the morin khuur is the most internationally known representative.

In Tuva specifically, the igil developed as the principal melodic accompaniment to the country’s herding and throat-singing culture. Tuvan herders historically combined long mounted journeys with the singing repertoire that became known internationally as khoomei (throat singing); the igil’s portable two-string design allowed it to travel with the singer and accompany the vocal line without requiring a large or fragile instrument.

The Soviet period (1944-1991, when Tuva was incorporated into the USSR as the Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) brought partial professionalisation: state ensembles such as Tuva Ensemble and the Tuvan State Folk Orchestra established formal igil repertoires, and the instrument received the standard Soviet treatment of folk-instrument codification, classroom-method development, and conservatoire-style training. The post-1991 period has seen a renewed Tuvan-language cultural-revival emphasis on the older oral and herding traditions.

International awareness of the igil grew rapidly after the 1990s, driven by the worldwide spread of Tuvan throat singing through the Smithsonian Folkways recordings Tuva, Among the Spirits (1999) and the international touring success of the groups Huun-Huur-Tu and Yat-Kha. The 2000 documentary film Genghis Blues — about Paul Pena, an American blues musician who learned khoomei and travelled to Tuva to compete in a throat-singing competition — gave the instrument and its tradition a substantial mainstream-American audience.

Construction & Materials

A standard igil is about 90 to 100 cm long. The body is a hollowed wooden trough — typically pine or larch — covered front and back with goat or sheepskin (older instruments) or with thin wooden plates (modern instruments and instruments built for international touring). The neck is fretless and joins the body without a heel. The headstock is carved into a stylised horse head, sometimes painted, with two large lateral wooden tuning pegs.

The instrument’s two strings are bundled horsehair — typically 60 to 80 individual horsehairs twisted together for each string. The bow is a separate length of wood with a single horsehair bundle, usually rosined like a Western violin bow. Modern professional igils may use synthetic substitutes for the strings to improve durability on tour, but the traditional all-horsehair string is preferred for the characteristic warm, slightly rough timbre.

How It’s Played

The player sits with the body of the igil on the lap or between the thighs, the neck angled upward and outward. The right hand draws the bow across the strings from outside the body (rather than between them, as on most Western bowed instruments — the bow does not pass between the strings). The left hand stops the strings against the fingerboard with the fingertips or with the side of the fingernail.

Standard tuning is a fifth or a fourth (Tuvan players differ regionally on which interval is preferred). The two strings are typically tuned to a fundamental and either the perfect fifth or the perfect fourth above. Playing technique combines smooth bowed melodic lines with rhythmic articulations and double-stop drones, typically aligning rhythmically with the throat-singer’s pulse.

Cultural Significance

The igil is inseparable from Tuvan throat-singing repertoire. The instrument supplies the sustained drone-and-melody background against which the vocalist produces the layered harmonics of khoomei, sygyt, kargyraa, and the related throat-singing styles. In a typical Huun-Huur-Tu performance, igil and the related Tuvan instruments (doshpuluur lute, byzaanchy fiddle, jaw harp) supply the entire instrumental texture under the throat-singing.

The horse-head ornament on the headstock connects the instrument to Tuvan herding culture and to the wider Inner Asian belief tradition associating the horse with travel between worlds. In some Tuvan ritual contexts the igil’s playing is associated with the recitation of long-form epic poetry; the player is sometimes also a ritual specialist (khaiji) within the local community.

Notable Examples & Recordings

• Huun-Huur-Tu, 60 Horses in My Herd (Shanachie, 1993) — the band’s first international release and a foundational reference recording.
• Huun-Huur-Tu, The Orphan’s Lament (Shanachie, 1994).
• Yat-Kha, Aldyn Dashka and Yenisei Punk — Tuvan rock-throat-singing fusion with prominent igil.
• Sainkho Namtchylak, the international Tuvan throat-singer’s solo recordings.
• Smithsonian Folkways, Tuva, Among the Spirits (1999) — field recordings of traditional igil and throat singing in Tuvan settings.
• Paul Pena’s contributions to Genghis Blues (1999).

Related Instruments

• Morin khuur — the closely related Mongolian horse-head two-string bowed lute.
• Doshpuluur — the related Tuvan plucked lute used alongside the igil.
• Byzaanchy — the Tuvan four-string spike fiddle.
• Khomus — the Tuvan jaw harp (mouth-harp), often paired with the igil.
• Erhu — the Chinese two-string spike fiddle in the wider East Asian family.
• Kobyz — the Kazakh shamanic bowed lute relative.

Where to Hear It

In Tuva: the annual Üstüü-Hüree throat-singing festival (held outside Chadaana since 1999) and the various Tuvan state-ensemble concerts in Kyzyl. Internationally: Huun-Huur-Tu and Yat-Kha tour regularly across Europe, North America, and Asia. Recording labels with Tuvan-music catalogues include Smithsonian Folkways, Shanachie, Long Distance, and World Music Network’s Rough Guides.

• Wikipedia: Igil
• Wikidata: Igil (Q1572629)
• DBpedia: Igil
• Wikimedia Commons: Igils

Learning Resources

A new traditional igil from a Tuvan maker (the workshops in Kyzyl, including Oktober Saya, are the principal source) costs 250 to 600 USD. International touring instruments built to withstand humidity changes run higher. Pedagogically the instrument is best learned through Tuvan throat-singing workshops; the Huun-Huur-Tu band members and the throat-singer Sean Quirk (a Western Tuvan-trained player based in Kyzyl) periodically run intensive international workshops. Smithsonian Folkways field recordings and the Huun-Huur-Tu studio catalogue are the standard audio reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the igil the same as the morin khuur?
They are very closely related but separate. Both are two-string horsehair-string bowed lutes with horse-head headstocks. The morin khuur is Mongolian; the igil is Tuvan. Tunings, playing posture, and repertoire differ.

What strings does the igil use?
Bundles of horsehair — typically 60 to 80 individual hairs twisted together for each of the two strings. Modern professional instruments may use synthetic substitutes for international touring durability.

Is the igil always played with throat singing?
In Tuvan traditional repertoire it is the most common pairing, but the instrument is also used to accompany solo singing, recited epic poetry, and other Tuvan vocal forms.

How is the igil tuned?
Two strings tuned a fifth or a fourth apart, with regional preferences. Most modern professional players use a perfect fifth.

Can a Western violinist play the igil?
The basic bowing principle transfers, but the bow goes around the outside of the strings rather than between them, the strings are unbleached horsehair rather than gut or steel, and the playing posture is seated with the instrument on the lap. Some adjustment time is needed.