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Steve Morel is a young Frenchman who fell in love with Mongolian culture and traditional musical instrument, the Morin Khuur. He used to live a “normal” life, working for a job the meaning of which he was starting to question. And then there was the change, a calling, an irresistible passion for the music he discovered. Following his heart, he soon made the trip to Mongolia and never quite came back: Steve is now living in the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar (Oulan-Bator in French). Today, Steve’s purpose is to spread and share his knowledge of the Mongolian culture and the Morin Khuur. Both his personal story and insights are fascinating. I really wanted to invite Steve on the podcast to help spread his passion and knowledge for a people and traditions that are little known and also because I admire him for all the hard work and dedication he puts into his projects – I know too well how much time and effort he is investing to give a voice to Mongolia.

In this first part, Steve will share how his life changed and how he discovered the Morin Khuur. He’ll also discuss the French name for Morin Khuur and will reveal which translation he finds to be more accurate. Steve’s fascination for the instrument couldn’t be limited to trying to play it. Indeed, if you want the Morin Khuur to show its moving soul, you need to be able to make people who listen to it feel the wind of the steppe, imagine the smells, etc. In other words, if you want to do justice to the instrument you need to understand Mongolia.

Steve will tell you what the Morin Khuur looks like and what the two different trends/schools are. These differences are very interesting on the historical and cultural points of view. You’ll find out which side Steve took regarding these two ways of playing.

I mentioned the soul of the Morin Khuur: Steve will give you an incredible example of how the Morin Khuur is sometimes used to save a baby camel that is being rejected by their mother.

We recorded this episode in July, just before the Naadam, the traditional festival in Mongolia that is also the National Holiday – so we’ll talk about this just a little bit too.

I also asked Steve about his first impressions when he arrived in Mongolia and this part will end after we talk about the development of the country as I wanted to know whether Mongolian people were still predominantly nomadic or were settling in large cities.

à l’oreille = by ear

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The post FV 093 : (Part 1) – Mongolian Culture and Traditional Music with Steve Morel appeared first on French Your Way.