blown flute used by shamans to attract spirits) Yat-kha (long zither similar to Korean gayageum) Xapchyk (rattle made of a dried bull's scrotum filled with the knuckle bones from sheep) Kengirge (large frame drum) and shyngyrash (bells that sit atop the kengirge) Modern music In parallel with traditional music, modern genres of music developed in Tuva since the 1970s. These were mainly pop and rock music, as well as fusions of these genres with khoomei. The most popular Tuvan musical group is Huun-Huur-Tu. Notable Tuvan rock and fusion performers include: Yat-Kha; Alexander Sarzhat-Ool (guitar), who spent 22 years in jail before starting the music career, and was self-taught; Alexander Chavynchak (guitar), who performed free jazz and blues, as well as khoomei; and Vladimir Oidupaa (bayan and khoomei). Uniformed marching bands are active in the republic, particularly the Brass Band of the Government of Tuva. Created on 24 March 2008 from a student band under the Kyzyl Art College (originally founded in 1960), the average age of band members is 24 years old. It is the only civilian mounted band in Russia, reviving the traditions of its predecessor – the Horse Brass Band of the Tuva People's Revolutionary Army, which was active in the TPRA from 1929 to 1944. The first performance of the band was on horseback during a Victory Day Parade in 2008 in Kyzyl. It also performed the following October for a program dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Tuva joining Russia. The band participates in many international and inter-regional festivals, including the Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo and the Capital City Day celebrations in Kazakhstan, and is a three time winner of the Grand Prix of the International Festival of Live Music and Faith "Ustuu-Khuree". References Notes Sources Levin, Theodore and Valentina Suzukei. Where Rivers and Mountains Sing. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2006. Miller, Bruce. "Tuva: National Geographic World Music." National Geographic Society. 2006. March 15, 2007. worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com External links Tuvan Instruments: text, photos, audio, video, folktales Tuvan throat-singing: audio & video clips demonstrating various styles Tuva Tuva