Author(s)	National Center for Cultural Heritage en Соёлын өвийн үндэсний төв
Title	Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathing
Alternative Title	Монгол лимбэчдийн уртын дуу тоглох уламжлалт арга барил - Битүү амьсгаа
Publication Type	Audio-Visual Material
Language	mon eng
Location	Mongolia
Keywords	Limbe Flute Circular breathing technique Long song Music
Relevance to ICH Safeguarding	awareness raising promotion heritage management
ICH Genre	performing arts: music
Description	Inscribed in 2011 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The Limbe is a side-blown flute of hardwood or bamboo, traditionally used to perform Mongolian folk long songs. Through the use of circular breathing, Limbe performers are able to produce the continuous, wide-ranging melodies characteristic of the long song. Players breathe in through the nose while simultaneously blowing out through the mouth, using air stored in their cheeks to play the flute without interruption. Single stanzas of folk long songs last approximately four to five minutes. A single song consists of three to five or more stanzas, which require performance of the flute to continue uninterrupted for twelve to twenty-five minutes. Traditional training methods used to acquire this technique include continuously blowing at a candle flame without extinguishing it and blowing through a straw into a glass of water. Limbe playing is characterized by euphonious melodies, melisma, hidden tunes, and skillful and delicate movements of the fingers and tongue.
Publisher	National Center for Cultural Heritage
Place of Publication	Mongolia
Date of Publication	2022
Academic Field	heritage management
Community/Ethnic Group	Mongolia
Contributor	Council for Cultural Heritage Networking and Communication
Active Contribution	Mongolia, FY 2024
Data Collection Project	Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding: Focusing on Central Asia and Small Island Developing States