The instrument is fingered on top of or underneath the strings and it usually accompanies throat singing. On this album the pieces are apparently instrumental treatments of songs, whose topics are described in the English section of the notes. The tunes are either solo or duets with a hammer dulcimer-like instrument called a chaoer. The album features two matouqin soloists, identified only as Darima and Qinggele.
Chinese influences are obvious.
Much of the music is pentatonic and often alternates between semi-rubato and up tempo passages. Techniques are sometimes fiddle-istic with drones and rhythmic, pulsing bow strokes. There are also plenty of slow, Indian-like slides. The Far East has not had significant impact on the world music circuit. The music on Matouquin is easily accesible to Euro-American tastes.