"The plants used to make chuer grow only here. Each autumn, we go to the mountains to find suitable lovage stalks. The ones that grow in the mountains are better than those growing at their base. Thin ones are better than thick ones. Roughly one out of every 10 stalks can turn a good chuer," Mengkeyi said.
The instrument is incredibly difficult to learn to play.
"Many people cannot make any sound with the chuer. I was one of them. I made no sound at all for my first three days of training," said Daxi, who was interviewing local elderly to collect information about the instrument to pass on to others.
"Playing the chuer is truly a difficult job. Our father started learning at nine years old but could not make any sound until he was 13. I wasn't able to make any sound until I was a teenager, too. Many quit after considering it impossible," Mengkeyi said.
Songs written for the chuer are not preserved on any score, but are passed on from one generation to another, each adding a unique flavor to the tune.
However, Mengkeyi has little worry about the future of the instrument. "Many people come here to learn how to play. Some are professional musicians, others are local residents," Mengkeyi said.
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