Istarski mih

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Istarski mih is a Croatian bagpipe native to the regions of Istra and Kvarner. It consists of a bag made most often from goat skin and a chanter with two reeds. The instrument is not dodecaphonically tempered, instead using the Istrian scale. Its sound is distinct and unusual.

Unlike other Croatian bagpipe-like instruments that were forgotten and substituted with the accordion and violin, the art of playing istarski mih has not faced such rapid cultural decay (such as Slavonic bagpipes which are lately being reconstructed and played).

We can also thank late Ivan Matetić Ronjgov for reviving the art of playing istarski mih and sopile in 20th century, and Stjepan Večković for continuing the instrument's tradition into the 21st century.