The state folk ensemble Tulpan was formed in 1937 to promote traditional Kalmyk music.
[2] Traditional instruments included the dombra, the morin khuur, the pear-shaped tovshuur, the psaltery (known as a jatha), and a form of bagpipies called the büshkür.
The Saratov accordion was introduced to Kalmyk music in the nineteenth century and has become well-integrated.
[2] In the period after deportation, during which most of the traditional instruments were no longer used, only the dombra and the Saratov accordion were played often.
A subset of ut dun, the uul'lgd ut dun, is a farewell lament urging brides to cry on their wedding day as they prepare to leave their family and join their husband's household.