Mongolian music was mostly vocal, with instruments serving as accompaniment. Traditional Mongolian music can be generally divided into two forms: tuul (narrative songs) and ardyn duu (folk songs).

A common theme in Mongolian folk songs is love — for one's beloved, for one's horse, or for the natural beauty of the country. Other songs are sung at festivals and competitions, and joking songs enliven parties and weddings.

The Mongols have a special kind of singing — overtone singing [also called throat (khmööii) singing]. In khmööii, the melody is formed by changing the shape of the mouth cavity to intensify the overtones, which are always present, created by the vibration of the vocal cords. It is believed that herders developed these sounds as a means of imitating those in nature — the rippling of streams or the wind sweeping across the grasslands.

Mongolian folk songs are often accompanied by the two-stringed morin khuur (horse-headed fiddle). Initially, the top of the fiddle was carved in the shape of an animal, usually a dragon. Throughout history a variety of animals, including even a crocodile, have been carved, but the horse-head became the preferred shape — hence the name. The body of the fiddle is usually in the shape of a trapezoid. The strings of the fiddle are actually two bundles of horsetail hair.

There are many stories about the origin of the morin khuur. One legend is about a man, Khokhoo Namjil, who had an extraordinarily fast winged horse; he rode the horse every night to visit his beloved. One day a jealous woman clipped the horse's wings, causing it to fall from the sky and die. To demonstrate his love for his horse, Khokhoo Namjil made an instrument from its skull, hide, and hairs. The skull formed the body of the fiddle, which was covered with the hide and strung with the hairs of the horse's tail. It is said that when Khokhoo Namjil played his horse fiddle it gave his listeners a vivid impression of the neighing and hoof beats of his favorite horse.

Traditionally dances were performed in or around a ger. Imagine dancing in a circular ger. Mongolian folk dance may reflect its origins in these limited spaces. Leg movements are generally small, compensated for by the expressiveness of the movements of the hands, shoulders, chest, waist, eyes and head. Despite these boundaries, the earliest historical records, including "The Secret History of the Mongols," describe social gatherings with people feasting and dancing "until the dust was up to the knees." Today the dances have been adapted for performances on the Western stage. In the Buddhist monasteries, special religious dances called tsam were performed during annual ceremonies. Wearing huge and elaborate masks and spectacular robes, monks transformed themselves into powerful protectors and demons. These dances symbolized the transition from shamanism to Buddhism and the protective power of the Buddhist faith.

The oral tradition includes myths, fables, legends, sayings and proverbs, as well as songs and epic poems. Mongolian myths usually explain natural phenomena - the creation of the world, animal kingdom, and stars and planets, as well as the struggle between good and evil. In Mongolian folklore, Tengr (Sky or Heaven) and Gazar (Earth) are presented respectively as male and female. This dualism is repeated in the symbolism within the ger. The sky (as seen through the open smoke hole) is circular and the interior of the ger is divided into male and female sides. Storytelling was always popular on cold winter nights. These could include fables or stories reflecting everyday life and are usually full of humor, and feature forces of good inevitably defeating the forces of evil. Skillful epic storytellers would often memorize thousands of lines of verse, and in the process, would pass traditions and history to future generations. Later, many tales were recorded. Legends and epic poetry were occasionally discovered to be repositories of actual events and real personages. Songs of praise and good wishes were also sung at specific events, including during a wedding or when setting up a new ger, making food, shearing sheep, and praising the winners in national sports contests like Naadam.