Music had an important place in the lifestyle of the ancient Turkish communities. We have mentioned about the great musical feast of Attila on the basis of the information provided by Priskos. While Attila returned to his capital city from his expedition, he was welcomed with Hun songs that were sung by Hun girls clothed with beautiful dresses that were arranged in lines. Attila had also sent an orchestra to Burgond king.
The Chinese resources had dealt with 28 types of Hun folk songs. The Chinese people had cited some of the Asian Hun musical instruments with the names such as Kung-hu, Bi-li, P'i-pa, P'e-li, and Ku-sie, etc. However, it is not known whether these were stringed or wind instruments. Furthermore, the military band was also famous among the Turks (band, the first forms of band of musicians). It is beyond doubt that there were various instruments with tubes and with particularly the drums that were used in the Gokturk and Uighur bands. The ancient Turks would call the tune that they sang as ır (or yır), and the melody that was played with stringed instruments as kög. It was required that minimum 9 of these kög and ir melodies and tunes should be played everyday. This was one of the symbols of the sovereignty.
Among the Turkish musical instruments, the one-stringed guitar (kopuz) that was cited as Hyu-pu by the Chinese people was an instrument that had a very important place in the steppe Turkish folklore beyond doubt. The epics, the heroic sagas, the joyful and sorrowful memories of the nation, and the love songs would be sung by the minstrels with the accompaniment of the one-stringed guitar. Since the period of the Asian Hun State, it has been understood that this simple but charming one-stringed guitar had become very popular among the Turks.
This instrument was also cited within the Uighur texts and DLT under the name of kopuz (one-stringed guitar). One-stringed guitar that was present everywhere where the Turks lived had entered into Egypt, Syria, Balkans, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Germany together with our ancestors. Then, it had turned into one of the most favourite musical instruments under the names such as koboz, kubos, kobzo, kopus, etc. The only musical instrument that have survived until nowadays in the course of the Steppe Turkish history was the Avar shepherd's pipe that was found in Hungary.