The style is also sometimes referred to as khoomie, overtone singing or harmonic singing. Wikipedia hosts a very in-depth article on the history and genres of throat singing. The basic concept is described there thusly:
The overtones are clearly heard when the partials of a sound wave produced by the human voice are selectively amplified by changing the shape of the resonant cavities of the mouth, larynx and pharynx. The result of this resonant tuning allows the singer to create more than one pitch at the same time, with the capability of creating six pitches at once. Generally the sounds created by throat singing are low droning hums and high pitched flutelike melodies.
The Friends of Tuva has scads of links, true, but describing throat singing and actually hearing it are two different experiences. If you have never heard of this style of singing before, check it out in some of the following links. I can pretty much bet it won't sound how you think it would sound.
- A couple of American guys doing something called Sayir Grace. There is a didgeridoo accompaniment and it really nicely complements this particular style of throat singing called Kargyraa.
- Tuvan throat singers cover Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
A marvelously informative page that will teach you How To Tuvan Throat Sing (without, like, hurting yourself)
Technorati tags: tuvan throat singing, khoomie, overtone singing
No comments:
Post a Comment