Throat Singing

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The first type of singing I am going to talk about is a unique vocal sound called 'throat singing'. I am going to be sharing with you, 3 different types of throat singing using distinctive techniques from 3 different cultures, Tuva in Mongolia, Inuit in Canada and Xhosa in South Africa.


People in the Tuvan culture call throat singing, Khöömei. Throat singing is mostly sang by men as it is to believed by an old legend that women who practice throat singing are then infertile and is taught right from childhood. In places like schools, children are taught certain techniques like 'circular breathing', which helps the singer to hold long lasting notes. The Tuvan's are taught to engage with nature and landscapes when singing as they also believe that they are imitating the sounds of the earth like rivers, mountains and seas while performing this impressive form of music.
Throat singing in Inuit is different to the Tuvan style of singing. It is mainly practiced by women in groups of 2-3 people. Throat singing in Inuit is sang using fine and smaller breathing methods than other throat singing cultures. Over 100 years ago, Inuit priests prohibited throat singing for some unknown reason, but in recent times, throat singing is making a great come-back as the younger generation are learning from older family members.




In Xhosa, the throat singing here is known for it's deep and richer tones, which is called eefing. Here, the way throat singing is produced is a different technique than other throat singing cultures. They sing 2 notes, 1 tone separated, while creating other higher sounds above everything else- all at the same time. This is called an overtone.








sources: http://www.folkways.si.edu/throat-singing-unique-vocalization-three-cultures/world/music/article/Smithsonian


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