Harmonize Yourself

The vocal technique you should not try at home

Gemini is Vocal Harmony month here at All Kinds Musick, and I remember in the dim reaches of my youth being told that a person could harmonize with their own voice!

(Because why should ensembles get all the fun stuff?)

Here’s a random example I pulled off YouTube to show the technique in the wild:

And while the young man in the middle managed to pull it off, and Lalah Hathaway makes it look easy, I don’t recommend trying this without consulting your voice teacher first.

It’s All In The Throat

The technique is best known as Tuvan Throat Singing, and it originates from the tribal cultures of Central Asia. True masters of the form dedicate a significant amount of instruction and practice before they can produce these sounds without risking damage to their vocal folds. And since it has been a male-dominated discipline until recently, I’m going to let you watch a collection of women showcasing several different songs and techniques.

If you’re in the Western World and this all sounds novel and exotic to you, you’re not alone. But you’ve probably heard throat singing in popular culture recently.

Recently, University of Arizona researchers mapped and modeled the structures involved in producing these sounds. If you aren’t sure how the voice works, that article is fascinating. The human body is endlessly entertaining and varied!

And, of course, a number of groups from Mongolia and other parts of Central Asia have been working hard to educate people about their art and how it works. The group Alash has a great resource on their website, which gives you a breakdown of the five styles of sounds with samples and demonstrations.

Or, you can just listen to them!

Pop and Metal Throat Singing

If you have been paying attention over the last few years, you have probably heard of Mongolia’s metal export, The Hu.

But The Hu aren’t the only band—if you’re interested in this style, you also need to track down Nine Treasures.

…and the even more traditional Huun-Huur-Tu from Tuva:

Finding the Limits of the Voice

Unique and specialized vocal techniques like these are not common, but they are varied. And while there is a fine line between innovation and cultural appropriation, artists do dip into these techniques for their compositions.

Next week, we’ll talk about a composer and vocal ensemble that borrows widely and tests the limits of what voices can do.