Throat singing technique: some secrets from the simplest

The technique of throat singing cannot be mastered like this, simply by reading books or articles on the topic. Partly because those who are eager to learn this art lack the very ideas about such singing, and partly because outside control is important in the practice of teaching.

In any case, the theoretical information provided to you should be used rather as an addition to brainstorming and understanding the practice of singing, but you need to learn singing at least by video, if this is not possible live.

Before we talk about the throat singing technique, let’s consider the question of the sounds that make up our voice. One can distinguish, as it were, three sound levels, the colors of which are mixed and transformed into a single voice stream:

• middle floor – bourdon, a sound produced by closing or vibrating the vocal cords;
• the upper floor is the overtone (“above” tone), obtained by vibration of the head resonators;
• the lower floor is untherton, in which the soft tissues of the larynx vibrate.

All these tones are summed up, then the vibrations of the whole body are mixed with them, and after the sound comes out, it encounters the external environment, which has its own acoustic properties.

Singing of antiquity

Overtone throat singing is found in many cultures around the world; the modern listener associates it more with shamans and Tibetan monks. However, for all vocalists it is recommended to use at least khoomei (one of the styles of throat singing) as elements of chanting, since the timbre as a result of such exercises is enriched with overtones and becomes more saturated.

Khoomei – preparation

So, the technique of the simplest and most basic style of overtone throat singing is khoomei. When performed, the natural voice sounds predominantly, to which are added overtone embellishments extracted using the upper resonators.

In order to produce such sounds, you first need to warm up the vocal apparatus by singing simple drawn-out vowels: aaa, oooh, uuu, uh, iii… Try to send your voice to a certain point that is far from you. For example, if you are standing by a window, choose a tree or a window of the house opposite. And sing. Don’t be afraid of loudness, because speaking in a low voice will not train you.

Khoomei throat singing technique

To sing khoomei, you need to learn to relax your lower jaw and open it so as to find the desired angle. In this case, the focus is not on the throat, but on the root of the tongue.

There is a trick here: if you lower your lower jaw too much, you will compress the throat, and if you lower your lower jaw too little, the sound will be flat and pinched. The desired angle can only be found in practice. And again we begin to sing vowel sounds, while simultaneously looking for the desired position of the tongue.

Important Notes

The main thing is to be comfortable! Your nose and lips may itch – this is normal.

There are also lower register throat singing techniques, but this is a more complex and separate topic. Khoomei can be sung by both men and women; As for other styles, in terms of accessibility for the female body, they are more complex. Shamans living in Siberia do not recommend that women constantly practice more complex styles of throat singing, comparable in register to men’s, because this leads to changes in hormonal balance.

There was information that the singer Pelageya wanted to learn this from them, but they refused her, explaining that until she had matured as a mother, it was better not to engage in shamanic singing techniques. But in terms of individual vocal exercises, the use of khoomei is very useful for voice development.