# "Tonal" Singing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 8, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950 "2000-05-08T20:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/1 "2000-05-08T20:53:41Z")
I can’t remember the name of the phenomenon, but my brother tells me of a type of singing (stemming from the Far East) which features singers capable of producing chords (ie, more than a single note) with their voices. He told me that they can do it because they’ve trained their vocal chords to operate **seperately**. Anyone have a clue, either what this type of singing is called, or where I can find more information? ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/2 "2000-05-08T21:02:56Z")
Try [this link](http://www.sciam.com/1999/0999issue/0999levin.html) It is from Scientific American titled The Throat Singers of Tuva. This is the opening quote > [@](#): > > Testing the limits of vocal ingenuity, throat-singers can create > sounds unlike anything in ordinary speech and > song–carrying two musical lines simultaneously, > say, or harmonizing with a waterfall … Tinker ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/3 "2000-05-08T21:17:20Z")
[Genghis Blues](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0187859) is a documentary (Academy Award nominated) about a blind blues musician who taught himself Tuvan throat singing and then went to Tuva (outside of Mongolia) to participate and a competition. Not the best produced documentary but a fascinating story. It is available on video and DVD. You can also find several collections of Tuvan throat singing (such as this [one](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001DGS/o/qid=957820571/sr=2-1/104-3502527-6916447)) at the major music stores/web sites. It is hard to believe that human throats can produce such sounds. ---
**Author:** ![Tinker\_Grey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tinker_grey/32/8136_2.png) [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/4 "2000-05-08T22:09:29Z")
**obfusciatrist** , Thanks for reminding me of that film. I had forgotten the name and was hoping someone would bring it up. I haven’t seen it, but would like to. Roger Ebert liked it quite well, giving it 3 1/2 stars out of 4. His review is [here](http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1999/09/092404.html) Tinker ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/5 "2000-05-09T09:36:05Z")
There are [Tuvan Music files](http://www.avantart.com/postcards/etuva.html) you can listen to. This type of singing is also traditional in Sardinia. I’m sure I read that within the last 2 or 3 days but I can’t remember where. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/6 "2000-05-09T09:49:53Z")
Some Tibetian Buddhist monks also sing two notes at once, but their method is more one of singing a _very_ low tone (at least several steps below a typical bass singer’s range) and using their mouth and sinuses to create harmonics (one site calls it overtone harmonics, which sounds right to me.) The singing is very slow, nonrhythmic (at least I didn’t hear a beat) and is accompanied by horns and gongs. Occasionally, Tibetian monks tour the US. I haven’t seen them live, but on record, the effect is pretty interesting. ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/7 "2000-05-09T18:41:18Z")
You might also look into [David Hykes](http://harmonicworld.com/). I taught myself to Throat Sing in the shower. …hmmmm… …sounds like I may finally have that sig line. =) ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tonal-singing/18950/8 "2000-05-09T19:02:04Z")
I forgot about [Spectral Voices](http://www.spectralvoices.com/clips.htm). It is also referred to as [Khoomei](http://www.atech.org/khoomei/vids.html) or [Overtone Singing](http://www.inform.dk/numen/overto1.html).