In one episode of the Big Bang Theory, Sheldon attempts to to coerce Leonard to take him on a trip to Switzerland by invoking the dread Roommate Agreement: that he had complied by not practicing his Tuvan Throat Singing, so Leonard owed him. He then croaks a deep reedy didgeridoo sound that practically vibrates the building. I don’t know if he actually did it or they had somebody overdub, but I had to look it up.
Turns out Mongolians have lots of open space and use all that countryside as sounding boards for their singing, so those elongated croaks can be heard for miles. Plus, there’s at least 8 styles. The Khoomei style produces a harmonic that sounds like a distant whistle, along with the grumbling bass notes. This particular throat singer uses several of them, and it’s incredible. He has a range of at least 5 octaves. Now I wanna learn how to do it.
I’m a big fan! I was first introduced to Tuvan throat singing in college when we had a group perform at FSU. 10 or 12 years later came the excellent film Genghis Blues about a blind San Francisco musician’s efforts to teach himself this style and his awe-inspiring journey to Mongolia to finally meet and compete with other throat singers. Check this out: he’s blind, so he has to teach himself to speak Russian by listening to ham radio broadcasts, then he has to teach himself to read Russian Braille so he can learn Mongolian so he can learn to throat sing. It’s a freaking amazing story but hopefully in the past 20 years we’ve documented more of it so you might not have to learn Russian to learn Mongolian to learn to sing, Knowed Out.
Heck, I even keep most of Kongar-ol Onar’s Back Tuva Future in my phone so it comes up on shuffle now and again.
Here are a couple of bands you may enjoy: Tengger Cavalry and Nine Treasures. I believe Tengger Cavalry are from China and Nine Treasures is from Mongolia.
I first heard of it reading about Feynman and his “Tuva or bust!” crusade.
Most recently ran across it (or something like) on a Carolina Chocolate Drops Youtube of Trouble on your Mind. (Awesome group/song BTW, Tuvan throat singing or no!)
I saw some Tuvan throat singers at a music festival. It was a remarkable sound they make.
Have you heard the Inuit version? It’s like a competition and they stand face to face holding each other. It’s even cooler, in my opinion! And then they giggle when they’re done!
I first heard Tuvan throat singing being used on top of synths in '90s ambient music (such as KLF).
In normal singing, one is only singing one note/pitch at a time. In Tuvan singing, the technique is such that one can sing a sustained fundamental dronal note and then one or more notes on top of that.
I’ve heard it done live by a Westerner on more than one occasion, so I suppose it would be possible for you to learn it if you persevered.
The wiki page on the subject mentions a 1920s Texan cowboy singer, Arthur Miles, who independently created a similar style of throat singing. Here’s a recording of his and the upper “whistling” part of the sound is certainly very similar.
Huun-Huur-Tu. I saw the them live in central Indiana. Worth every mile I drove there and back. Their rendition of a night by a campfire gave me goosebumps.
I’ve got their album, 60 Horses in My Herd. I think it’s fabulous, although that’s not a view shared by anyone I’ve ever played it to… the philistines.
I was attempting this on the drive home. I could only maintain a growl for a couple of seconds, and these singers last considerably longer. Not only can they maintain, they can project, shape their mouth cavities like echo chambers, and produce harmonics with a mere twitch. I tried not to sound like Cookie Monster. My throat is in shreds.
I remembered hearing Tuvan singing in electronic music, but not the artist. Thanks for the KLF link, Walken. I listened to Huun-Huur-Tu earlier today on Youtube and felt like I was in a dream.
Genghis Blues is about blind blues singer Paul Pena (who also wrote various songs, include Steve Miller’s Jet Airliner) and his journey to learn how to throat sing from Mongolian monks. The film was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar and is well worth checking out.
Ninja’d by Snowboarder Bo! But I’ve included a link to the film…
I agree with Sattua, there is something in common between the sounds of throat singing, what the Inuit do, the sound of Tibetan monks chanting, and I’d add a fourth, First Nations singing/drumming. Something seemingly basic and primal resonates through all!
A few years back I was randomly looking up someone I knew from grade school/high school. After some poking around online/on facebook, I found him. He moved to Russia, learned the local language of the country he’s in (turned out to be Tuva), married someone and manages a throat singing band. Due to his US connections they tour the US regularly (or maybe they were before, what do I know). They also seem to regularly win awards, they appear to be fairly popular…as far as Tuvan throat singing bands go).
Funny coincidence. About a year ago, I was reading a random article on the Consumerist (link on Facebook). When I was done I noticed it was written by his sister. Turns out she’s an in house author there and does TV spots from time to time.
Of course you are and of course you do. Said with sincerity and respect. You are eclectic-er than me, coupled with an ability to invest wide in your music. Cool.
I have heard nothing but good things about Genghis Blues. Gotta check that out.
::checks:: Not sure where I can stream it - it is listed on APrime but doesn’t appear to have a streaming option. I will find it.
I find the Tuvan throat singing I have heard fascinating and the stories even more so. The human vocal instrument is a weird and wonderful thing.
MovieMogul’s link goes to a YouTube page that has a still picture that displays for almost 90 minutes, but there is no film; the YouTuber wants people to click another link, supposedly that link goes to the actual movie.
Don’t click that link, is my advice.
Instead, you can watch the film legitimately at Fandor if you just create an account (they have a free trial period, so be sure and cancel after you watch if you don’t want another $10/month place to watch movies added to your expenses).
