THROAT SINGING ABC's or Everything's Cross-cultural
Everybody get ready... October 30
Throat Singing: Sounds rather new age hunh? Actually it is ancient. It is one art form that has its roots in the time before the trans-ice age migration of Northern peoples. It survives to this day in several cultures although it is somewhat different in form these days. If you look into it thoroughly as the Smithsonian did, you will note that the sounds made in throat singing may have been developed by ancient herdsmen to imitate the sounds in nature, such as the mountains, the streams and the harsh winds of the steppes and to see how far they could make their voices travel across the valleys where they lived. Today Mongolian herdsmen such as Huun Huur Tu practice this art and it is mostly identified with Central Asia but Inuit women in the upper regions of Canada have practiced this form since ancient days. Religious institutions and gender taboos had curtailed throat singing until recently in Canada and Alaska, but today it is re surging in Canada through the efforts of such women as Evie Marks of Quebec. It is demonstrated in the Arctic Winter Games and there are various CD's celebrating the Music of the Inuit. There are also versions of throat singing in South African Xosa tribes and by Northern Japanese people, the Ainu.
The tradition is laced with superstition but is simply the careful usage of 'overtones'. It is a method of making sounds that reverberate in the chambers of the throat and takes a good deal of practice. Huun Huur Tu has reached celebrity status in thier own Tuva regions for thier mastery of the art form and for their skillful instrumentation.
If you want to have some fun, follow these links for more detailed information about these this interesting form.
Khoomei - How To's And Why's
Smithsonian article on Throat singing
Inuit Singing article by Bruno Deschênes other articles on musicology website
Wikkipedia Article on Huun Huur Tu is really good!!!
