Tuvan throat singing, also called Mongolian throat singing, is a type of singing where the main method is called khoomei (pronounced "khoo-mee" or "khoh-may"). People in Tuva, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Altay practice this style. This singing method is known for using overtones or undertones, depending on the technique. In 2009, Tuvan throat singing was added to UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Overview

Tuvan throat singing involves a performer humming a basic note and, at the same time, shaping the higher sounds that naturally occur with that note to create a melody. This tradition has a long history. Many men who raise animals practice throat singing, and now more women are learning it too. The popularity of throat singing among Tuvans is connected to their location and culture. The wide, open spaces of Tuva allow sounds to travel far. Experts who study music in this region note that khoomei, a type of throat singing, is an important part of an ancient belief system that still exists today. Singers often travel to remote areas, such as rivers or mountain steppes, to find the best places for throat singing.

In this region’s belief system, natural objects are considered spiritual not only because of their shape or where they are found, but also because of the sounds they make.

Normally, melodies are made by selecting specific sounds from a series of notes that naturally occur with a fundamental pitch. For example, if the basic note is C3, the higher sounds would include G5, B♭5, C6, D6, E6, G6, and A6. However, singers can sometimes use sounds as low as the second note in the series or as high as the sixteenth. The basic note is usually a low E or G below middle C, and this affects how many higher notes a singer can produce. Higher notes are easier to reach when the basic note is lower, and lower notes are easier when the basic note is higher.

People from Tuva have developed many different ways to perform throat singing and were the first to explore six different harmonic pitches. There are several systems used to classify Tuvan throat singing. One system includes three main styles: khoomei, kargyraa, and sygyt, with substyles such as borbangnadyr, chylandyk, dumchuktaar, ezengileer, and kanzyp. Another system lists five main styles: khoomei, sygyt, kargyraa, borbangnadyr, and ezengileer, with substyles including chylandyk, despeng borbang, opei khoomei, buga khoomei, kanzyp, khovu kargyraazy, kozhagar kargyraazy, dag kargyraazy, Oidupaa kargyraazy, uyangylaar, damyraktaar, kishteer, serlennedyr, and byrlannadyr. These systems use Tuvan words to describe the styles.

Styles and techniques

Khorekteer refers to the "chest voice." This is the voice used by throat singers when performing khoomei, kargyraa, or other styles that create harmonies. The term can also describe all types of Tuvan throat singing, similar to how khoomei is used. It can also describe the feeling of chest resonance or pressure felt during throat singing. Khorekteer is often used as a starting point for styles like khoomei, sygyt, or kargyraa.

Ethnomusicologist Zoya Kyrgys defines khorekteer as a term for all Tuvan throat singing.

The most popular style of throat singing is called khoomei (or khöömei in Cyrillic: хөөмей). The word "hömei" or "kömei" means "throat" and "larynx" in some Turkic languages.

Khoomei is traditionally a softer style. The main note, or drone, is usually in the middle range of the singer's normal voice. In this style, two or three harmonics are heard between one and two octaves above the main note. The abdomen is relaxed, and the larynx has less tension than in other styles. Pitch is changed by moving the lips, throat, tongue, or jaw.

The term khoomei is also used as a general name for all throat singing techniques in this region.

Sygyt (in Cyrillic: сыгыт) is a style that sounds like whistling. It has a midrange main note and is known for strong, flute-like or piercing harmonics. The ideal sound for these harmonics is called "Чистый звук," which means "clear sound" in Russian.

To perform sygyt, the tongue rises and forms a seal around the gums, just behind the teeth. A small opening is left near the back molars, on the left or right side. The sound is directed between the teeth to the front of the mouth. The lips shape into a bell-like form, often with an "ee" vowel, and the sound passes through the small opening. Pitch is changed in the same way as in khoomei.

The deeper style of throat singing is called kargyraa (in Cyrillic: каргыраа). Kargyraa has a deep, growling sound and is similar to a type of singing called Sardinian bass in Sardinian choirs. It uses both the vocal folds and the vestibular folds (also called "false vocal cords") at the same time, creating two sources of sound.

By tightening the larynx, the vestibular folds can come together and vibrate. This can produce a sound that is half the frequency of the main note from the vocal folds. For every two vibrations of the vocal folds, the vestibular folds complete one full vibration. The mouth can be shaped, like when forming vowels, to select certain harmonics, making the sound seem to have multiple pitches at once.

This technique is the same as in Sardinian bass singing, one of the four voices in Sardinian choirs. It is also similar to chants in Tibetan monasteries, though the methods differ. In beatboxing, the kargyraa sound is called "Throat Bass."

There are two types of kargyraa: dag (mountain) and xovu (steppe). Dag is deeper, while xovu is rougher and has a higher pitch with more tension in the throat and less chest resonance. There are also unique styles by Vladimir Oidupaa and Albert Kuvezin, the latter also known as kanzat. This style is sometimes described as the sound of winter winds or a mother camel's cry after losing her calf.

Two effects commonly used in khoomei, sygyt, and kargyraa are Borbangnadyr and Ezengileer.

• Borbangnadyr (Борбаңнадыр) is a trill that sounds like birds or flowing water, made by quickly moving the tongue and lips. Another effect used with this style is the light quivering of the lips, called "byrlang."
• Ezengileer (Эзеңгилээр) is a pulsating style that mimics the rhythm of horseback riding. It is named after the Tuvan word for stirrup, "ezengi." This is created by opening and closing the velum, which separates the nasal cavity from the mouth.
• Chylandyk (Чыландык) combines sygyt and kargyraa at the same time. This creates a sound with low undertones mixed with high-pitched whistles. It is sometimes described as the "chirping of crickets." This style can also be divided into Dag Chylandyk and Xovu Chylandyk.
• Dumchuktaar (Думчуктаар) is best described as "throat humming." The singer makes a sound similar to sygyt using only the nasal passage. The word means "to sing through the nose" (dumchuk). The mouth does not need to be closed, but it helps to demonstrate the technique.

Women in Tuvan throat singing

In Tuva's history, some women practiced throat singing, but people believed that a woman performing this art could cause not being able to have children. Choldak-Kara Oyun, the mother of the famous throat singer Soruktu Kyrgys and the grandmother of the husband of Tuvan actress Kara-Kys Namzatovna Munzuk, throat sang while milking cows, singing lullabies to her children, and sometimes while drinking Tuvan araga (fermented milk alcohol). Close relatives of well-known singers, such as Khunashtaar-ool's niece in the 1960s and Kombu's daughter in the 1940s or 1950s, performed khoomei (throat singing) in public more than once. Aldinsova Tortoyavna, the wife of throat singing shaman Bilek-ool from Manchurek, said she always sang khoomei "because it was innate to [her] from birth." She continued singing khoomei after marriage and had children, performing publicly in the 1950s and 1960s. However, her sister, who also sang khoomei as a girl, stopped when others reminded her repeatedly of the supposed dangers.

Valentina Salchak performed throat singing in public in 1979. Valentina Chuldum from Mongun-Taiga (1960–Autumn 2002) toured European countries as a throat singer in the early 1990s. With the start of the International Symposium of Khoomei, women could sing publicly there.

Tyva Kyzy (Тыва Кызы, pronounced [tɯˈva kɯˈzɯ] ) (Daughters of Tuva, in Tuvan language), founded in 1998, is an all-female folk ensemble that performs Tuvan throat singing, directed by Choduraa Tumat. It is the first and only women's group in Tuva that performs all styles of Tuvan throat singing.

In popular culture

Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, became interested in Tuvan throat singing and tried to visit Tuva in the 1980s. He was very sick from cancer at the time and never reached Tuva. His daughter visited Tuva in 2009 and met with Tuvan throat singers. The Quest for Tannu Tuva is a 1988 documentary film about Feynman’s journey, made for the BBC TV series Horizon. It was also rewritten with American narration and called The Last Journey of a Genius for the PBS series Nova in 1989. Tuva or Bust! is a book published in 1991 by Ralph Leighton, a friend of Feynman who tried to go to Tuva with him. The book includes a flexi disc recording of Tuvan throat singing.

Yat-Kha is a band created in 1991 and led by Tuvan throat singer Albert Kuvezin. The band mixes Tuvan traditional music with rock.

Huun-Huur-Tu is a band formed in 1992 that uses Tuvan throat singing in its performances. The band has performed internationally since it was created.

Chirgilchin is a Tuvan musical group formed in 1996, led by Igor Koshkendey. He won the Grand Prix of the International Throat Singing Competition in 1998, 2000, and 2002.

K-Space is a British-Siberian experimental music group formed in 1996. It includes the Tuvan throat singer Gendos Chamzyryn.

Tyva Kyzy is an all-female folk group formed in 1998. The group performs Tuvan throat singing and has performed internationally.

Genghis Blues is a 1999 documentary film that won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for a Documentary. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film focuses on the journey of blind American singer Paul Pena to Tuva to learn about Tuvan throat singing.

Alex Brightman used Tuvan throat singing in his performance as Beetlejuice in the Broadway version of Beetlejuice The Musical.

Alash is a group of Tuvan musicians and throat singers formed in 1999 at the Kyzyl Arts College. The group has performed internationally since 2006.

The Tuvan National Orchestra, formed in 2003, often includes Tuvan throat singing. The orchestra has performed with internationally known artists, including members of Alash, Chirgilchin, Huun-Huur-Tu, and Tyva Kyzy.

Batzorig Vaanchig is a Mongolian throat singer and member of the band Khusugtun. The band was a runner-up on Asia's Got Talent in 2015. His performances have been viewed by tens of millions of people on YouTube.

The Hu is a band formed in 2016. The group is from Mongolia and combines rock and heavy metal with traditional Mongolian music, including Mongolian throat singing and the Morin khuur (a horsehead fiddle). The band calls its style "hunnu rock," with "hu" meaning "human" in Mongolian. The Hu made its debut at the Download Festival in Donington in 2018. A song called "Black Thunder" was created for the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The band later translated and recorded a new version of the song in a fictional Star Wars language, called "Sugaan Essena," with help from the game’s developers.

Soriah/Uger Khan is an American overtone singer, performance artist, and multi-instrumentalist based in Portland, Oregon, and the Tuvan Republic. His music mixes traditional styles like Tuvan throat singing, Shamanic music, Raga, and pre-Columbian Mexica music and language with avant-garde styles like Industrial, Ambient, Noise, and Goth. His live performances combine costumes and rituals from Tuva, Mexico, North American Native cultures, and Western Ceremonial Magic traditions. His work also includes influences from chaos magic, butoh, and modern primitive movements from the 20th century.

Audio examples

• Kargyraa.mp3
• Khoomei.mp3
• Sygyt.mp3
• Refer to https://www.alashensemble.com/ for a correct list of audio samples.