Tuvan throat singing, also called Mongolian throat singing, is a type of throat singing. The main method used is called khoomei (pronounced /xuˈmiː/ or /xoʊˈmeɪ/). People in Tuva, Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Altay practice this style.

Tuvan throat singing is known for using overtone singing or undertone singing, depending on the method used. In 2009, Tuvan throat singing was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Overview

Tuvan throat singing involves a performer humming a basic pitch while changing the higher pitches that naturally occur with that basic pitch to create a melody. The tradition of Tuvan throat singing has a long history. Many male herders can perform this style, and now women also practice it. The popularity of throat singing among Tuvans is connected to their geographic location and cultural traditions. The open landscape of Tuva allows sounds to travel far. Experts who study music in these regions note that khoomei is an important part of the ancient spiritual beliefs tied to nature that are still practiced today. Singers often travel to remote areas, such as rivers or mountain steppes, to find the best conditions for throat singing.

The spiritual beliefs of this region see the natural world as having spiritual qualities not only in its shape or place but also in its sounds.

Usually, melodies are made by selecting specific pitches from a series of sounds called the harmonic series. For example, if the basic pitch is C3, the higher pitches would include G5, B♭5, C6, D6, E6, G6, and A6. However, singers can also use pitches as low as the second or as high as the sixteenth. The basic pitch is often E or G below middle C, and this affects how high or low the singer can reach. Higher pitches are easier to produce on lower notes, and lower pitches are easier on higher notes.

The people of Tuva have many different ways of performing throat singing and were the first to develop six-pitch harmonics. There are several systems for classifying Tuvan throat singing. One system lists 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 language terms.

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 khoomei. 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 "kömey" means "throat" and "larynx" in several Turkic languages.

Khoomei is traditionally a softer style. The main sound, called the fundamental or drone, is usually in the low-mid to midrange of the singer's normal voice. In this style, two or three harmonics can be heard between one and two octaves above the fundamental. 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), meaning "whistling," has a midrange fundamental and is known for strong, flute-like or piercing harmonics, similar to whistling. The ideal sound for 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 of the molars, on the left or right side. Sound is directed between the teeth to the front of the mouth. The lips form a bell-like shape, often using 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 related to Sardinian bass singing in Cantu a tenore choirs. It uses both the vocal folds and the vestibular folds (also called "false vocal cords") at the same time, creating two connected sound sources.

By tightening the larynx, the vestibular folds can come together and vibrate. This can produce a sound exactly half the frequency of the fundamental from the vocal folds. For every two vibrations of the vocal folds, the vestibular folds complete one full vibration. While the larynx creates this rich sound, the shape of the mouth can be adjusted, like when forming vowels, to select specific harmonics. This can make the sound seem to have multiple pitches at once.

This vocal method is the same as in Sardinian bassu, one of the four voices in Sardinian canto a tenore choirs. It is also similar to chants in Tibet by the Gyuto monastery and other Buddhist groups, even though the techniques are different. 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 raspier, sung at a higher pitch, and has more throat tension and less chest resonance. There are also unique styles by Vladimir Oidupaa and Albert Kuvezin, the latter also called kanzat. This 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 styles are Borbangnadyr and Ezengileer.

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

Women in Tuvan throat singing

In Tuva's history, only a few women were throat singers. Some people believed that women singing this way could cause infertility. Choldak-Kara Oyun, the mother of the famous throat singer Soruktu Kyrgys and grandmother of the husband of famous Tuvan actress Kara-Kys Namzatovna Munzuk, throat sang throughout her life while milking her cows, singing lullabies to her children, and sometimes while drinking Tuvan araga (fermented milk alcohol). Close relatives of famous singers, like 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. The wife of the throat singing shaman Bilek-ool from Manchurek, Aldinsova Tortoyavna, said she always sang khoomei "because it was innate to [her] from birth." She could not resist singing khoomei after she got married and had children, and sang khoomei in public 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 performing Tuvan throat singing, under the direction of 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, was interested in Tuvan throat singing and tried to visit Tuva in the 1980s when he was very sick from cancer. He never reached Tuva, but his daughter visited there in 2009 and met with Tuvan throat singers. The Quest for Tannu Tuva is a 1988 documentary film about Feynman’s attempt to visit Tuva. It was made for the BBC TV series Horizon and later shown on the PBS series Nova with American narration and the title The Last Journey of a Genius. 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 with a recording of Tuvan throat singing.

Yat-Kha is a band formed in 1991 and led by Tuvan throat singer Albert Kuvezin. The band plays a mix of traditional Tuvan music and rock.

Huun-Huur-Tu is a band formed in 1992. It uses Tuvan throat singing in its music and has performed internationally since it began.

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

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

Tyva Kyzy is an all-female folk group formed in 1998. It 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 follows 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. The Musical. The Musical.

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

The Tuvan National Orchestra was formed in 2003. It often includes Tuvan throat singing and features performances by artists from Alash, Chirgilchin, Huun-Huur-Tu, and Tyva Kyzy.

Batzorig Vaanchig is a member of the band Khusugtun, which was a runner-up on Asia’s Got Talent in 2015. He is a Mongolian throat singer with tens of millions of views on YouTube.

The Hu is a band formed in 2016. It comes from Mongolia and mixes rock and heavy metal with traditional Mongolian music, including Mongolian throat singing and the Morin khuur, also called the horsehead fiddle. The band calls its style "hunnu rock," with "hu" being a Mongolian word for "human." In 2018, the band performed at the Download Festival in Donington. A song called "Black Thunder" by The Hu was created for the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. A different version of the song, "Sugaan Essena," was translated and recorded by The Hu from Mongolian into a new fictional Star Wars language. This version was used in the game.

Soriah /Uger Khan is an American overtone singer, performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, and shamanic ritualist based in Portland, Oregon, and the Tuvan Republic. His music combines traditional styles like Tuvan throat singing, shamanic music, Raga, and pre-Columbian Mexica music and language with experimental styles like industrial, ambient, noise, and goth. His live performances mix costumes and rituals from Tuva, Mexico, North American Native cultures, and Western ceremonial magic traditions. They also include influences from chaos magic, butoh, and modern primitive movements from the 20th century.

Audio examples

• Kargyraa.mp3
• Khoomei.mp3
• Sygyt.mp3
• For more information, please visit the following website: https://www.alashensemble.com/. This site provides an accurate list of audio samples.