'THROAT' SINGING

A special vocal technique that originates in Central Asia (mongolia & Tuva) where it is known as Khoomei. By using careful control of the vocal apparatus it becomes possible for one person to sing more than two notes simultaneously. These techniques can be learnt by many people and are wonderful to listen to but even better to use personally. More...

1-2-1 tuition is available for those wishing to learn how to sing using these wonderful techniques.

Please use CONTACT page. Workshops may also be avaible near where you live. See EVENTS.

Or you may prefer to learn at your own pace with the 56 page tuition book. It features easy-to-follow sections with plenty of illustrations, whilst the CD (included) will allow you to hear the sounds you should be making at each stage. Lots of exercises and covers many styles of singing: Western overtone styles and key Asian styles.

UK post paid for just £12.99. Order code: HTK001

'How to Khöömei and other Overtone Singing Styles' by Jonathan Cope

Book review by Christian Som

Many didgeridoo players are familiar with overtone singing. Anyone who's visited a few festivals or other didge events has inevitably heard a didgeridoo and overtone singing duet, or a group of several overtone singers. Many overtone singers also play the didgeridoo: those who have discovered the delights of overtones often want to explore other ways of creating them.

Jonathan Cope, well-versed didgeridoo player, sound therapist and overtone singer has written a book for people who want to delve into the wonderful (and sometimes weird) world of overtone singing. His book includes an accompanying CD with 43 sound samples which audibly demonstrate Jonathan's descriptions of technique and illustrations.

The book begins with a compact but very well-founded overview on overtone singing and its historical background. The next part is a concise primer on overtones and overtone scales, which is followed by a chapter on the physiology of the voice. To round off the theoretical section, there's two sections on breathing and warm-up exercises

I was most impressed by the chapters on theory. It's a real masterpiece of compression the way Jonathan Cope manages to reduce everything to the essential, while simultaneously providing extensive background knowledge. That the theory is also presented in an easily accessible and fleet-footed fashion only serves to reinforce the good impression that this book left on me. The historical, physiological and theoretical explanations are all well-founded and demonstrate how proficient the author is in his subject.

In the practical section, the reader is introduced step by step to the different styles of throat singing – always clearly demonstrated by the sound samples on the accompanying CD and the illustrations. The various possibilities of creating overtones in 'Western' style are explained first, followed by the more physically demanding (and if done incorrectly potentially dangerous for the vocal chords) traditional Khöömei, Sygyt und Kargyraa techniques and their variants.

All in all, highly to be recommended and an excellent introduction to the world of overtone singing.