Throat Singing in Tuva

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Throat Singing in Tuva “Throat singing is one of the world’s oldest forms of music,” states Smithsonian Folkways Soundscapes article titled “Throat Singing” (Smithsonian, par. 1). Tuva, a rural region of Russia that is located just northwest of Mongolia (see Appendix, 1), has mastered this style called throat singing. The people of Tuva greatly identify with throat singing and today it has become more of a culture than just a folk tradition. Throat Singing Defined Throat singing is a kind of singing style. It is often compared to the sounds made by a bagpipe (Tuvan, par. 1). It is “guttural singing or chanting where the voice produces more than one note at a time” (Smithsonian, par. 3). Normally singing consists of a group of singers who each sing different notes. However, the throat singing technique allows one person to be able to sing many different notes. Through vocalization techniques a singer can produce unique harmonies by using the throat’s resonance characteristics. A singer must use precise movement of the lips, tongue, jaw, velum, and larynx (Smithsonian, par. 1). Throat singing is an extremely hard skill to learn that is acquired over many years of technical practice. Tuvan Throat Singing There are many different styles of throat singing, but in Tuva it is called Khöömei (Smithsonian, par. 2). A form of circular breathing is used which allows singers to sustain multiple notes for long periods of time. Circular breathing is defined as “a technique used by performers to maintain a continuous sound-inhaling only through the nose, filling the lungs, and reserving air in the mouth to use while singing” (Britanica, par. 1). This is how singers can produce several, long notes without stopping for air. Throat singing is learned at a young age in Tuva. Many singers are trained during their childhood through an apprentice

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