Overtone singing facts for kids

Chirgilchin performing various styles of Tuvan throat singing.

Overtone singing is a cool way of singing where a singer makes more than one sound at the same time! It's also called harmonic singing or diphonic singing. Singers do this by changing the shape of their mouth and throat. This makes certain hidden sounds, called overtones, become loud enough for you to hear them as separate notes.

Imagine your voice makes a main sound, like a low hum. But inside that sound are many other quieter, higher sounds called harmonics or overtones. An overtone singer learns to pick out and make one or more of these higher sounds clear, while still singing the main note. It's like playing two or more notes with just one voice!

It's important not to mix up overtone singing with throat singing. Even though many throat singing styles use overtones, overtone singing is mostly about how you shape your mouth and throat. Throat singing is more about how your vocal cords vibrate.

Where is Overtone Singing Popular?

Overtone singing is practiced all over the world. It's especially famous in parts of Asia and Europe.

Asia: The Home of Overtone Singing

Many different cultures in Asia have their own special ways of doing overtone singing.

Mongolia: A Big Center for Overtone Singing

Many people believe overtone singing started in southwestern Mongolia. Today, Mongolia is one of the most active places for this unique singing style. The most common style there is called khöömii (pronounced like "hoo-mee").

There are different kinds of khöömii:

Uruulyn / labial khöömii: Uses the lips.
Tagnain / palatal khöömii: Uses the roof of the mouth.
Khamryn / nasal khöömii: Uses the nose.
Bagalzuuryn, khooloin / glottal, throat khöömii: Uses the throat.
Tseejiin khondiin, khevliin / chest cavity, stomach khöömii: Uses the chest or stomach area.
Turlegt, khosmoljin khöömii: Combines khöömii with long song.

Mongolians also have other styles like karkhiraa (which means 'growling') and isgeree.

Tuva: Many Styles of Overtone Singing

In the Republic of Tuva, which is in southern Siberia, Russia, overtone singing is also very popular. Tuvans love complex sounds with many layers. They have developed many rhythmic and melodic styles over hundreds of years. Most styles are sung with korekteer, which means 'to sing with chest voice'.

Some main Tuvan styles include:

Khöömei: A general term, but also a specific style.
Sygyt: A high, whistling sound.
Kargyraa: A deep, growling sound, often using special vocal folds.

Other cool sub-styles are:

Borbangnadyr
Chylandyk
Dumchuktaar
Ezengileer
Byrlang: A special type of vibrato, often used with khöömei and kargyraa.

The melodies in Tuvan overtone singing often use specific harmonics (like the 6th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and sometimes 16th). These create a major pentatonic scale, which sounds very natural. They carefully skip the 7th and 11th harmonics. One very special Tuvan melody is "Artii Sayir," usually sung in the kargyraa style.

Altai and Khakassia: Epic Storytelling with Kai

Tuva's neighbors, the Altai Republic and Khakassia, also have their own forms of throat singing called kai or khai. In Altai, kai is often used to perform epic poetry while playing a topshur (a stringed instrument). Altai storytellers, called kai-chi, use styles similar to Tuvan kargyraa, khöömei, and sygyt. They also have a unique style with very high harmonics that comes from kargyraa.

Variations of kai include:

Karkyra
Sybysky
Homei
Sygyt

Chukchi Peninsula: A Northern Style

The Chukchi people in the far northeast of Russia also practice a form of throat singing.

Tibet: Monks and Deep Chants

Tibetan Buddhist chanting is a type of throat singing, mostly done by monks in Tibet and other Himalayan regions like Nepal, Bhutan, and India. These chants often use the lowest possible pitches. Many monks might chant together during ceremonies and prayers.

Different Tibetan throat singing styles exist, such as:

Gyuke: Uses the lowest voice pitch.
Dzoke
Gyer

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan: The Zhirau Singers

In Kazakhstan and the Uzbek region of Karakalpakstan, poet-musicians called zhirau use throat singing when they recite epic poems. They often play the dombra (a stringed instrument) at the same time. Zhirau singers believe that the ability to throat-sing is a special gift that cannot be taught.

Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan: Balochi Nur Sur

Balochi Nur Sur is an ancient form of overtone singing. It's still popular in parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan, especially in the Sulaiman Mountains.

Kurdistan: Dengbêj and Overtones

Dengbêj is a Kurdish-Yazidi style of bardic chanting. It often includes overtones in a way that's different from other overtone singing styles. A researcher named Nick Hobbs wrote about how overtones are used in dengbêj. This style is mostly found in Turkish Kurdistan. While dengbêj singers also sing Kurdish folk songs, overtones are rarely heard in other Kurdish traditional music.

Europe: Ancient and Modern Sounds

Overtone singing is also found in some parts of Europe, with unique traditions.

Sardinia, Italy: Cantu a Tenore

On the island of Sardinia in Italy, there's a special kind of group singing called cantu a tenore. This style uses throat singing. A group has four male singers, each with a different role. The boche (voice) is the main singer. The mesu boche (half voice), contra (against), and bassu (bass) form the chorus, singing in lower pitches. The boche and mesu boche sing normally, but the contra and bassu use their false vocal folds, similar to the Tuvan Khöömei and Kargyraa techniques. In 2005, UNESCO recognized cantu a tenore as an important world heritage.

Northern Europe: Yoik and Overtones

The Sami people in northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia have a singing style called yoik. While overtone techniques aren't the main part of yoik, some singers do use overtones when they perform.

Bashkortostan, Russia: Özläü and the Kurai Flute

The Bashkirs of Bashkortostan, Russia, have an overtone singing style called özläü. This style is very rare now. Bashkirs also sing özläü while playing the kurai, which is their national instrument. This way of singing into a flute can also be found in folk music as far west as the Balkans and Hungary.

Andalusia, Spain: Flamenco's Hidden Overtones

In Flamenco's Cante Jondo style, singers sometimes add overtone colors at the end of their phrases. This might have started as a way to make notes last longer, but it became a beautiful decoration in its own right. Singers like Carmen Linares and Duquende often use overtones.

Africa: South Africa's Unngqokolo

South Africa: Thembu Xhosa Women's Unngqokolo

Some Thembu Xhosa women in South Africa have a low, rhythmic style of throat-singing called unngqokolo. It's similar to the Tuvan Kargyraa style. It often goes with call-and-response singing and complex rhythms.

Modern Overtone Singing

Since the 1960s, many musicians in the West have started exploring overtone singing. Some have worked with traditional singers, while others have created their own unique styles. They've helped this ancient art form become popular around the world.

Famous Overtone Singers and Groups

Some well-known musicians who use overtone singing include:

Collegium Vocale Köln: One of the first groups to use this technique in 1968.
Michael Vetter
Tran Quang Hai: A researcher who has published many articles and videos. His film "The Song of Harmonics" won several international awards.
David Hykes: Founded Harmonic Chant in New York in 1975 and his famous group, The Harmonic Choir.
Jill Purce
Jim Cole
Ry Cooder
Paul Pena: Mixed traditional Tuvan style with American Blues. His journey to Tuva was shown in the documentary Genghis Blues, which won awards.
Steve Sklar
Kiva: Specializes in jazz and world beat music.
Baird Hersey and his group Prana with Krishna Das: Combine overtone singing with Hindu mantra.
Nathan Rogers: A Canadian songwriter who teaches Tuvan throat singing.
Sainkho Namtchylak: A Tuvan singer who has worked with jazz musicians.
Wolfgang Saus: A major teacher and performer of polyphonic overtone singing in Europe.
Avi Kaplan: An a cappella singer (from the group Pentatonix) who combined throat singing with a cappella dubstep.
The Overtone Choir Spektrum from Prague, Czech Republic: Connects traditional choir singing with overtone techniques.
MuOM Ecstatic Voices from Barcelona: Combines Western overtone singing with Tuvan/Mongolian throat singing in their own songs.
Sherden Overtone Choir from Sardinia: Combines Tuvan and Sardinian throat singing.
The Suitcase Junket: A multi-instrumentalist who uses a self-taught overtone singing technique.

Overtone Singing in Classical Music

Several modern classical composers have also used overtone singing in their music.

Karlheinz Stockhausen: One of the first, with his piece Stimmung in 1968.
Tran Quang Hai: Created the composition "Ve Nguon" in 1975.
Sarah Hopkins: Her piece "Past Life Melodies" for chorus uses this technique.
Tan Dun: His "Water Passion after St. Matthew" features soloists singing in Mongolian overtone style.

Viral Overtone Singing

In 2014, German singer Anna-Maria Hefele became very famous online with her "polyphonic overtone" singing. Her video, titled Polyphonic Overtone Singing, where she shows and explains overtones, has been watched over 20 million times!

Nikolai Galen, a British singer, also uses overtones in his experimental music.