Throat singing
Special vocal production in folk music.
What it means
Throat singing (German Kehlgesang) is a collective term for singing techniques in which the voice is produced differently from European art singing. Best known is overtone singing, as it is cultivated in Central Asia: over a low, unchanging fundamental, individual overtones are reinforced through deliberate change of the mouth cavity, tongue, and lips so that they become audible as a second, whistling melody. A singer thereby produces two tonal lines at once. In addition, further techniques with a rough, pressed, or creaking sound fall under the term.
Musical use
These kinds of singing are embedded in their respective traditions and fulfil particular tasks there; they are not effects but independent musical practice with their own styles, names, and rules. Musically, overtone singing rests directly on the harmonic series: the audible melody consists of partials of the fundamental, which is why its pool of notes is fixed. Since the late twentieth century the technique has also been known outside its regions of origin and is used in new music and in choral practice. Accounts of it are often inexact and generalize regional differences.
Performance practice
Begin with a calm, deeply supported fundamental in a comfortable register and work on the shape of the mouth cavity, not on force; overtones arise through resonance, not through pressure. Practise at first the change between a few vowel positions and listen to the whistling incidental sound that is reinforced in the process. Avoid pressing and tension in the throat, because they can damage the voice. Whoever wants to learn these techniques seriously should seek lessons with teachers of the respective tradition; self-experiments from recordings easily lead to unhealthy voice production.
Bear in mind that these techniques in their traditions of origin are tied to rules, occasions, and paths of training: an adoption without knowledge of these contexts does not do them justice. Seek lessons with teachers of the respective tradition. For the voice it holds that pressing and tension in the throat are to be avoided, because they can cause harm; work with resonance instead of pressure. Begin with a calm fundamental in a comfortable register. In programme notes, precise designation is advisable instead of generalizing collective terms.