Yodeling (technique)

What it means

Yodeling is a singing technique in which, without text, usually on syllables such as “holario” or “diri,” one rapidly alternates between chest voice and head voice. The audible break between the two registers is not a flaw here but a deliberate tonal feature.

Musical use

Yodeling is especially widespread in the folk music of the Alpine region, where it originally served communication over greater distances and later developed into an art of singing in its own right. Similar techniques are also found in other cultures, for instance among the Pygmy peoples of Central Africa or in certain styles of American country music. Yodels can occur both textless and as a refrain within a sung song.

Yodeling should be distinguished from falsetto, which also uses the head voice but does without the characteristic rapid switching between registers. It also differs from ordinary register change in classical singing technique, where the aim is a transition as inaudible as possible rather than a deliberately audible one.

Performance practice

Practise the register switch in yodeling first slowly on single interval leaps, such as an octave, and increase the tempo only once the switch succeeds securely. Keep the throat relaxed so the break between registers sounds clear but not pressed.