By singing harmonics, you can balance your body daily.
Today I am going to talk about harmonic singing, this is a special vocal technique that originates in the Altai – Tuva – Mongolia region, and that allows the singer to produce more than one musical note at a time. The voice of each of us (even while speaking) produces a range of harmonics simultaneously. The skill of the string tone singer lies in being able to concentrate on each of these various tones at will. The indigenous use of this extraordinary vocal technique lies in the production of a basic drone with a melody (created from the range of harmonics – commonly 1 to 12) surfing above. These melodies are most often taken from popular songs. There is a range of such vocal techniques in Mongolia:
• uruulyn / xoomii lipstick
• tagnain / palatal xoomii
*Xamryn/nasal xoomii
• bagalzuuryn, xooloin/glottal, xoomii throat
• tseejiin xondiin, xevliin / thoracic cavity, stomach xoomii
• turlegt or xosmoljin xoomii / xoomii combined with long songs
However, other regions have other terms. For example, the Tuvans give three basic categories:
• sygyt: an imitation of the gentle summer breezes, the songs of birds.
• hoomei: wind swirling between rocks
• kargyraa: hallucinatory winds of winter; The cries of a mother camel after losing her calf.
As an anthropologist I believe that this way of singing has its origins in shamanism. This is the region where shamanism is said to have begun around the time of the last Ice Age thousands of years ago. While today the melodies are of familiar tunes, I believe that the first use of this technique was to give expression to transcendent states of consciousness and act as a vehicle to express realities that go beyond everyday speech. I use it this way myself in my own work.
Mongolian folklore has a beautiful story regarding its origins: rooted in their shamanic past, the people of Chandman Suma believe that xoomii originated there and explain its origin in various ways. They claim that the unusual characteristics of nature present in its mountains, lakes, rivers and birds, together with the intrinsic link to the magical or supernatural, gave rise to this style of singing. Chandman Sum is surrounded on three sides by mountains and lakes. Its western border is formed by Lake Xar Us Nuur in the north and two high mountain ranges, Zuun Jargalantyn Nuruu and Xuremtiin Nuruu. The eastern border is formed by two lakes, Xar Nuur and Dargin Nuur. The two largest lakes, Xar Us Nuur and Xar Nuur, are connected in the north by a much smaller lake, the Dalai Nuur, and by a river called Chono Xaraix. To the south is semi-desert. Certain birds also appear in this story and chief among these is the buxl bernard usny. This bird buries its head under the surface of the lake and then sings.
Xhoomii is sometimes referred to as “bird echo.”
These people also say that the sounds heard in the mountains have a special quality. For example, Mount Jargalant is said to be able to “hold” very strong winds coming from the west before releasing them on the steppe below. Sometimes the wind continues for four to five hours, while other times the duration is said to last for three days. This gives a warning to people who live in that area. During this time the mountain drones make a hollow sound. Elders in the area credit the same power to the lakes, saying that Mount Jargalant and Lake Xar Us Nuur “attract and digest the sound of the wind.” Some even speak of a musical communication existing between these two. In this region there are many waterfalls and rivers that produce different combinations of sounds depending on the type of stones over which they flow. One particular river, the Erv River, is credited with magical properties and also as the origin of this style of singing.
The first written records of this style of singing come from the 16th century. Some recordings of this Mongolian vocal technique were released in the West during the 1970s although David Hykes of New York is generally credited as the first Westerner to actually perform this technique within a musical context. He formed a harmony choir in New York under her direction. They met regularly in a Church and produced three albums.
Overtone singing works best in a suitable acoustic environment.
Rosa Puerto
