How to throat sing

What you are learning

Every note you sing is a bundle of hidden higher notes, called overtones. Throat singers shape the inside of the mouth so that one overtone gets louder than the rest. That is how one voice can sound like two.

In Mongolia the art is called khöömii. The whistling style is called isgeree and the deep, growling style is kharkhiraa. Beginners start with the whistle, because it needs no special throat technique.

Five steps to your first overtones

• Relax: Sit or stand tall, drop your shoulders and breathe low into your belly.
• Find your drone: Hum or sing one comfortable, fairly low note. Keep it steady and soft, never forced.
• Slide from oo to ee: Hold the note and slowly say “oo-ee-oo-ee”. Listen for a faint whistle that moves as the vowel changes.
• Use your tongue: Lift the tip of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth, as if you were starting an “r” or an “l”. Move the middle of the tongue a little forward and back. The whistle gets clearer and changes pitch.
• Make it ring: Make the opening of your lips smaller, keep the drone steady, and use tiny tongue movements to find a simple tune.

Tips that help

Practice for five to ten minutes at a time and drink water. Record yourself on your phone: overtones are easier to hear on a recording than inside your own head. A small room with hard walls, like a bathroom, also makes them easier to hear.

If anything hurts, stop. Throat singing should feel relaxed. The deep kharkhiraa style uses a different part of the throat, so learn it later, ideally from a teacher.

Listen before you sing

The fastest way to learn is to listen closely. In a throat-singing song, try to hear the two layers: the low drone that stays still, and the bright line that moves above it.