Though it may go without saying, there are so many different kinds of musical styles all around the world.
In the United States, we tend to think we have a monopoly on music worldwide because so much of our culture gets exported. In truth, however, America only accounts for about four percent of the world population—so in fact, what’s going on in the rest of the world is much more substantial in many ways!
Although there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the culture of wherever you come from, it’s good to explore outside of it as well.
Fortunately, websites like YouTube have made the world more of a global culture that way.
Though surfing on YouTube is great for discovering new music, sometimes you come across things that are particularly unusual.
It’s easy to find plenty of covers of pop songs, but when you find something from another culture, it can really capture your interest. By way of example, has anyone out there ever heard of throat singing?
Though it may sound unusual, throat singing or throat harmony is a kind of music that comes from Mongolia. Generally speaking, the style relies on a deeper intonation and is not as melodic.
Still, it uses an entirely different technique and is pretty hypnotic all on its own.
As just one example of this, consider this video.
The clip was uploaded by a YouTube channel called BEK, and it starts with two men sitting in the woods with crossed legs. They’re both holding traditional Russian instruments and from the beginning, they strum out a rapid rhythm.
As the first person starts singing, it’s clear just how different this style is. Instead of trying to get out different melodic notes, he focuses on vibrating his throat to make all kinds of different pitches.
After a while, the pitches start to reverberate and you can hear different notes between them!
When the other man starts singing, his voice is even lower than the first one!
Although the beginning is impressive, the tail end of the video is what really takes it beyond. While it’s easy to hear they’re deep voices, what makes it really impressive is how another high note emerges off of the low note in certain parts.
This is called an “overtone,” and it’s a kind of auditory illusion produced through the vibrations! The same principle is at work when someone plays a pinch harmonic on a guitar fret.
Still, these men are able to do the same thing by only using their voices!
Since this clip was uploaded, it’s been viewed several million times—and it’s easy to see why.
Although this style of music is definitely unusual compared to what many of us are used to, it’s completely unique and offers its own sound. Above all, it’s a great example of what the human body is actually capable of.
Though we usually think of singing as taking place only in a higher, harmonic register, this style shows that interesting melodic and rhythmic tricks can be accomplished with careful practice as well!
Special thanks to these two performers for their awesome demonstration! Be sure to check out the entire thing in the link below:
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