How to Throat Sing: Exploring Tuvan, Mongolian, and Inuit Cultures

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Plus, discover the physics and biology behind overtone singing
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Throat singing (also called Mongolian throat singing, Tuvan throat singing, or overtone singing) is a technique that manipulates your vocal cords to produce overtones along with a lower, fundamental pitch. Famous in many Central Asian and Inuit cultures, throat singing creates the illusion that you are singing more than one pitch at the same time. In this article, we’ll teach you how to begin throat singing with tips from professional voice coach Jonathan Stancato. We’ll also explore how throat singing works , which cultures perform it , and whether it’s safe for your singing voice. Keep scrolling to learn more!

Throat Singing: Quick Steps

Relax your jaw, lips, and throat, then make an “R” or “L” shape with your tongue. Sing a low pitch in your chest voice (just above or overlapping with the vocal fry) on an “oo” syllable and begin moving your tongue back and forth while your lips alternate between “E” and “U” syllable shapes.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Start Throat Singing

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  1. Your mouth should be slightly open with roughly a centimeter between your upper and lower teeth. [1] Stancato offers this warmup exercise to relax:
    • “I like to put on a drone…and I will just take a single syllable, like an ‘oo’ or a ‘la,’ and I will sing that in unison with the drone, trying to do it for a full breath cycle. I'll be able to hear things interfering with my sound, and often those things are tension in the jaw or throat. There's something about the natural human desire to sing in unison, that our desire to sing with the drone releases some of that.”
    • Not sure where to find a drone? “There are a lot of beautiful drones available on YouTube,” Stancato adds. “One of my favorites is a series called Cello Drones , and you can pick any key you want.”
  2. Your tongue should almost touch the roof of your mouth behind your front teeth. Don't worry if it brushes it occasionally—just get comfortable with the position.
    • Here’s another way to think about it: Picture your tongue forming a shallow “bowl” or “U” shape in your mouth, with the bottom of the “U” on the floor of your mouth and the edges of the “U” against your molars. [2]
    • This tongue shape creates more resonance inside your mouth.
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  3. Sing and hold a low note with your tongue in place. You will be singing with this note to create your overtones. Sing from your chest, getting as deep as you can.
    • Think of saying “oo” (like the sound in the word “cool”) with the deepest voice you can.
    • Aim for the lowest note you can sing without going fully into the “vocal fry” (the lowest, crackly, grumbly part of your voice). The ideal spot is somewhere between your full voice and the vocal fry—try transitioning in and out of the fry on your low note so that you feel a comfortable “buzzing” in your throat. [3]
    • Stancato offers this advice:
      • “For the lower end of the vocal range, we really need to think about relaxing the voice. Let’s say I’m singing an “ooo.” There's a point at which a lot of people have trained their voice to go into vocal fry. Vocal fry is generated from the ventricular folds, which are not the same as the vocal folds, so we want to see the deepest sound that a vocal fold can produce mostly on its own.”
  4. Keeping the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Think of it as shifting between an “R” and an “L” sound with your tongue. Move slowly between the sounds and think about elongating your “Rs” and “Ls” to draw out the sound. [4]
  5. Think of moving your mouth from an “E” sound to a “U” sound ("as if you’re saying “see you” without the “s”). This changes the shape of your lips and the “resonance” of your mouth (how sound bounces around inside).
    • Here’s another way to think about it: Move your lips into a puckering shape, like you’re about to whistle (“U” sound), and then relax them back into your starting position (“E” sound). [5]
    • Do this slowly and listen for the very faint peek of higher overtones that are emerging from your low, fundamental pitch. Once you hear these, it’s just a matter of practicing to learn how to isolate and amplify them! [6]
  6. Everyone's mouth is a little different, and there is no perfect formula for tongue position, mouth opening, or volume. Start with your basic “oooo” note, and then:
    • Place your tongue near the roof of your mouth in an “R” or “L” position.
    • Move your lips slowly between the “E” and “U” vowel sounds.
    • Slowly curl your tongue back and forth from your lips.
    • When you hear your overtones, stop moving your mouth and hold the tone.
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Section 2 of 5:

Improving Your Throat Singing Sound

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  1. These will hide your normal vocal tones and make your high-pitched “whistling” overtones seem louder. Try practicing in the shower, while you drive, or while the TV is on in the background. [7]
    • Don't worry if you cannot hear the overtones at first. It is difficult to hear yourself singing overtones when you first begin, even if you are making them properly, because of the resonance in your head.
  2. When they’re first starting out, most people don't put enough power and energy behind their voice. To get the “ooooo” sound right, imagine you are trying to sing as someone gently squeezes your throat. Your voice will need to be loud and forceful, and this will help you create overtones. [8]
    • After you master throat singing technique, you can lower your volume and vocal power to something more comfortable.
    • According to Stancato, “the best way to find out how to sing more beautifully and richly is to go within and use techniques from the mindfulness world to discover our true voice in the actual world…Most Americans, it seems, tend to speak near the bottom of their perceived singing ranges.”
  3. There is a difference between your “ chest voice ” and your “head voice.” With your head voice, you usually sing at a higher pitch, and you can feel the sound resonating in your throat and head (this is where your falsetto range is). A chest voice feels more resonant, and you can feel the vibrations in your upper chest. [9]
  4. Once you can comfortably sing with some overtones, you can learn to make melodies by moving your lips and adjusting your base note. Open and close them like you were transitioning from an “E” sound to a “U” sound (“eeeeeerrrrrrruuuuuu”). [10]
    • Start by finding 2 notes you can switch between fairly confidently, then try expanding your range to make more complex melodies.
    • Don’t be afraid to experiment! “What we need to do at the end of the day is be curious and playful,” Stancato advises. “Our voice can do anything when we're curious and playful, but if we start to try to discipline our voice, then we find that we end up with a disciplined voice. And a disciplined voice is no more fun to play with than a disciplined child is.”
    • Ask yourself, “‘What is my voice trying to do right now?’” Stancato continues. “‘How can I support it with curiosity, love, and play, instead of thinking my voice isn't doing what I want it to do right now ? How can I get it to do so?’”
  5. Throat singing is found in cultures from Alaska to Mongolia to South Africa and beyond. The Smithsonian Museum has an incredible collection of videos from these cultures , as well as some tutorials for beginning throat singers.
    • If you’re extra motivated to master throat singing, consider working with an experienced vocal coach or voice teacher who can help you meet your goals with good technique that protects your voice.
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Section 3 of 5:

What is throat singing?

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  1. 1
    Throat singing is a technique that produces multiple sung pitches at once. In throat singing, the singer manipulates or reinforces the overtones of a fundamental pitch to produce multiple pitches at once. Originally called “overtone singing” by Western scholars, the more accurate term “throat singing” comes from a translation of the Mongolian word höömei . Throat singing can be performed over a deep, droning pitch or as a moving melody. [11]
    • “Throat singing” is an umbrella term that encompasses different styles and techniques from cultures all over the world, including Tuvan, Mongolian, Inuit, Xhosa, and more.
  2. 2
    Throat singing is achieved with super fine control over your vocal tract. Normally, when we speak or sing, we only hear one pitch. This pitch is determined by how fast or slow your vocal cords (two bands of smooth muscle tissue found in the larynx) vibrate as air passes through them—the faster the vibration, the higher the pitch (and vice versa). However, there are higher overtones that accompany this fundamental pitch. Even though you can’t always hear them, overtones shape the overall sound quality and timbre of the pitch you’re speaking or singing. [12]
    • Your mouth and tongue help shape these overtone frequencies to resonances at certain frequencies called formants. There are 3 formants that shape human vowel sounds—F1, F2, and F3.
    • Skilled throat singers manipulate and blend these formants with very precise movement in 2 areas: Just behind the upper teeth using their tongue, and in the area near the back of the mouth that turns into the throat.
    • When these very subtle movements blend the formants, they become clear and audible, making it sound like the singer is producing 2 or more pitches at once.
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Section 4 of 5:

Throat Singing Cultures

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  1. 1
    Tuva and Mongolia Throat singing is often called “Tuvan throat singing” or “Mongolian throat singing” because of its prominence in these Central Asian cultures (it’s also the most familiar style of throat singing to many Westerners). The Tuvans, from the Tuva region of Russia, developed throat singing the most extensively. There are several common styles of throat singing in these cultures: [13]
    • Khöömei : A generic term for a soft singing style with diffused harmonics over a drone (listen on YouTube here ).
    • Sygyt : A style with very clean, whistle-like overtones (listen on YouTube here ).
    • Kargyraa : A low, growling style with rich overtones (listen on YouTube here ).
    • Tuvan and Mongolian throat singing is primarily done by men, as deeper voices have an easier time producing the fundamental pitches (although women can and do learn to perform it as well).
    • Communist regimes in the early 1900s tried to eliminate indigenous throat singing since they considered it a “backward” practice. Thankfully, throat singing made a resurgence as a national art form in Mongolia and Russia in the ‘80s.
  2. 2
    Inuit The Inuit are the indigenous peoples of Canada, Alaska, and parts of Greenland. According to legend, the first throat singers were small birds with human-like features called Tunirtuaruit. When Inuit humans throat sing, it’s typically done by two women facing each other, using their throat, stomach, and diaphragm to expel sounds in a more rhythmic style compared to the droning melodies of other cultures. [14]
    • It’s thought that Inuit women learned throat singing to pass the time and stay warm while the men were out hunting for hours or days at a time. Some Inuit men throat sing as well, but it’s less common.
    • In the early 1900s, Christian missionaries in the Arctic tried to ban indigenous throat singing and nearly extinguished it. Today, there is a thriving revival movement to preserve the ancient practice.
    • Check out this YouTube video to listen to and learn more about Inuit throat singing.
  3. 3
    Xhosa Eefing is a style of throat singing performed by the Xhosa people of Bantu in southeastern South Africa. Eefing is deeper than other styles of throat singing and produces 2 pitches that are just a step apart. It’s performed communally in large groups and includes complex rhythmic patterns suited for group dancing. [15]
    • Like in the Inuit culture, eefing is primarily performed by women (often for ceremonial or ritual purposes).
    • Check out this YouTube video to hear authentic eefing throat singing.
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Section 5 of 5:

Will throat singing hurt your voice?

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  1. It’s unlikely, but any type of singing can damage your voice if done improperly. Your ventricular vocal cords (the “false” vocal cords above your larynx that are not usually involved in sound production) are engaged when you throat sing, which gives you that guttural, raspy sound. Since these aren’t involved in “mainstream” singing, it’s unlikely that your normal singing voice will be impacted. [16]
    • However, bad general singing practices—excessive tension, straining, pushing your voice when you’re tired—can hurt your singing voice whether you’re throat singing or practicing opera.

Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Why does my throat feel tight while singing?
    Jonathan Stancato
    Voice Coach
    Jonathan Stancato is a Holistic Voice Coach and the Founder of Inside Voice, an approach to improving one's voice and singing abilities through a mind-body 5-octave approach developed while he was working at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He serves clients online and in-person in the New York City metro area and has taught students in theatre conservatories, music festivals, mindfulness organizations, TED Conferences, colleges, choirs, and corporations. Jonathan has extensive training in extended voice (Richard Armstrong/Roy Hart), Hindustani classical vocals (Michael Harrison), and trance singing (Thomas Richards/Grotowski Workcenter).
    Jonathan Stancato
    Voice Coach
    Expert Answer
    It might be because you're overthinking your sound, rather than focusing on how you're feeling in your particular singing situation. Try singing along with a simple recording, even one of a single tone, and your human desire to sing in unison might help your throat loosen.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 22 Helpful 9
  • Question
    How can I sing less nasally and more throatily?
    Community Answer
    Blow your nose before a performance, use bigger breaths, and sing from the gut.
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  • Question
    How bad can I injure my voice while practicing throat singing? Can I injure it permanently?
    Community Answer
    It is not possible to "permanently" damage your vocal chords by just using them. But if you've ever sung or talked for long periods of time, your throat will start to get a little sore. If you notice that it is starting to become uncomfortable to talk or sing, take a break and, if you so desire, have some hot tea with honey to help soothe your throat.
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      • If you're sick and have a sore throat/phlegm, wait to practice singing until you're well again.
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      • Do not over-strain yourself when trying to find which muscles to use, as it can hurt or damage your vocal cords and regular singing voice.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://folkways-media.si.edu/docs/lesson_plans/FLP10066_tuvan_throat_singing.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.davideriknelson.com/sbsb/index.php/2014/10/mongolian-throat-singing-for-dummies/
      3. ↑ https://folkways-media.si.edu/docs/lesson_plans/FLP10066_tuvan_throat_singing.pdf
      4. ↑ https://folkways-media.si.edu/docs/lesson_plans/FLP10066_tuvan_throat_singing.pdf
      5. ↑ https://www.davideriknelson.com/sbsb/index.php/2014/10/mongolian-throat-singing-for-dummies/
      6. ↑ https://www.davideriknelson.com/sbsb/index.php/2014/10/mongolian-throat-singing-for-dummies/
      7. ↑ https://www.gigwise.com/step-by-step-tutorial-discover-the-secrets-of-throat-singing/
      8. ↑ https://www.gigwise.com/step-by-step-tutorial-discover-the-secrets-of-throat-singing/
      9. ↑ https://www.gigwise.com/step-by-step-tutorial-discover-the-secrets-of-throat-singing/
      1. ↑ https://www.gigwise.com/step-by-step-tutorial-discover-the-secrets-of-throat-singing/
      2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/science/overtone
      3. ↑ https://news.arizona.edu/news/researchers-solve-mystery-tuvan-throat-singing
      4. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/art/throat-singing
      5. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210414-a-revival-of-indigenous-throat-singing
      6. ↑ https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/music/overtone-singing-throat-singing
      7. ↑ https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/the-science-of-tuvan-throat-singing/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To throat sing, first relax your jaw and lips and open your mouth slightly. Then, make an “R” or “L” sound with the tip of your tongue not quite touching the roof of your mouth. Try to keep your tongue in place as you sing and hold an “oo” sound with the deepest voice possible. When you’re comfortable with that note, keep the tip of your tongue in place while you move the rest of it back and forth, as if you’re shifting between “R” and “L” sounds. As you do this, slowly move your mouth from making an “E” sound to a “U” sound to make changes in how you sound. To learn how to practice throat singing with background noise to improve your sound, scroll down!

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