Throat singing is a style of
vocal music that was developed in
Central Asia and is common to the local music in such places as
Mongolia,
Tibet, and
Tuva. In Tuva, throat singing is called
Höömeï. It involves the singing of multiple notes at one time by changing the shape of the mouth and throat to emphasize specific
harmonic overtones. In some styles of throat singing, the sound is low and
drone-like, while in others there is a drone over which the
high-pitched harmonics dance like
butterflies. It is really
amazing.
The music has been popularized by the recent film Genghis Blues as well as through recordings of the group Huun-Huur-Tu which are available from Shanachie records.