So people have been asking me about the weird whistling sound on the Suitcase Junket CD. Here's what I usually say when people are interested: "Oh yeah. The throat-singing thing. I think that's what it's called. Learned it in the car by accident. Well, no, actually it goes farther back than that. I learned about the retro-flexed tongue that's used to pronounce r and d in a south indian cooking class. (a January-term Hampshire College course with Jay Pillay) Then I was messing around with those shapes in the mouth while singing in the car and 'voila!' I discovered a method of singing that people have been doing for thousands of years.!" Eureka!
So I stuck my little Personal American Flag on it - PAF if you will- stuck it right there in my newly discovered territory and called it mine. So there. I hear that Mongolia and Tibet both have a rich throat-singing legacy in their musical history, but honestly, I haven't looked into it yet. People have told me some groups I should check out, hell, good ole youtube would probably give me a bajillion hits if I searched it, (a bajillion actually=a billion and five) but no. I'm still sitting around watching my own little PAF flutter in the wind pretending I'm the only human on earth ever to have ever done it. Ever. I'll probably look up some stuff tonight. I swear.
So basically what's happening is I'm singing a drone note with my belly. Know what I mean? Diaphragmatic breath anyone? youtube it. OK so pushing a drone out of your guts. It's not going to sound super saccharine sweet or anything. It's almost like an extended groan. OK so you're groan droning and then you take the tip of your tongue and touch it to the roof of your mouth. (I recommend doing this in a car or closet or shower. Somewhere you feel safe and enclosed. The car should be parked. not driving.) OK so your tongue is on the roof of your mouth. Listen closely to the sound you are making even if it is unpleasant. Especially if it's unpleasant. Then slowly slide your tongue back and forth on the roof of your mouth and continue listening closely. Sounds kind of gross when you put it in print. That's the beginning. From there it's all refinement and technique. Experiment with different drone notes. Some are easier than others to get the overtones with. So basically what's happening, as I understand it, is your tongue is creating a little resonance chamber at the back of your mouth. And somehow (the physics of sound anyone?) this chamber breaks up the drone note into the harmonic sequence -5th- octave-3rd-5th-7th-octave-9th and so on. so forth. what have you. etc. for instance. So there you have it. Notes on the throat. There are a few other different ways to sing with overtones but this is the preferred method - most versatile.
So I stuck my little Personal American Flag on it - PAF if you will- stuck it right there in my newly discovered territory and called it mine. So there. I hear that Mongolia and Tibet both have a rich throat-singing legacy in their musical history, but honestly, I haven't looked into it yet. People have told me some groups I should check out, hell, good ole youtube would probably give me a bajillion hits if I searched it, (a bajillion actually=a billion and five) but no. I'm still sitting around watching my own little PAF flutter in the wind pretending I'm the only human on earth ever to have ever done it. Ever. I'll probably look up some stuff tonight. I swear.
So basically what's happening is I'm singing a drone note with my belly. Know what I mean? Diaphragmatic breath anyone? youtube it. OK so pushing a drone out of your guts. It's not going to sound super saccharine sweet or anything. It's almost like an extended groan. OK so you're groan droning and then you take the tip of your tongue and touch it to the roof of your mouth. (I recommend doing this in a car or closet or shower. Somewhere you feel safe and enclosed. The car should be parked. not driving.) OK so your tongue is on the roof of your mouth. Listen closely to the sound you are making even if it is unpleasant. Especially if it's unpleasant. Then slowly slide your tongue back and forth on the roof of your mouth and continue listening closely. Sounds kind of gross when you put it in print. That's the beginning. From there it's all refinement and technique. Experiment with different drone notes. Some are easier than others to get the overtones with. So basically what's happening, as I understand it, is your tongue is creating a little resonance chamber at the back of your mouth. And somehow (the physics of sound anyone?) this chamber breaks up the drone note into the harmonic sequence -5th- octave-3rd-5th-7th-octave-9th and so on. so forth. what have you. etc. for instance. So there you have it. Notes on the throat. There are a few other different ways to sing with overtones but this is the preferred method - most versatile.
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