Nature’s Voice: Tuvan Throat Singing

From the mountains of Central Asia comes a musical form that borrows extensively from Nature. In this episode, we talk to Tuvan vocalist and composer, Saylyk Ommun, about Tuvan throat singing and its links with the natural world and modern genres like rock.

Time Markers (min:sec)

• 00:43 – Sample of Tuvan throat singing
• 01:05 – Sasha’s first memory of Tuvan music
• 01:26 – Who is Saylyk Ommun?
• 01:56 – Saylyk singing “Çavıdak”
• 02:30 – What the episode’s about
• 03:47 – Saylyk’s childhood
• 04:24 – Saylyk’s joins Yat-Kha
• 06:40 – Tuvan throat singing and nature
• 08:26 – Women practicing throat singing today
• 09:21 – Throat singing listening exercise
• 10:03 – What is timbre?
• 11:01 – Description of throat singing styles
• 11:24 – Kargyraa style
• 15:17 – Xoomei style
• 16:08 – Sygyt style
• 17:03 – Borbangnadyr
• 17:29 – Ezenggileer
• 17:48 – Xoomei style with both techniques at once
• 18:05 – Throat singing is sculpting sound and its scientific explanations
• 18:34 – Saylyk sings “Ezir-Kara”
• 18:55 – The rich and complex use of timbre in Tuvan music
• 20:24 – Saylyk discusses Tuvan folk songs and her grandmother’s singing
• 21:09 – Saylyk sings a folk song her grandmother sang to her
• 22:09 – Lets think of Nature in new ways