Mongolian Throat Singing

Mongolian throat singing, called khöömei in Tuvan and related traditions across Mongolia and southern Siberia, is a vocal technique in which a single singer produces a low fundamental drone and simultaneously amplifies selected overtones into a clear, flute-like melody. Styles range from the deep, pressed kargyraa to the whistle-register sygyt, and texts praise horses, rivers, mountains and wrestlers. Accompaniment comes from the igil horsehead fiddle, topshur lute and doshpuluur. Ensembles such as *Huun-Huur-Tu*, *Yat-Kha* and *Hanggai*, and the rock band *The Hu*, have carried the practice from herding camps to concert stages worldwide.