On a recent episode of Soundcheck I heard a style of throat-singing I’d never heard before. This episode featured Inuit throat-singers from the Canadian arctic. In this style, the two performers stand very close (sometimes actually hugging) so that they can do a give-and-take with their breath as they go back-and-forth with a rhythmic, guttural sound. I highly encourage listening to the Soundcheck episode on headphones or in your car for the full effect. It really is pretty breathtaking and wholly unique.
Here’s a video of the two cousins from the show doing a somewhat basic song:
Digging a little deeper, here’s a 5-minute long video with a number of songs and styles:
And, lastly, here’s a cute video of a kid doing Inuit-style throat singing with his toy dinosaur:
Posted in Just Plain Odd, Television, Movies, and Music