Khoomei

Khoomei (in Mongolian; the Tuvan equivalent is khoomei or its sub-styles sygyt, kargyraa) is a vocal technique in which a single singer produces a low fundamental drone in the throat while shaping the mouth and tongue to selectively amplify a specific overtone, which then sings out as a high whistling melody above the drone. The combination of low buzz and high overtone from one human throat is acoustically uncanny on first hearing. Different sub-styles distinguish themselves by throat tension, vowel formation, and fundamental pitch.

Throat singing exists across a band of Central and Inner Asian steppe cultures — Mongolia, Tuva, Bashkortostan, Kalmykia — with distinct regional traditions. The origins are tied to nomadic life and to imitating natural sounds (wind, water, animal calls), though specific historical lineages are hard to trace. During the Soviet era the Tuvan group Huun-Huur-Tu introduced the practice to Western audiences. Mongolia's heavy-metal-fused band The Hu (formed 2016) brought khoomei to global rock audiences with 'Wolf Totem' (2018) and subsequent releases.

First, isolate the drone — confirm that a continuous low tone is present. Then track the overtone melody above it. Asking yourself 'is this one voice or two?' is part of the experience. The Hu's 'Wolf Totem' (2018) overlays khoomei on electric instruments, which makes the technique easier to spot. Huun-Huur-Tu's acoustic recordings reveal the unadorned vocal mechanism.

Start with The Hu's 'Wolf Totem' (2018) for an amplified contemporary frame, then go to Huun-Huur-Tu's traditional recordings to hear the technique with no rock production around it.

UNESCO inscribed Mongolian khoomei on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010. The physicist Richard Feynman became a famous late-life admirer of Tuvan culture and dreamed of visiting Tuva, contributing to Western interest in throat singing.