Tuvan Throat Singing Masters: Alash Ensemble

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In Tuvan throat singing, the performer produces a fundamental pitch and—simultaneously—one or more pitches over that. Often, singers travel far into the countryside looking for the right river, or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throat-singing.

Alash Ensemble (http://www.alashensemble.com), seen here, is one of the most celebrated Tuvan Throat Singing groups. Alash and its individual members have consistently won top honors in world throat singing competitions.

Throat singing developed among the nomadic herdsmen of Central Asia, people who lived in yurts, rode horses, raised yaks, sheep and camels, and had a close spiritual relationship with nature. Singers use their voices to mimic and interact with the sounds of the natural world — whistling birds, bubbling streams, blowing wind, or the deep growl of a camel.

The people of Tuva have a wide range of throat singing vocalizations. The three predominant styles are called khoomei, kargyraa and sygyt. Khoomei is traditionally a softer sounding style, with the fundamental (or drone) usually in the low-mid to midrange of the singer’s normal voice. Sygyt, literally ‘whistling’, has a midrange fundamental and is characterized by strong, flute-like or rather piercing harmonics, reminiscent of whistling. Kargyraa has a deep, almost growling sound to it and is technically related to Tibetan Buddhist chant.

Join these Tuvan throat singing masters for workshops and performances at The 2018 Tribal Rhythms Gathering in Upstate New York, August 2-5. Full details at at https://www.didgeproject.com/gathering

The Tribal Rhythms Gathering is an annual camp-out retreat in the mountains of upstate New York with musical masters in the fields of didgeridoo, percussion, Tuvan throat singing, traditional African rhythms, handpan, beatboxing, live looping, and much more. Participants at the Tribal Rhythms Gathering experience the mastery and magic of these world-renowned musicians through performances and workshops, and have the opportunity to experience a traditional healing sweat lodge and experience sound baths, yoga, vegetarian food and more. Prepare yourself for a mesmerizing gathering of global culture, world-class music, workshops, and ancient shamanic wisdom.

Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xia8OERlNU

 

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AJ Block is the director of Didge Project and is active as a didgeridoo teacher and performer. In addition to didgeridoo, AJ has spent years studying music traditions from all over the world including jazz (trombone and piano), western classical music, Indian Classical Music, guitar and world percussion. AJ has developed a number of programs for Didge Project including The ABCs of Didgeridoo, The Didgeridoo Skills Course, and Circular Breathing Mastery. He is also the author of Didge For Sleep, a didgeridoo learning method designed specifically for people with Sleep Apnea. As a performer AJ is the leader of the Didge Project Music Collective and a member of Dream Seed: A Shamanic Sound Journey. AJ is a founding member of Sacred Arts Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of sacred art traditions through education, ritual and study. As a student of spiritual teacher Maestro Manuel Rufino AJ is an active member of the Golden Drum community.