throat singing

noun

: any of several culturally distinct singing traditions typically involving the production of simultaneous overtones via control of the throat and mouth

Singers can train themselves to sing two notes at once. They learn to use their mouth, tongue, lips, and larynx to divide the air tract into two separate parts and to produce sound in both of them. This overtone, or throat singing, is traditional to the Tuva people of Russia, the Inuit of North America, and the Xhosa of Africa.

—Annette Bay Pimentel

[Tanya] Tagaq's new album, "Tongues," pushes deeper into lyricism than any of her previous releases did, balancing the chant-like reflexivity of throat singing with detail-driven storytelling.

—Sheldon Pearce

I can hardly imagine singing solo. Our people have been living in communes for ages, that's why throat singing is basically a communal art.

—Sayan Bapa

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above