September 4, 2008

Sound Healing & Tuvan Throat Singing

Steve Sklar is a performer and teacher of khoomei, or Tuvan Throat-Singing. Rather than focus on simpler western overtone singing, he has mastered the traditional Tuvan techniques. He has developed unique methods for teaching throat-singing and the Tibetan low, chordal chant voice. He has for several years been associated with the Tuvan master ensemble, Huun-Huur-Tu.

The history of Tuvan throat singing reaches very far back. Among the Tuvans, throat singing is taught formally at the Tuvan School Of Art, but it also comes naturally to them and is picked up like a language. Many of the male herders can throat sing, and women are beginning to practice the technique as well. The popularity of throat singing among Tuvans seems to have arisen as a result of geographic location and culture. The open landscape of Tuva allows for the sounds to carry a great distance. Ethnomusicologists studying throat singing in these areas mark khoomei as an integral part in the ancient pastoral animism that is still practiced today.

The Republic of Tuva is situated in the very centre of the Asian continent, between latitudes 49'45" and 53'45" North and in longitudes 88'49" and 98'56" East. It lies within the limits of the Altai-Sayan mountain system. To the south it borders on Mongolia. The territory of the republic is just over 170,000 square kms. The population is slightly over 300,000. The indigenous and predominant nationality (more than 70 %) is Tuvan, who speak a Turkic language. The capital of Tuva is the city of Kyzyl, which has a population of 100,000.