Throat singing 101: Tips to train your voice
What's the story
Throat singing is a fascinating vocal phenomenon where a single singer can produce two or more notes at the same time. It's not magic, but it does take practice and the right techniques.
You need the right exercises to strengthen your vocal cords and increase your resonance. And that's what this article provides - top five exercises to enhance your throat singing techniques.
Breath control
Breathing for better control
Correct breathing is crucial in throat singing for sustaining notes and controlling pitch.
Master diaphragmatic breathing: lay flat, put one hand on your chest and another on your stomach.
Breathe in deeply through your nose, raising only your stomach.
This technique increases lung capacity and breath support, which are essential for maintaining steady pitches in throat singing.
Vocal range
Expanding vocal range
To improve your throat singing, you need to work on expanding your vocal range.
Simply practice humming from the lowest comfortable note you can hit to the highest note that you can reach without any strain.
Do this exercise every day, pushing the range a little bit further as you get comfortable.
This will not only increase your range but also give you flexibility when transitioning between harmonic overtones.
Cord strength
Strengthening vocal cords
The harmonic richness of throat singing originates from the vibration of particular areas of the vocal cords.
To fortify them, engage in sustained phonation exercises: select a relaxed pitch and maintain a vowel sound (such as "ee" or "oo") for an extended period with steady breath support.
Concentrate on achieving a clear and stable tone to develop endurance and strength in your vocal cords.
Resonance
Enhancing resonance
The secret to unlocking those deep, resonant sounds lies in understanding how to manipulate resonance within your vocal tract.
A helpful exercise is to practice overtone singing in front of a mirror: create a steady drone note and then gradually adjust your mouth shape and tongue position to isolate overtones above the drone note.
By observing yourself, you'll start to grasp how minor changes can drastically influence resonance.
Pitch accuracy
Improving pitch accuracy
Precise pitch control is crucial for generating distinct harmonic overtones in throat singing.
A beneficial exercise is to practice with a tuner app or device: sing a drone note and then try to hit specific harmonic overtones above it, verifying your accuracy with the tuner.
Consistent practice with this feedback mechanism will significantly enhance pitch control and precision in overtone production.