Throat (Harmonic) Singing Cont'
					You can start with a little "h" aspiration so it leads the tone out there. Awareness of where the tongue is is very important. You'll find later that a slight movement of the tongue will change the harmonics because it changes the shape of the mouth cavity and where the sound resonates. So Be aware of where the tongue is when you make the "o" of Om and where it is when you finish with the "m."
	It's the slow movement of one vowel sound to the next that really gives you harmonics. What you're doing when you move between vowel sounds, you are changing the forment. So let's go through the vowel sounds. You want the purest vowel sound. Start with "ah" and establish where it resonates and how much breath pressure you need to create the tone. Now, when you watch the Tuvan throat singers do their harmonic singing, they have really exaggerated lips. They keep their lips in almost in a whistling position. That's very important because a slight movement of the lips can change the harmonics. So try the same "ah" sound but really exaggerate the lips. Make sure your lips are in position before you start. So your instrument is set up for the sound. Now try an "oh" with the same exaggerated lips. And be aware of how much breath pressure it takes. You want a slow and continuous breath pressure. Don't take a large breath, you only need enough breath to create the tone you want. You want a gentle tone as your foundation. Now try "aw" like awesome with a more open throat in the back, different from "ah." Another thing you can try is putting your hands on your face to feel where the tone is resonating. And yawning is also very good to relax the throat and relax the jaw. It breaks down any tension that you may have. Another important sound that gets you into the harmonics is the sound "ur." Using the semi-vowel "r" moves you into a unique resonating region. So try a tone like "hur." And make all of your sounds like a horn as much as you can. That's what you want your voice to sound like. Now "ee" is also a very important vowel sound. And you want it in the same region that you have the "ur," somewhat nasal. Now you want to go from one vowel sound to the next. Go from an "ur" to an "ee." And again, it's the slow movement of the tongue that creates the harmonics. Go as slowly as you can. And maintain that horn quality to the voice. Then try "ee" to "ur." Then after a while you'll find your own sound. As soon as you find a harmonic you can focus on it. It really helps you open up those resonating regions. Now you can add an "m" at the beginning. Sing four "me" and four "mur" and you want the "m" sound to have a ringing quality. You want it light and stocatto. If you get that ringing quality it can launch you right into those harmonics. Now you have the foundation. So, next you can slowly move the tongue to break down and amplify your harmonics as you find them. Continuation Home