Many people, upon first hearing overtone singing, report a profound experience. It is described in various ways. From my own experience, dating back to 1988, I’ve heard a multitude of descriptions.
“I felt tingles up and down my spine.”
“The hairs on my arms stood up.”
“I felt like I was levitating.”
“Something inside me just opened up for the first time.”
“It was inhuman, like coming from the cosmos.”
Or not so profound.
“I thought someone was whistling.”
“I thought it was a synthesizer.”
“I heard something different, but I don’t know what instrument it was.”
“I don’t get it.”
Back in ’94, when I was a tour member with the Crash Test Dummies, I was introduced at each concert, along with giving brief demonstration of overtone singing. This was quite early in the public awareness of such a thing. Indeed, most of the fans of the supergroup had never before been exposed to it. As I was standing in front of a keyboard, I was accused of triggering the sound by some synthetic means. Eventually I had to put my hands behind my back to dispel this myth.
When I first heard of the existence of the possibility for one singer to split their voice into 2 separate distinct pitches, without even hearing an example of this, I was determined to do whatever was necessary to learn it. I was living in Japan at the time, and upon discovery of a workshop coming up in England, I registered for it. It was with Jill Purce, and she called it ‘Mongolian Overtone Chanting’. She still teaches this. The actual introduction she gave was quite brief, though I took to it immediately, thinking at the time, “Why didn’t I ever think of this before?” I’d always had sensitive ears, and harmonies were second nature to me. I think it was something like “Ah, yes, this is something fundamental to my auditory world. Of course I will master this.”
Since overtones are always present in varying degrees in every sound, regardless of the source, it involves an enhanced way of listening to our environment.
Even some of those who take up the study of overtone singing are fully aware of the clarity of the upper pitches (harmonics) when they hear others do it, but they are still unsure about the harmonics they themselves are producing, even when they are clear. This is partially due to the fact that we hear our own voices differently than others do. We have the inner sound of bone conduction going on in our heads. This is another reason why we are so shocked when we hear our own voices played back to us (often in disgust!).
If you are one of those people, never fear. This is a common occurrence in the beginning. Usually what happens, with concentration and practice, is that something suddenly clicks. The intervals become apparent and controllable. There are many ways of cementing this.
It has been demonstrated that we are essentially either fundamental listeners or overtone listeners. This is something like being right or left handed. I don’t think that being one or the other represents any kind of limitation. But I believe it is possible to become ‘ambidextrous’ in this regard. What is revealing about this is the fact that the fundamental is governed by the left brain, and the overtone by the right brain. So it’s just a matter of uniting the hemispheres. Overtone singing tends to expedite the process, provided it is learned in a natural progression.
Here’s a fascinating paper on research done about how overtones are perceived to untrained ears.
CommentI took part in this experiment in a ‘science salon’ in Tokyo in 1991.
These comparison graphs represent my own brain waves, recorded and measured during two separate segments of one minute each in duration. I was sitting in a sort of comfy ‘cockpit’ with electrodes on my head.
The object of the experiment was to determine the amount of time spent in each brain wave state and to compare the overall effects of normal relaxation with the same amount of time spent overtone singing.
Theta waves are the deepest here (delta being deeper, but usually only present during sleep).
The figures in the count column (number of seconds) suggest that more time is spent in deeper brain wave states during overtoning than in ordinary relaxation. The most pronounced difference is in the amount of time spent in beta waves.
The bottom chart represents the levels of concentration and relaxation in both cases, with the highest possible score being 200. The higher the number of points, the greater the level of concentration or relaxation. The results show a significant overall increase in both states while overtone singing. While starting out approximately with the same concentration level both times, there is an opposite trend in concentration during the second half, which increased dramatically in the case of overtone singing. It is interesting to note a deeper level of relaxation while overtone singing as opposed to that of an ordinary relaxed state.
The analysis of the overtone singing segment describes this as a highly meditative, healthy and stable state, with strong energy to rid oneself of stress. When you think of simultaneously being very relaxed and focused, this would be an advantageous state to be in while engaged in almost any daily activity, and one to cultivate with the practice of overtone singing.
*Admittedly, this experiment was brief, and may not represent conclusive evidence. However, I feel that the positive implications for the benefits of overtone singing may be investigated in an experiential way. In other words, let your intuition guide you !
Besides my own captivation on the subject, lately I’ve seen a lot of cyberspace interest about how the brain responds to music, in all of music’s glorious elements.
I’ve given a lot of thought to how the brain works in the process of vocal improvisation, since a lot of my work is done this way. Spontaneity seems to be the key. Too much thought and things can potentially deteriorate! Or at least become bogged down. Rehearsal is almost a dangerous activity! And one of the most important elements is emotional delivery, which can or cannot be summoned at will.
Although he wasn’t thought of as an improviser (strictly), I’ll present the oft suggested example of Frank Sinatra. Whether he was your cup of tea or not, he had a certain flare for phrasing that nobody else seems to be able to duplicate. His carefree, sometimes wistful lyrical phrases floated above the backdrop of instrumentation, often as far behind the beat as humanly possible without ever losing the sense of place in the music. He tugged at the heart strings of a generation and way beyond. This sensibility is a gift. Can one even imitate it successfully? I think such a simple approach is not quite enough. It’s challenging to ‘imitate’ any deeply felt emotion with convincing results. It has to come from somewhere deep within. Do you have to personally relate to the lyrics in your own experience? Maybe, but what do the best actors do to fool the public that they are really someone else?
Do we really believe that a singer has just gone through the most painful, humiliating breakup imaginable when we hear the delivery? Maybe it depends on whether or not the song is auto- biographical, and even then, how recent was the actual experience. Of course, cover songs relaying your real life can be quite convenient.
When I recently did an improvisational concert with other musicians (somewhat shamanic in nature), I began making up lyrics on the spot that reflected many of my current frustrations at the time. It felt more emotional and ‘true’ than almost anything else in my bag. It seemed to me that my ‘phrasing’ of this stuff took a flight of its own choosing. How my brain was connected to all this was a bit of a mystery, albeit a fascinating adventure in hemisphere cooperation.
What about when there are no lyrics? For example, in wordless improv situations where vowels, nonsense syllables and the inclusion of overtones provide all the components? (with inspiration from the background music). Isn’t the singer then NOT dependent upon the potentially limiting emotional quality of lyrics? Does this offer a greater degree of freedom? Perhaps. Does the right brain take over? (ha ha, that could be taken as ‘right’ as opposed to ‘wrong’).
In any case, here’s some great writings I’ve found on the topic of the brain and music, including the thoughts of a few famous musicians:
Book review: This is your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel J. Levitin (go to Amazon.com for paperback or Kindle version)
NY Times article- To tug hearts, Music first must tickle the neurons
NY Times article- Between the lines, where Music’s soul resides
Comment
Today, I’d like to talk about the connection between our brain hemispheres in relation to overtone singing. It is understood that the left brain is responsible for the fundamental (lower) pitch we sing, and the right brain takes care of the upper pitch (harmonic). I like to call it a ‘symphony’ of interaction between these parts of the brain. So for independent movement of both pitches, they need to co-operate. The more one practices this technique, the more the two hemispheres become in sync. In the beginning stages of learning overtone singing, a common occurrence is for the lower pitch to drift towards that of the intended harmonic. It’s a good idea to record oneself while practicing, then to listen back and identify whether this is happening. We are not always aware of it while we are singing.
In general, this ‘symphony’ creates a great deal of neural firings, which result in increased energy- that wonderful buzz feeling. After a session of overtone singing, one may feel energized for a good length of time afterwards. This can be said of singing in general, but it seems to intensify with the practice of overtoning.
The more we are able to connect up the brain hemispheres, the more frequently we can apply this phenomenon to normal everyday activity. Who doesn’t want to be more aware of their environment and to have more effective reactions to it?
Comment
