Throat

I had such a cool experience tonight, and I cannot convey it in words. I saw a concert of Tuvan throat singing. It was at a house - a cabin on an island of the Milwaukee river. It was a very small venue, free to get in, but you were supposed to bring food to the pot-luck dinner. It's a great place to see folk singers and blue-grass bands.

I had no idea what to expect from the throat singers. I had no idea what to expect from Tuvans. I had never even heard of Tuva, a country near Siberia. (Apparently neither has my spell check.) The music was incredible though. It is certainly different than the music I normally listen to. The throat-singers create several notes simulaneously, able to generate harmony and melody in the same body. The sounds have an eerie feeling, but also soothing and gentle. I think it helped that the band members were all about my age and I spent a good amount of time wondering how similar and different our lives were.