Children of the Otter

Tuvan throat singing (khoomei) is a traditional vocal art from the Turkic-speaking people of Tuva in the Sayan–Altai region of southern Siberia. It is a biphonic technique in which a singer sustains a low drone (the fundamental) while shaping mouth, tongue, and throat to amplify specific overtones, producing the perception of multiple pitches at once. Distinct styles such as khoomei (soft, airy), sygyt (bright, whistling overtones), and kargyraa (deep, growling undertone) evoke the sounds of wind, rivers, and horse hooves and reflect a nomadic pastoral worldview. Performances often feature traditional instruments like the igil (two-string bowed fiddle), doshpuluur (lute), shoor (flute), and khomus (jaw harp), and can be either solo or ensemble-based.

North Asian music is an umbrella term for the traditional and contemporary musical practices of the peoples of Mongolia and Siberia (including Tuvan, Buryat, Sakha/Yakut, Altai, and other Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic groups). It is characterized by overtone-rich vocal techniques (such as khöömei/khöömii throat singing), expansive long-song styles, pentatonic and modal melodies, open-fifth drones, jaw harp timbres, and ritual drumming. Signature instruments include the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), igil (two‑string spike fiddle), topshuur and doshpuluur (lutes), limbe (flute), and the khomus (jaw harp). Socially, the music spans epic recitation, shamanic-ritual sound, herding songs tied to pastoral lifeways, and modern stage ensembles that adapt these idioms for concert and global audiences.