Kai of Altai / Alas

Kai is a traditional style of overtone (throat) singing from the Altai–Sayan region, especially the Altai Republic in Siberia. Rooted in shamanic cosmology, kai emphasizes a very low fundamental with clearly articulated upper partials that outline pentatonic figures. Performers (kaichi) often accompany themselves on long‑neck lutes such as the topshur and frame drums, chanting epics and nature invocations that are believed to communicate with the land, animals, and ancestral spirits. While closely related to Tuvan and Mongolian throat‑singing practices, kai retains distinctive Altaian timbres, epic‑narration delivery, and a repertoire that moves fluidly between recitative storytelling and sustained, droning vocal textures.

Altai music is the traditional music of the Altai peoples in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia. It is marked by epic storytelling, overtone (throat) singing known locally as kai, and a timbre-first aesthetic that imitates the sounds of wind, rivers, birds, and horses. Core instruments include the topshur (a two‑string plucked lute), the shoor (end‑blown flute), the khomus (Jew’s harp), and frame drums used in ritual and narrative contexts. Melodies often draw on anhemitonic pentatonic modes and flexible, speech‑like rhythms, while textures tend toward solo voice with drone, or sparse heterophony from a small ensemble. Songs commonly praise mountains, taiga, and rivers, recount heroic epics and clan histories, and invoke Tengrist cosmology, blending practical herder life with a spiritual view of nature.

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.