What is your experience of an overtone singing workshop?

[kiva]

Have you ever been to a beginner's workshop in overtone singing? If so, how was it presented? Was the focus on the 'healing voice'? Did the instructor go into different techniques? Did it have musical applications? Did you use a single pitch only for the fundamental, or did the instructor go into polyphonic movement (changing the lower pitch)? Did the workshop encourage you to practice and explore your voice? Did you do follow up training after this workshop? What have you done with this knowledge? What was your overall impression of this training? So many questions!

[kiva]

I would like to add one note here- that some beginners of overtone singing go home and practice, and find they are not getting quick results, so they get discouraged. One important thing to consider, is that we all have a pitch or small range of frequencies that resonate the strongest for us, like the acoustics of a room. If we are trying overtone techniques with a fundamental pitch that is too low or too high, we may find it difficult at first. Try to find your ideal pitch where the harmonics come out most strongly. Find it on a instrument to clarify it. Usually it is in the mid to lower mid part of your range. Best to use this pitch until you are confident, then you can move above and below it and gain control there.

[KillerKu]

Overtone singing is really underground as far as I can tell from where I live so most of us wouldn't have much experience with workshops.

 

Something you experts in this might consider is giving skype lessons for people who can afford them and are interested. The more singers are able to do this type of phonation, the less 'underground' it will become.

 

I'm not a in a financial or ideal health situation to be a good student, but I think the more people who can display this technique with at least some finesse, the more visibility it would gain and by extension the more applications in the arts.

[kiva]

KillerKu, where do you live?

 

I think that in N.America, there are several teachers of overtone singing, though I have the feeling most of these have the emphasis on the healing voice. Exceptions would be Stuart Hinds (Lubbock, Texas), who is an expert in advanced polyphonic singing, and Steve Sklar (Minneapolis), whose emphasis is on Asian throat singing (as well as the healing voice).

 

So, maybe it's a bit harder to have person to person training here. In Europe, it is easier to get training, as there are many more instructors. I think it depends on which musical approach you are interested in.

 

I gave Skype lessons before, when I still lived in Europe. I suppose I could start again if anyone contacted me specifically to do it. I no longer advertise that.

 

I live on the west coast of Canada. Closest major US city would be Seattle.