THE FUNDAMENTALS OF VOCAL HARMONICS
INTRODUCTION
In the ancient shamanic traditions of Mongolia, Africa, Arabia and Mexico, in the arcane Kabbalistic traditions of Judaism and Christianity, and in the sacred spiritual traditions of Tibet, vowel sounds and harmonics, also known as overtones, have been utilized to heal and transform. They have been used to communicate with and invoke deities, to balance the energy centres of the body and to affect the resonances of the brain.
Throughout my years of research and study in the field of therapeutic and transformational sound, there is no single technique which I have found which so truly embodies the power of sacred sound as does harmonics. The ability to create two or more tones at the same time is nothing less than magical. The fact that these sounds may be used to affect our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies makes them even more extraordinary.
Until recently, knowledge of the creation of vocal harmonics has been enshrouded in the esoteric mystery of traditions that would not allow the uninitiated access to this remarkable aspect of sound. Within the last decade, all this has changed. The Gyume and Gyuto Tibetan monks have given public performances throughout the world. Field recordings of Mongolian hoomi singers are commercially available. Western musicians, meditators and teachers of sound such as David Hykes, Jill Puree and Michael Vetter are bringing harmonic abilities to light.
In this chapter we will learn to explore the mysterious and sacred ability of harmonic toning. This powerful and mystical ability enables us to create two or more notes simultaneously. It is one of the more extraordinary phenomena of sound. Creating vocal harmonics is an advanced form of self transformation and healing where you will be able to sing harmony with yourself. Once you have achieved even the most rudimentary skill in harmonic toning, the very way that you hear and make sounds will be altered forever. It will open up the untold possibilities to be found in the vast spectrum of sound that resonates and reverberates throughout the universe.
We will learn some of the techniques utilized by shamans and others for the creation of vocal harmonics. While these are simple exercises which anyone can try, they are powerful tools. These exercises require no previous musical knowledge or singing ability. If you follow these step-by-step instructions you will find that with practice you will begin to hear other tones, those mysterious sonic particles we call overtones, along with the normal sounds that you are used to hearing.
CREATING VOCAL HARMONICS
Preparations
Complete reading this chapter before beginning the exercises found within it. If possible, try to listen to recordings of harmonic singers (as listed in the Discography) while you are reading and practising. Before trying these exercises, find a comfortable space where you can make sounds and not be disturbed. When practising these exercises, sit up straight, either on the floor or on a chair. While these techniques can eventually be done standing up or lying down, in the beginning sitting is best. You might want to keep a journal or a notebook to record any changes you observe in your physical, emotional or mental states which you may experience from your practice.
The first step in the creation of vocal harmonics involves toning the different vowel sounds. The ability to create vocal harmonics is interrelated with the formants which are found in these sounds. As we discussed, formants are those clusters of harmonics where the energy of the sound spectrum is concentrated. They are the harmonics in various instruments, for example, which give these instruments their timbre or tone colour. Different vowel sounds emphasize different harmonics. When we tone an 'AH' sound (as in the word 'father'), different harmonics are created than when we tone an 'EEE' sound (as in the word 'me') or when we tone an 'OOO' sound (as in the word 'you').
All harmonics are found within every vowel. However the formants found within each vowel stress particular overtones. Because each voice is unique and we all pronounce vowels slightly differently, the exact harmonics that are created by the different vowel sounds will differ slightly depending upon the individual. If you have been practising the exercises in the preceding chapter, you may have already begun to hear sounds within the vowels sounds. These were overtones.
Michael Vetter, an accomplished overtone singer from Switzerland, learned his ability in this manner from Karlheinz Stockhausen. 'To sing overtones and to deal with them musically requires, as with any other musical instrument, a long and arduous training. But the voice as a tool for acoustical communication is innate in man . . . . If one actually listens, one requires no further teacher for the development of the voice. One need only sing slow, continuous tones for half an hour each day in the comfortable register of quiet speech making all the vowel form movements of normal speaking. Everything else follows.'
As you may have already discovered, all the vowel sounds we make have naturally occurring harmonics within them. If you sing the vowel sounds 'UH', 'OOO', 'OH', 'AH', 'EYE', 'AYE', 'EEE', linking them together in one breath, you will begin to hear different harmonics naturally being created by your own voice. Since each vowel sound has its own set of formants associated with it, singing the vowel sounds will create different harmonics. This phenomenon is the basis of harmonic toning.
The 'OOO' vowel sound, for example, will help create the overtones of the octave and the fifth of the fundamental. The 'OH' vowel sound will produce the overtones of the major third and the fifth of the next octave. The vowel sound 'AH' will help create the overtone of the seventh. These may vary, of course, depending upon your pronunciation. You will also find that as you change from one vowel to another, specific harmonics will be created. As you proceed from 'OOO' to 'EEE', you will hear the overtones following the harmonic series becoming higher with each vowel sound that you create.
As in the previous exercise, sit in a comfortable sitting position with your hands on your knees or in your lap. Now find a comfortable note to tone, making sure it is not too deep or too high for your voice. Begin to tone the vowels going from 'UH' to 'OOO' to 'OH' to 'AH' to 'EYE' to 'AYE' to 'EEE' in one breath.
The less you vocally enunciate the different vowel sounds, the more focused the harmonics will become. Instead of actually singing the vowel sounds from 'UH' to 'EEE', consciously keep the vowel sound in the throat and project the sound energy out as harmonics. It is as though you are shaping your mouth to form the vowels, but not actually pronouncing them. By changing the structure of the jaw, tongue and cheeks, you will be altering the way the sound comes out.
Experiment with this now. Try toning the vowel sounds while adjusting the shape of your mouth, cheeks and tongue. Many of us used to do this when we were children, experimenting and enjoying the different sounds we could create. Move your mouth, opening it all the way and then closing it, while toning the vowel sounds. Play with this exercise and have fun with it.
In order to hear your own harmonics, especially in the beginning, take one hand and cup it around an ear in the same way as you would do if you were trying to hear someone talking in a crowded room. This amplifies the shell of the ear and allows us to hear the sound more clearly. At the same time, take your other hand and place it, with the palm towards you, about two or three inches away from your mouth. This allows the sound to reflect off your hand and bounce back towards your ear so that you can hear the harmonics more clearly.
It is helpful to understand that a loudly created fundamental will not create a loud harmonic. The two seem to have an inverse relationship at the beginning of learning to create vocal harmonics. With a loudly sounded fundamental, you are focusing the majority of the sound energy outside your mouth. This is ideal for certain styles of singing, but not for the creation of vocal harmonics. In Central Asia, the style of creating vocal harmonics is known as 'throat singing'. Keep the sound energy inside you mouth, forming the fundamental tone deep in your throat. Then use your mouth and other vocal resonators such as the nasal cavity, cheeks and lips for the creation and amplification of the harmonics. This will create a stronger, louder series of harmonics. It is often helpful at first to make sounds that are not much louder than your normal speaking voice. As you gain the ability to create vocal harmonics consciously, you may increase the volume of the sounds that you are making.
Experimenting with Harmonic Toning
After having experimented with toning the different vowel sounds and trying different positions with your mouth, many of you will already have begun to hear other, high-pitched sounds that you may not have noticed before. These may sound like whistling or buzzing noises, or perhaps like another note being created. Sometimes they are very high, almost seeming to be ultrasonic, or they may be very close to the fundamental sound of which you are normally aware. These may even be sounds that you hear when you sing. These are the overtones. They are already present whenever we make sound. You are merely focusing on them and becoming more aware of them.
There are a number of different phonemes, or basic sounds, which are helpful to use in the creation of some basic harmonics. We will now experiment with them as we expand our ability in harmonic toning.
First, begin to hum an 'MMM' sound, using a note that feels comfortable to you. As you make this sound, project the sound energy of the 'MMM' sound so that your lips are vibrating strongly. Take one of your fingers and put it to your lips in order to feel them vibrating.
Try this 'MMMM' sound using the different vowels, going from 'MMMUUU' (as in 'moo') to 'MMMOOO' (rhythms with 'go') to 'MMMAAA' (as in 'ma') to 'MMMIII' (as in 'my') to 'MMMAYE' (as in 'may') to 'MMMEEE' (as in 'me'). Make these sounds softly, vibrating your lips and then opening them just wide enough for each particular vowel to be audible with the 'MMMM'. You will hear and experience different harmonics that seem to almost pop up out of your lips as you make these sounds.
Now put your lips together as though you were about to whistle and slowly begin to open your mouth, keeping your lips rounded. It is helpful to imagine that you are making a face like a fish or a rabbit when you do this.
As the sound energy is vibrating on your lips with the 'MMMM' sound, begin to open your mouth, still keeping your lips puckered and make a 'MMMMOOOOORRRR' sound (as in the word 'more'). Use one complete breath to make this sound, drawing it out and making it elongated.
With vocal harmonics, it is important to understand that each of the different vocal resonators, such as the lips, the cheeks and the tongue, plays a role in the creation of vocal harmonics. The nasal cavity is particularly important in this. Many of us in the West are not accustomed to projecting sound into the nasal cavity. Yet the use of the nasal cavity as a vocal resonator is necessary in order to create certain vocal harmonics. As your toning becomes more nasal, higher harmonics will be created. In order to experience this, let us first make a 'NNNNEEEE' sound (as in the word 'knee'). Put two of your fingers on either side of your nose and see if you can vibrate your fingers while you are making this 'NNNNEEEE' sound.
It may seem a little strange at first, especially to those who are not used to resonating this area with sound. As this area begins to vibrate, your sinuses may start to clear and you may find it helpful to have a tissue handy. Now that you have worked with the 'NNNNEEEE' sound and have allowed your nasal cavity to resonate, let us tone another phoneme that is extremely useful in the creation of harmonics.
The 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound (rhyming with the word 'her') is a wonderful phoneme to practise. First begin by getting the nasal cavity to vibrate with a 'NNNN' sound. After this has happened, begin to add in the 'UUUU-RRRR' sound. What occurs is that the 'NNNN' sound will still be vibrating in the nasal cavity while the 'UUUU' sound will be vibrating in the back of the throat.
As you make this 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound, become aware that the 'RRRR' is created by the tongue's moving forward against the roof of the mouth. There is a particular placement of the tongue with this and other sounds that is extremely helpful in controlling the creation of higher harmonics. If you place your tongue just about a quarter of an inch behind the front teeth, barely touching the roof of the mouth, the tongue will vibrate like a reed. Be aware that the tongue actually vibrates on a layer of saliva and is not firmly touching the roof. If the tongue were firmly touching the roof of the mouth, it would block and muffle the sound.
An interesting side note to this is that in many yogic traditions there is said to be a little 'button' on the roof of the mouth which adepts will touch with their tongue in order to stimulate the pineal gland. This is about the same place where the tongue slightly touches for the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound.
Experiment with toning the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound while slowly moving your tongue from the back of your mouth to the front. You will find that there is one particular spot where a high, whistle-like tone will become noticeably louder. Once you have found this spot, work with changing the shape of your mouth; for example, try making a face like a fish. As you do this, you will begin to create different harmonics.
Another phoneme that is very effective is an 'NNNNGONG' sound. This opens and closes the glottis, the muscle at the back of the throat, another place where harmonics can be created. To do this, first nasalize that 'NNNN' sound and then say the word 'GUNG' (rhymes with tongue). Now nasalize the 'NNNN' sound and say the word 'GONG'. Then nasalize the 'NNNN' sound and say the word 'GANG'. Finally, nasalize the 'NNNN' sound and say the word 'GING' (rhymes with 'sing').
Now, with one breath, go from 'NNNNGUNG' to 'NNNNGONG' to 'NNNNGANG' to 'NNNNGING'. Essentially, you are keeping the 'NNNN' sound going while you chant 'GUNG', 'GONG', 'GANG', and 'GING', toning different vowel sounds while you open and close the glottis. When you do this, you will notice different harmonics seemingly popping out from the back of your throat.
Now that you have individually experimented with the 'MMMMOOOORRRR', the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' and the 'NNNNGONG' sound, see what happens when you combine these different phonemes. Begin with the 'MMMMOOOORRRR' sound and then shift into the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound, ending with the 'NNNNGONG' technique. Do this all on one breath, experiencing the different harmonics that are created by these different phonemes.
Now try beginning with the 'NNNNGONG' sound and shift into the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound, ending with the 'MMMMOOOORRRR' sound.
Now try beginning with the 'MMMMOOOORRRR' sound, going into the 'NNNNUUUU-RRRR' sound and ending with the 'NNNNGONG' sound.
These three phonemes are the easiest and most effective sounds for creating vocal harmonics. They are, by no means, the only ones. Here are others that you might also try:
These different phonemes are the beginning of learning to create vocal harmonics. The next step in developing the ability to do harmonic toning is to gain control over the harmonics which are created.
Working with the different vowel sounds enables you to create different harmonics. Going from 'UH' to 'EEE' and then back, you will be sounding vowels with formants that go up and down the harmonic series, creating overtones that are vibrating many times the speed of the fundamental of your voice. With a little practice, you will probably be able to create and hear eight or more different overtones.
Practising Toning Specific Harmonics
After you have learned to produce different harmonics you will want to pick out one particular harmonic that you are creating. Then focus your attention on this harmonic, holding it and making it louder. It does not matter which phoneme you have used in order to create it. Once you have done this with one harmonic, focus on another harmonic and do the same.
As we all have different singing ranges, it appears that we all have different harmonic ranges. If you have tried the various exercises in this chapter and are still having difficulty hearing your harmonics, try going up a little bit higher in pitch with your voice, or perhaps down a little deeper. You might find that a slight change in the fundamental you are toning makes all the difference in the world.
Along with the listening to recorded examples of vocal harmonics from other singers, an excellent aid is a cassette recorder. Record these exercises and then listen to the sounds you have made. Often we are so concerned about creating vocal harmonics that we cannot hear them, or do not believe we actually have made them when they occur. By taping these exercises and then listening to them, we can hear the changes in our tone and pay attention to the naturally occurring harmonics in our voice. This is helpful in reinforcing the knowledge that everyone can consciously create vocal harmonics.
Remember that practice is the key. The more you practise, the better you will be able to acquire the ability of creating vocal harmonics. It is an ability that you can acquire. Sometimes you will begin to hear your own harmonics immediately after trying one of the exercises in this chapter for the first time. Sometimes it takes days before you can hear them.
As you practise these techniques for creating vocal harmonics, you will be exercising muscles of the vocal mechanism in a manner in which they may not have been previously used. It may also take some time to develop the ability to project sound to places in the throat, mouth and nose that you may not have consciously resonated with sound.
Allow yourself adequate time for these exercises. A minimum of fifteen minutes per day is recommended. Allow time to assimilate the experience in sound which you have had. You will be resonating your physical body with these tones and affecting your heart rate, respiration rate, flow of blood, skin temperature, brainwaves and more. As we have suggested, keeping a journal during this time is particularly useful.
In many traditions, harmonics are viewed as sacred sounds. You are now awakening these sounds in yourself when you begin this process of learning to create vocal harmonics. These sounds should be made with reverence and respect. Yet, in the creation of these sounds, you will also enjoy yourself immensely. In Psalm 66 of the Old Testament it is written: 'Make a joyful noise unto God . . . .' Work with the joyful energies of sound. A whole new world is awaiting you!