Mongolian Khoomei (Overtone Singing)

Khoomei (Mongolian "hööljin chöör") is an ancient Mongolian form of singing in which one singer uses only the vocal organs to sound several parts at once, sustaining a deep drone while a bright, clear overtone melody floats above it. Inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009, it is also a Chinese national ICH item and stands with the long song and horse-head fiddle as one of the most characteristic forms of Mongolian culture.

Through special breath and resonance techniques the singer produces a sustained bass in the throat while shaping the mouth and tongue to draw out a clear overtone melody, imitating mountains, wind, water and birdsong; the skill is extraordinarily difficult and passed down wholly by ear and example.

Khoomei is a singular vocal art of the Mongols, reflecting the nomads' deep grasp of natural sound and their creative power, a precious specimen for the study of human vocal art and steppe musical culture.