The human voice is a remarkable thing; there is no other sound that affects our minds as profoundly or with such complexity. We seem to listen to voices from various locations on an interpretive continuum. On one pole is the literal and on which language is the product of pure, literal meaning. On the opposite pole, the human voice is a more abstract series of sounds that depend on expression (rather than on concrete language) to communicate their message.
Most forms of communication (both in conversation and in song) lean toward the literal end of this continuum where the more conventional qualities of language lie. People tend to prefer to remain at this point where communication can be interpreted for its content or disregarded like patterns in the wallpaper.
Those who experiment with the conventions of the human voice are tampering with the psychological makeup of society. The human brain is programmed to seek that which is familiar as a means of survival. This phenomenon is a component of “biological preparedness” (a series of predisposed, instinctual behaviors, abilities, and orientations designed to sustain life). As a result, people who explore the more unusual corners of the vocal medium (or any other medium) undermine our sense of security. This is both a controversial and a noble thing to do
Unlike other types of music where women are grossly under-represented, the world of extended vocal techniques is teeming with talented and unique women. In fact, women are actually over-represented in this type of music.
Why are women so prominent here? Perhaps it is because women are more verbal and capable of more complex forms of communication than their sexual counterparts. It is a popular theory that the female brain is structured to be more verbal than the male brain. It is also suspected that societal expectations influence females to develop more complex verbal skills. Do these theories explain the fact that women are so well-represented in extended vocal techniques? It is pretty hard to tell. I asked several of the people featured in this article their opinions on this subject and I found that they were just as mystified as I was.
All abstract theories aside, there are several people of note who are experimenting with extended vocal techniques. The following is a sample of some of the more interesting vocalists who deserve attention in this field. I will not pretend that this is a complete list of everyone who is doing this kind of music, but it is at least an interesting sample.
One really fascinating vocal technique, overtone singing, is used by Tuva folk singers and Tibetan monks. This technique is not new but it is novel to most people because it is rarely heard outside of the lands from which it originated. Where most sounds are made up of indiscernible clusters of harmonics, one person engaging in overtone singing is able to separate these harmonics into two or three distinct pitches which can be controlled autonomously. The result sounds like a grating bass drone that is accompanied by one or two high-pitched flutes. It is quite amazing to hear a single individual singing in three voices simultaneously. There is a CD available on the Smithsonian/Folkways label entitled TUVA: Voices from the Center of Asia, that is an astonishing example of this singing techniques. There are also several recordings on various folk-based record labels that feature Tibetan monks performing their own unique brand of overtone singing.
Anna Homler - Where overtone singing is basically limited to Tibet and Asia, Anna Homler’s “Linguistic Alchemy” is a vocal style that appears to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Anna sings in made up languages by combining unusual phonetic clusters with a stirringly expressive singing voice. Sometimes she sounds like she is singing in Japanese, sometimes in an American Indian language, sometimes in Spanish, and sometimes in a language that could easily be a dialect of Moon inhabitants. She even sings in porpoise and whale voices. Most of the time she sounds like she is singing in a dozen languages at one time all of which she created herself. To Anna’s credit, her songs can never be pinned down to any particular style o language. She prefers to allow her voice to take her down whatever seductive and haunting pathways whim and imagination provide for her.
Paul Dutton has also taken voice and language to some interesting places with his work as a sound poet. He does things like singing into two microphones (one at his mouth and one against his throat), creating sounds with his saliva and his throat, inhalation singing, and producing minute popping/gurgling, smacking sounds with his lips, cheeks, and tongue.
Although Paul may disagree, I would have to say that he focuses more on timbre, text, and on unusual phrasings of texts than on pitch /melody. Rather than being a “singer,” he appears to be a poet who is very aware of his voice. This distinction in actually an example of how his vocal style is more inclusive than exclusive as he takes his voice within anf well beyond that which can be considered “singing.”
Diamonda Galas comes across as more of a singer. She combined her operatic stylings with the tortured, panicked feeling of a horror movie sound track. From her big voiced operatic explorations to her psychotic screams, everything about Diamonda’s work is disturbingly intense.
LaDonna Smith, known primarily for her improvisational works for bowed instruments, utilizes her voice as a modifier for her instruments. She sings into her viola, for example to alter the timbre of the viola. The viola, in turn, modifies LaDonna’s voice by capturing it in its resonant chamber and reflecting the resulting vibrations on its strings. This combination of sounds highlights the interesting similarities and differences between the two sounds sources. It is a very organic, intuitive way of playing for, literally, getting into an instrument.
Elise Kermani combines several different approaches including sound poetry, natural vocal extension, and electronic voice modification to create what has been described as “an abstract yet clear supernatural language.” Elise is also the curator of Ishtar Records which is dedicated to releasing, among other things, a fine series of extended vocal compilations (see bibliography).
Lisa Sokolov is a composer, performer, and music therapist who is producing some pretty adventurous vocal works. Perhaps her most distinctive styling surfaces when she does her extremely up-tempo scar-like singing. This particular style sounds like a lounge jazz vocalist having a nervous breakdown.
Lisa’s work is witty, ethereal, and, at times, instilled with a child-like wonderment. Her latest CD, “Angel Rodeo,” (reviewed elsewhere in this publication) is an eclectic jumble of all of these elements.
David Moss - Speaking of child-like wonderment, David Moss is doing a lot of vocal projects that sound like the sound track to a Saturday morning cartoon. Most of his vocal work is funny, unsettling, and seriously silly. Underneath all of this fun is the obvious intelligence and originality that all of David’s work (be it percussive, vocal, or otherwise) is known to possess.
Jay Clayton - Another established vocalist, Jay Clayton, has been involved with the jazz scene since 1963. She has worked with a large number of leading jazz and new music artists over the years in several different formats. Her improvisatory vocal quartet, Vocal Summit, has earned international acclaim. Jay sent me a tape of some of her solo pieces. These solos rely on a digital delay unit that enables Jay to create an entire chorus with her own voice. The results are gentle, haunting, and totally abstract. Her brilliant use of vocal harmonics and overtones sounds almost electronic.
Kira Vollman is a wonderful vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who likes to do nursery-rhyme lyrical pieces over strange combinations of ethnic stylings and chaotic marching band music. Her work with Non Credo is brilliant and fun with shades of darkness tossed in from time to time. Her voice displays a remarkable range both tonally and emotionally. For whatever reason, I was totally unfamiliar with Kira’s work until she contacted me about this article. Those of you who are as oblivious to her as I was will find her to be a wonderful discovery.
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