The Sound of Throat Singing
March 31, 2007 by Kristina Chew, PhD
Filed under Health
I noted yesterday in A Little Noise Music that my son Charlie seems just as focused on ambient noise as on the words that someone may be directly addressing to him. Charlie, that is, seems to listen for sounds that we refer to as “mechanical” and even “non-human” more than for words, language, human speech.
But are distinctions between the human voice and (for instance) the sounds of a machine so clear-cut?
Listen to this video of Siberian throat sliding—-perhaps the definition of “what it sounds like to be human” is broader, is more diverse, than one might think.
That the ‘click’ songsters and we expand the boarders all the time!
Siberian? You mean *Tuvan*, perhaps? (See Ralph Leighton’s book “Tuva or Bust: Richard Feynman’s Last Journey”)
I wrote “Siberian” from what the source said — thanks for the correction!
Clicks are language around here.
The guy with the lower voice sounded like a didjeridoo…
Liv does this ‘voice’ all the time. I’ve been trying to figure out if it’s just a stim or does she do it as specific reactions to people or situations. My mother-in-law said it sounded like she was possessed when she first started doing it, now it doesn’t bother her. I just do it along with her, maybe we can start a band!
Kathleen compared the noise I was making in my throat at AutCom to the lower-pitched tone the person on the left was doing.
When my NT daughter was born and had GI issues for the first 3-4 months of her life, we would strap her in a “Baby Bjorn” carrier and carry her around all night long to try and soothe her (it turned out she had GERD). Besides bouncing up and down and rocking back and forth, one of the things I used to do at 3:00 AM when I was trying to get her to take a nap was to try and imitate that sound with my voice. I would chant like that and put my jaw against hers, so she could also feel the vibration. For whatever reason, this was usually somewhat calming to her. I never told my wife I did this, as she would only think I was strange.
Must have been the vibrations? I think that was why Charlie liked to strum a toy guitar—-
At 3:00AM I can get quite metaphysical. I had seen a special on throat singing by Tibetan monks, and on how they thought that certain frequencies resonated with a person’s spirit.
I figured, what the heck, I’ll try it. If vacuum cleaners can calm some kids, and riding in cars (is it the motion, the noise, or both?) can calm others, why not throat singing?
Only problem was once she fell asleep, so did I. 20 minutes later we were up and doing it again.
Glad to have that over with. 
Club166, I think that Dr. Sears would be proud of you.
(I can see if there’s something on line, as opposed to just in the print book I have upstairs, that would clarify, IF it’s requested.)