Overtone chanting is an ancient vocal technique of singing a single note and simultaneously sounding the harmonics of that note. The harmonics are heard above the drone note as a high pitched flute-like or bell-like sound. Every note is constructed of a series of harmonic frequencies; this technique acts as way of splitting the note into the individual harmonic frequencies within it, filtering out other sounds within the note. A visual equivalent would be to imagine a beam of white light being shone into one side of a glass prism, the glass divides the light into the frequencies within it, which then appear as the visible rainbow spectrum.

A Brief History

Overtones have many uses and functions:

- In Tuva and Mongolia, herders have practised Khargyra (deep throat/chest harmonic) for over 1000 years. It is said to imitate a female Bactrian camel calling out for a lost calf. Herders also say it helps them to pass the time while tending flocks of sheep, camels, yaks, reindeer.

- 1470 AD: Je Tsong Khapa founded Gyuto monastery, and originated the Khargyra style said to have been inspired by female deities called Chadruma. Tibetan monks use overtones as a way to cleanse themselves and commune with their deities.

- Used at initiation ceremonies, rites of passage for boys and girls.

- Overtones have also been used by Xhosa women in storytelling; this woman is stingy, won’t share her home-made beer, that person is a thief and so on, part of everyday life.

Many people are now exploring psychological and physiological uses of overtone chanting, the ways in which they dissolve boundaries, and take us to unknown or unfamiliar places where things can then happen in the body and psyche. Overtone chanting seems to directly stimulate emissions of certain chemicals such as endorphins, and give rise to states of heightened awareness, calm, attentiveness.

They are being found to help reduce stress, the primary cause of imbalances and disease. This in turn helps to reduce risks of heart disease, strokes and strengthens the immune system. There is even the possibility that resonating portions of the body and brain rarely or never stimulated before can create new neurological connections.

In a western society from which the act of Singing has largely disappeared from everyday life, or been handed over to “experts”, overtone chanting offers a path towards recovering this strength, beauty and energy we have overlooked or mislaid. People who have been told from an early age that they “can’t sing” are often those who are most surprised by their new ability.

My personal experiences of overtones

Fundamentally, they are a beautiful expression of sound which touch and affect many parts of my life at many levels:

- they offer a very quick way of coming into state of Presence. Useful before and within difficult situations (quietly in this last case). Before meetings, exams, performances and so on.

- I have found that they increase alertness and attentiveness, useful when driving long distances.

- excellent for helping relive symptoms of colds, headaches and blocked sinuses, they resonate the head cavities.

- they are a very useful and exciting tool to have as a musician, bringing overtones into songs and pieces of music, exploring new combinations of sounds.

- having worked with animals, especially cattle, I have found it calms down wild young bullocks reducing danger for feeding and spreading straw. Also dogs, cats, llamas.

- as a parent with young children, who have angry and inconsolable moments. It doesn’t necessarily stop them screaming but it certainly puts parents or carers in a place where they can be calm and non-attached, and so able to deal better with the situation.

I initially found overtone chanting unsettling because of the way it brings us to a new place, unfamiliar, yet which feels somehow familiar at the same time. Someone said the soul yearns for it, the voice of God – vibration is at the heart of all life, so this could even be true. It has certainly been, and continues to be an important part of my journey towards deeper Truth.

Above all, it is simply very beautiful, a way of celebrating. And in those mischievous moments it is good fun to do in large crowds of people, no-one knows where the sound is coming from or what it is…