Khoomei: spiritual or regular singing

[selfonlypath]

Hi,

Taken from: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=801&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=15

Greetings folks,
When Imre performed his 'own stuff' at Ustuu-Khuree '07 with Finnish roots rather than Tuvan the crowd went wild! more so than when he played Tuvan melodies and styles, though they loved that as well.
Imre is an absolutely wonderful performer of Traditional Tuvan music as well as his own roots and soul but the discussion about who's best of non- Inner Asian seems a-bit pointless.
I'm in agreement with Steve that we needn't follow a path through another tradition "before we can play from our ears and hearts and souls" with the note (which I'm sure most agree) that most masters who are willing to teach Khoomei are very clear on the need to learn it the right way from the beginning from a Tuvan or skilled master.
In my own experience sining khoomei for the last 10 years, I find that the hardest thing to achieve is the "heart" (and it is a distinct sound quality, not only a spiritual demarcation) that Tuvans have in their singing. That quality, I am just beginning to find again as I come back to what originally attracted me to khoomei in the first place; singing the beauty of the landscape from the inside out and outside in, which for me started with singing to the land of the White Mountain Apache after hearing their songs.
If you don't find that heart quality fairly soon after learning technical khoomei, the singing will be relatively lifeless.
I feel that as Imre comes back to the passion of his musical roots and informs them after becoming an accomplished singer/instrumentalist in the Tuvan musical cannon he will be regarded outside of this informal race to the top of a trivial category and instead as an inspired and moving artist.
Good to be back,

Devan Miller

[www.tuvatrader.com]

I find this post very profound because it adresses two possible road when khoomei singing:

- regular singing without any Shakti or spiritual energy flowing between the singer and the listener

- spiritual singing experience with a subset of sound healing capacity

I happen a few monthes ago to have ordered khoomei and shamanic stuff from Devan. Since his site does not provide secure plastic money transactions, I called him to give my credit card number. During the phone conversation, lots shakti started to flow between us both and we're both physically aware of Shakti-kundalini manifesting in this plane of existence. The heart quality Devan is talking about is that precise capacity of the khoomei singer to go beyond regular singing and become a human vessel of shakti-kundalini. Of course, there are many other ways to become such totem or interface but my little experience as a khoomei beginer has shown me enough evidence khoomei might be a very interesting vehicle to do it. I came to this conclusion because I have other vehicles to give slight forms of Shaktipat so I'm able to track down the same physical and spiritual sensations.

Albert

[selfonlypath]

I've just finish reading chapter 2 of the book "Overtone Singing" by Mark C. van Tongeren.

On page 42, the author writes: Few vocal techniques offer the learner the deep moments of listening to the motions of the voice (and tuning in to certain subtle moods of the mind, too) like overtone singing does. In fact many overtone singers experienced moments when they listened to themselves as if to another person, and surpassed the creating, self-conscious 'I'. The self becomes absorbed by the cycle of creation and perception.

On page 46, the author writes: The sound seems to be equally strong both in and oustide the singer. On the level of experience the sensation might change from vibrations that surround oneself to ones that are being projected into oneself. The mind can be puzzled as the distinctions between internal and external resonance becomes blurry or even seems to dissolve.

This confirms what i've been discovering with my practice of khoomei at beginner level in conjonction with energy work I do for a long time: khoomei might be a mystic system to raise kundalini, dissolve ego and experience non-duality awareness. I guess some intermediate trance stages might come along with khoomei singing.

Albert

[Dingirfecho]

Interesting!
Could you post some other paragraphs?

[Synapse309]

In dumbass-terms I'd describe that as the music coming from you like you were 'possessed'. I totally get that some times. Where I just 'Zen' out and the song just flows on its own...

[diphoo]

This confirms what i've been discovering with my practice of khoomei at beginner level in conjonction with energy work I do for a long time: khoomei might be a mystic system to raise kundalini, dissolve ego and experience non-duality awareness. I guess some intermediate trance stages might come along with khoomei singing.
Albert

Hello Albert,

Now, two years later, can you tell something about a progress in energy work coming from your overtone singing practice?

See you,

Diphoo