Originally, Inuit throat singing was a form of entertainment among Inuit women while the men were away on hunting trips. It was an activity that was primarily done by Inuit women although there have been some men doing it as well. In the Inuit language Inuktitut, throat singing is called katajjaq, pirkusirtuk or nipaquhiit depending on the Canadian Arctic region. It was regarded more as a type of vocal or breathing game in the Inuit culture rather than a form of music.
Inuit throat singing is generally done by two individuals but can involve four or more people together as well. In Inuit throat singing, two Inuit women would face each other either standing or crouching down while holding each other’s arms. One would lead with short deep rhythmic sounds while the other would respond. The leader would repeat sounds with short gaps in between. The follower would fill in these gaps with her own rhythmic sounds. Sometimes both Inuit women would be doing a dance like movement like rocking from left to right while throat singing.more
Sounds produced can be voiced or unvoiced and produced by inhalation or exhalation. Both Inuktitut words and meaningless syllables are used in Inuit throat singing songs. However, when words are used in throat singing, no particular meaning is placed on them for a song. When meaningless syllables are used, they are often portrayals of sounds the Inuit hear in their natural environment such as animal sounds or even water running down a creek. Popular Inuit throat singing songs are usually identified by the first word or sound that is produced in each song.

Inuit throat singing is a skill that has to be taught and developed. Inuit throat singers try to show their vocal abilities in a fun competitive manner and the first one to either run out of breath, stop or laugh is declared the loser of the game.

Each game usually lasts from one to three minutes. In a group of Inuit women, the overall winner is the one who beats the largest number of her competitors in this fun filled activity.

Unfortunately, there is no written record of when the Inuit first developed their form of throat singing which differs from the type found in Mongolia and other parts of the world that has some form of throat singing. The Inuit did not keep any written records and history was simply passed down from generation to generation orally.

It was reported that at one point in time, Inuit women would actually have their lips almost touching while using each other’s mouth cavity as a sound resonator. This technique is not used anymore.

Inuit throat singing was actually forbidden by Christian priests for almost 100 years but since this religious ban was lifted, there has been a resurfacing of this traditional activity in the Inuit communities during the last 20 to 30 years. Interestingly enough, there has been a lot of interest among the younger Inuit generations in this revival in addition to the Inuit elders who are trying to bring throat singing back as part of present Inuit culture. Many of the young Inuit women who have taken up throat singing claim that it is a way for them to express their Inuit identities in the modern world where many Inuit traditions have already been lost.

The revival of Inuit throat singing has been so popular that in September of 2001, the first throat singing conference was held in Puvurnituq, Nunavik where different types of Inuit throat singing from different Arctic regions of Canada were demonstrated and shared. There has even been a small number of Inuit throat singing CDs produced

Singing in front of an audience is more than just creating a successful rendition of a song. If they want to only hear your music they can go buy your CD. When you play live you must perform!
An audience is not only there to hear you, they are there to watch you. It’s an often neglected topic of discussion in a band – what are we supposed to do while we are playing our music?
There is a very simple answer to this question – COMMUNICATE!
As an art form in the modern setting all music has two forms – the recorded songs you write or cover (like a CD) and the performance of that material in front of an audience. The best way to look at performing is to consider it to be a unique ,one-off snapshot of you at a particular moment in time. Every performance is different. The essential point here is that performing is all about you and your ability to make a connection. When performing you get to establish a connection with the listener that is impossible any other way.more
The most important thing to do when singing in front of a band is to consider how your audience sees you. Try to think about what they see from where they are sitting or standing. No matter if you are singing in a bar ,nightclub or concert stage the same situation applies. Every little thing you do and say is under the microscope from everyone in the room.
Do you find that thought disconcerting? Many performers do and it often leads to some bizarre habits by some lead singers. Sometimes they are caused by nerves and it’s normal to experience some anxiety, especially for a beginner. One of the most annoying habits for an audience is when a lead singer seems to pay more attention to the band than they do to their audience. You see this a lot where a lead singer will spend a considerable amount of time on stage with their back to the audience singing to band members. Whatever the motivation is for this behavior it comes across as indifference and amounts to a kind of broken contract.
Your audience is your client, your customer if you like. They make a form of unspoken agreement with you that they will attend your performance in return for something. What you give them depends on what you are prepared to give and, to some extent, it will depend on how you FEEL at the time. What they really want from you is a little story. Each time you open your mouth they want to be taken somewhere,away from their troubles (or perhaps through their troubles), they want to be taken on a journey to someplace in your world.
How do you do this as a singer? How do you take them on a trip through your world? Actually, it’s quite easy when you think about what I said earlier about trying to understand what your audience sees when you are onstage.
Every person I have ever met has a bunch of favorite songs that they always love to hear. They never seem to tire of them. These are usually accumulated over the years but most often are associated with their youth. This is essential information you must use when developing your performing skills. Each person in the room when they are watching you play has a series of subconcious images running through their mind. These are generated continually whilst you perform and mix with what they are actually seeing of you.
If you don’t believe me watch how your audience reacts when they hear you start to sing something very popular and familiar. That positive reaction is created by association. People have favorite songs because they associate those songs with something very positive in their lives. Perhaps the first time they fell in love, when they passed their school exams, when they bought their first car. It can be anything. These memories are associated with songs they heard at the time and it makes them feel good. The funny thing is, you can be very popular with an audience even if your versions of their favorite songs are nothing like the originals. This is due to the fact that audiences tend to hear what they WANT to hear, they seem almost to hear a mix of the original artist and your version at the same time in their heads. This is a different rave which I will cover in later articles.
When you perform you must remember that every song you sing can have this nostalgic effect on your audience. If you are singing covers then make sure you have the correct lyric and that you understand it. Nothing will come back to bite you in the ass faster than if you sing the wrong lyric to a famous song!
If you don’t know what the song lyric is really about how do expect to communicate that story to your audience? It can be very useful sometimes to discuss a lyric with other people to gain an insight into the writer’s intentions.
Here we come to Performing rule number 2.
Get rid of all lyric sheets onstage !
It’s your job as the singer to know your lyrics. Don’t think for one second that your audience doesn’t see those lyric books or sheets of paper on a music stand. This is one of the most common amateur mistakes and it has a subtle effect on your performance. It will become a crutch you can never throw away. Make a rule with yourself to always learn your lyrics properly and not to rely on pieces of paper onstage. This way you will understand what you are singing and be able to concentrate on telling the story with confidence.
There are many other things I will discuss in later articles on how you can dramatically improve your lead singer skills with your band. Your confidence onstage is everything. Each new technique you add will take some time to perfect and feel comfortable with so persevere. Your audience will love you for it.

In classifying a voice, it is essential to consider particularly
1. The range.
2. The timbre (quality).
3. Vocal temperament.
In determining the range, care must be taken to keep it within easy limits ; in other words, consider only so much of the scale as is taken naturally, without straining. In cases where the voice has not been forced out of natural shape, this is a comparatively simple matter. more
A cut glass cup, under the friction of the fingers, will give out tone, yet by rubbing it very hard the sound ceases altogether, from which we conclude that the strongest sound obtainable is due to just sufficient friction to secure ample vibration of the crystal, without preventing the freedom of vibration. It is necessary, then, that the crystal vibrate freely under the friction. That liberty of vibration of its tonal walls is the essential condition to the production of maximum and most beautiful tone (Bonnier) .
This is a point having distinct application to vocal study.
The Range is the quantity of notes the voice can reach comfortably and musically. From low to high the tones increase in rapidity of vibration. The more rapid the rate of vibration, the higher the pitch. The rapid vibrations beyond certain limits give out no sound susceptible to human ears. The number of vibrations in musical sounds ranges from forty to four thou-sand a second.
Blaserna gives the following limits of vibration in a human voice :
Normal Exceptional
Bass C — 82 D 293 B (Contra) 61 — F 348
Baritone F — 87 F# 370 D 73—G 392
Tenor B — 109 A 435 G 98—C# 544
Contralto E — 164 F 696 C 110 — A 870
M. Sopr. F — 174 A 870 E 164—B 876
Soprano A— 218C 1044 G 196—E 1305
and more
The Timbre or Quality.–The variation in the timbre of two voices, of the same range may necessitate classifying them differently.
What Is “Timbre?” Musical sounds are not simple, but compound each note consists of a fundamental set of vibrations which determine the pitch, and of a number of superadded vibrations which indicate the “timbre” or “quality” (Helmholtz).
Take, for example, different instruments Fundamental “A” is the same on all of them, but the superadded sounds are different and those are the ones that give timbre or quality to the tone.
The timbre of a voice, being part of one’s organic constitution, cannot be changed.
This does not mean that a harsh, hard voice, made so by faulty method, may not be greatly improved in tonal effects by careful analysis and teaching. But as the timbre and quality of a voice is at bottom a part of the individual’s natural make-up, it is obvious that no other can be substituted, however much it may be attempted or desired. But the best that is in a voice can be secured, with the result that one at times. is tempted to believe that nature’s gifts really have been improved upon. The real fact of the matter is, of course, that the faulty conditions which have hitherto prevented proper results are removed, and the natural beauties of the voice shine forth. Timbre, like the individuality of which it is but a part, may be distorted and suppressed. By proper methods it may also be restored and expressed.
Vocal Temperament. Not of the least importance in the classification of the voice is “vocal temperament.”
Just as there are no two living persons possessing exactly the same character, there are no two singers of like musical or vocal temperament. One singer will grasp mentally and vocally with ease what may be extremely difficult for another. Such combinations constitute what, for want of a better description, may be called “vocal temperament.”
As an illustration of what happens when vocal temperament is disregarded, imagine “La Donna e mobile” sung an octave lower by a heavy bass, or a heavy mezzo-soprano aria from “Samson and Delilah” sung by a light soprano.
The general character of a person is a tremendous factor in his or her vocal temperament, all of which also indicates what a complex thing is individuality in singing, and how impossible and fatal it is to endeavor to develop any two voices by exactly the same processes.
Proceeding from low to high, the voices are classified as follows:
MALE VOICES
Basses, divided into three classes :
Profondo (deep, noble, contra), in which the greatest sonority obtains in the low range.
Cantante (bass-baritone) , showing better sonority in the high range.
Buffo, usually a poor voice, suitable for comedy only.
Baritones, divided into two classes:
Dramatic (very similar to basso cantante). Lyric, or Verdi’s type.
Tenors, divided into three classes:
Dramatic, or very strong.
Semi-dramatic (Lirico spinto).
Lyric, or light.
FEMALE VOICES
Contralto, having a marked baritonal character. (None of this extreme type is on the stage at present.)
Alto or Mezzo-Soprano, the link between contralto and soprano voices.
Dramatic Soprano, one who indicates the greatest sonority and strength in the high range.
Lyric Soprano, lacking the strength of a dramatic voice. (This voice could be called the product of modern music.)
Coloratura Soprano, a virtuoso voice. (This should be placed in a class by itself.)