Vandaag zou mijn vader Ben van Tongeren 92 jaar geworden zijn. Hij stierf, 78 jaar oud, in 2013. Ik denk vaak terug aan de vele mooie dingen die ik van hem meegekregen heb. Hij was een creatieveling maar ook een gedegen vakman. Hij volgde een opleiding bouwkunde aan de TU Delft en werd architect. Mijn zus en ik werden als kind omringd door zijn bruisende stroom van ideeën en creaties. Toen ik klein was werkte hij aan huis aan zijn tekentafel en mocht ik vaak mee naar de drukker in Haarlem om litho’s of zeefddrukken op te halen. En soms mee naar Assen, waar hij zijn grootste project aan het realiseren was: het nieuwbouwproject Baggelhuizen. Apetrots was ik, toen we na jaren werk en kortere bezoekjes de opening bijwoonden. Er was een straatfeest met volleybal, barbecues en natuurlijk heel veel volk. En die nacht waren we te gast bij één van de bewoners van zijn woongemeenschap.

Mijn vader had grootse plannen, en was als architect geïnspireerd door utopisten. Hij droomde over een architectuur die een nieuwe samenleving vorm gaf, en slaagde er soms in dat waar te maken, zoals in Baggelhuizen, waar allerlei ideeën over samen wonen en openbare ruimte in terecht kwamen. Zijn enthousiasme was aanstekelijk en de tijdgeest van de jaren ‘60 en ‘70 waarin hij tot volwassenheid kwam bllijft een inspiratiebron voor velen. Die geweldige kleuren en vormen van die tijd staan nog altijd als een huis; veel meer wat mij betreft dan de door computers beïnvloedde kleuren en vormen van de jaren tachtig, die soms meer tijd nodig hadden om tot vollle wasdom te komen.

Het kantoor van mijn vader heette STUDIO PROTO DESIGN. Een ontzettend coole naam, vind ik nog steeds. ‘Studio’ staat voor een spannende, creatieve plek. ‘Design’ voor heel veel moois geproduceerd in die decennia, en de veel bredere liefde van mijn vader voor ontwerpen, van bestek (het Jensen bestek dat we nog altijd gebruiken) via open haarden (hij ontwierp onze open haard terwijl hij de open haarden fabriek Helex in Bennebroek ontwierp) tot typografie en drukwerk. En dan dat ‘PROTO’: een sterk statement dat er iets heel vooruistrevends gebeurt, een basaal onderzoek dat later pas echt tot succesvolle producten of ontwerpen kan uitgroeien. Deze studio zou alleen nooit groot worden, niet zoals bijvoorbeeld Rem Koolhaas’ OMA, die er misschien wel soortgelijke ambities op nahield. Mijn vader had wel tijdelijk personeel in dienst maar slaagde er niet in de grotere projecten in de wacht te slepen waar hij op inschreef, zoals de herindeling van het Museumplein in Amsterdam. Jammer, want het was een mooi plan, maar daar ging het niet om: je moest gewoon een gedegen organisatie achter je hebben om zoiets te kunnen realiseren, anders viel je natuurlijk af.

Georg Jensen bestek, uit 1 van de vele plakboeken

De Helex open haarden fabriek en pa’s eigen ontwerp dat we thuis hadden

Typografie en tekenwerk

Drukwerk uit Finland na een Scandinavische tour:

reclame voor Nokia laarzen (eind jaren ’70).

Dan nu even een sprong: ik zit al jaren te tobben over een woord dat de lading van mijn dagelijkse creaties kan dekken. Een wat paradoxale lading, want ik schrijf recitaties zonder betekenis. Ik wil ze niet betekenisloos noemen, maar dat is wel een gangbare term voor dit soort klankpoëzie. Technischer heet het dan bijvoorbeeld weer ‘non-lexicaal’, bijvoorbeeld als wij etnomusicologen inheemse muziek beschreven waarin klanken voorkomen die niets betekenen (ah-huna-ha-yo). Zo zijn er nog wat woorden. Maar onlangs viel mij in: proto-syllaben. Syllaben die wel zwanger zijn van betekenis en ook allerlei betekenissen kunnen krijgen, afhankelijk van wat de luisteraar erin hoort, maar die niet vertaalbaar zijn naar gewone taal. Eindelijk een woord gevonden dat me bevalt. En de cirkel is weer rond, want het prototype voor dit woord zoemde al ergens rond toen ik nog een peuter was, en natuurlijk geen flauw idee had wat ‘proto’ was.

Hulde, vader, en dank voor het volhouden van je scheppende, verbeeldingsrijke bestaan!

The post Studio Proto Design van Ben van Tongeren (1934-2013) appeared first on Fusica.

The Mongols, the Tuvans and Tibetans practise it since times immemorial.

Composers Lamonte Young and Karlheinz Stockhausen introduced it to a select audience in the West.

Singers David Hykes, with his Harmonic Choir, and Michael Vetter developed a whole new way of doing it.

Your own voice resonates multiple sounds when you sing, and even when you speak.

[you are reading the transcription of the text spoken in the video]

In recent decades, more and more people discover this unusual way of vocalising, making it somewhat more …. usual.

I am talking about the technique called overtone singing. A singing practise that allows one to produce a low note and a melody of higher tones on top of it, using only the human voice.
Overtone singing is not mystical, secret or esoteric by itself, though it’s easy to understand the association.

Anyone can learn the basics of producing two tones at the same time, using only his or her voice. And this course teaches that in a few dozen clear and infectious videos. Each video zooms in to one specific way to develop a more resonant voice, making your overtones more and more audible.

Join me, Mark van Tongeren, author of the definitive sourcebook on the subject, on a path I am travelling for over 30 years.

I taught myself the basics of overtone singing around 1990. And then went on to study, record and interview many important people in the field around the world, starting with Rollin Rachele, author of the first-ever study guide for overtone singers. Soon after I set out to study with the famous throat singers from Tuva, Siberia, like Kaygal-ool Khovalyg of Huun-Huur-Tuu.

I wanted to understand how they look at their vocal art, music and sound and the connections to body, mind, spirit and religion.

This course is my condensation of decades of singing, teaching, listening and learning.
Full of tips and tricks and all the basic tools you need to jump-start your own journey to new dimensions of your resonant body, mind and voice.

Set apart one to two months for this fascinating journey, to change the way you listen and the way you make sound with your voice.

Enjoy access for the rest of your life.
Join my course Overtone Singing – Basics now.

Go to https://voice-resonance.com/online-course-basics

The post Learn Overtone Singing @ Home appeared first on Fusica.

This very complete workshop teaches you the principles of resonance by learning the basics of overtone singing: a special way of listening to and making vocal sounds that has many useful applications for singers and non-singers alike. It requires no previous musical training. It is taught by one of the world’s leading overtone singers, Mark van Tongeren, who spend decades documenting this fascinating technique by visiting and recording performers in all major traditions and interviewing many contemporary singers and composers.

R E S O N A N C E  is Mark’s most complete course. It gives you a thorough basis in practices based around overtone singing and the resonant voice in general. This course was first launched in 2014 and is now running for the 11th time. In recent years it was updated to take advantage of the fact that all three team members can assist through their long training with Mark as overtone singers and ‘resonators’. The result of this shift became clear at the end of the most recent 8-day courses (2025 and 2026): students perform better and learn quicker than in previous years.

We also introduced a new format that allows you to learn the basics at your own pace at home. The subsequent stages are:

– an easy-paced, one month online course that introduces many of the basic concepts and practices.

– a four-day in-person workshop to further explore your personal voice and ways to harmonise, resonate and sing overtones together.

– 9 weeks self-study at home or together

– another four-day group session with pieces and improvisations guided by two Teaching Assistants …

–  … also including a one-on-one class with Mark for each student to work on specific obstacles

– life-time access to the online modules

Are you not living in or near Taiwan and not able to join our retreat? Or are you not a beginner anymore? Then you can consider to take one or several 1-on-1 online classes with Mark.

TIMELINE RESONANCE 2026

Part I: The Seed Awakens: December 10 – 30: every week one new online module Overtone Singing – Basics

Part II: Emerging from the Soil: January 7 – 10 Guangfu Workshop

Part III: Blossoming into Light: March 18 – 21 Guangfu Workshop 2

DETAILED PROGRAM

Online December 10 – 30, 2026  (3 weeks) 2026

We start the learning journey online. The online video course contains 3 modules with 35 videos (2 hours total). You will receive one module per week. You can go through the videos at your own pace, and start to practice with the video instructions.

Module A (December 10 – 16): Introduction to resonance

Module B (December 17 – 23): The basic techniques of overtone singing

Module C (December 24 – 30): Polishing your listening and vocal skills

3 Online Live Q&A sessions: December 16, 23, 30 (19:30-20:00)

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) January 7 – 10   (4 days fulltime) 2027

We come together in the tranquil, focused setting of Sapientia in Guangfu, Hualien, where we will sing, listen, sense and resonate together for four days. We immerse ourselves in the resonances of each other’s voices, building on the power that emerges from close-listening. We fine-tune our voices in harmonies – both conventional ‘outer’ harmonies and the ‘inner’ harmonies of overtones. These practices are interspersed with insightful stories from the world’s most iconic traditions of overtone singing, documented by Mark himself in the course of more than three decades of research and artistic exploration.

Day 1

Finding inner and outer harmony from embodied breath and natural resonance

Day 2

Traditional practise and wisdom explored and utilised for new forms of resonant singing

Day 3

Harmonics as/in healing and therapy: confronting fear, developing self-confidence.

Day 4

Boosting your Resonance and creative applications.

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA

Breakfast 8:00-9:00

Morning sessions: 9:30-12:30

Lunch break: 12:30-14:30

Afternoon sessions: 14:30-16:00 + 16:30-18:00.

Dinner break: 18:00-19:00

Evenings are for resting, self practice, jamming… till 22:00?

The last session finishes in the afternoon of Sunday at 4 PM.

THEMES FOR THESE FOUR-DAYS

SINGING

° learn to sing the basic techniques of overtone singing: NG (gong), RR (bird), LL (sygyt), vowel (ee-uu)

° enrich your vocal resonance

° meditative and therapeutic practices

° embodied listening, embodied vocalising

° musical ritual and wisdom from Christianity and Buddhism

° Mongolian, Siberian and Tibetan forms of throat singing

Like no other, Mark has single-handedly undertaken enduring, in-depth investigations into all the major traditions of overtone singing: Tuva and the Siberian and Mongolian Altai, Tibet, Sardinia, South-Africa.

LISTENING

° break through your habitual patterns of hearing and making sound

° ‘ear cleaning’: make a new start listening to all sound instead of familiar patterns

° hearing overtones in the colours and timbres of a voice

RESONANT ENCOUNTERS

° guided resonating with one or more voices

° giving feedback to each other’s voices

VOCAL STYLE and INSTRUMENTS

The main emphasis is on using / applying / hearing resonance with a relaxed, more occidental voice. Short introductions to the pressed, guttural voices of throat singing, for example Tuvan khöömei and sygyt are also given for comparison. We will learn some pieces and guided improvisations by by Mark and also create our own. In addition we will use instruments such as singing bowls, bells, lutes and fiddles. You are encouraged to bring your own – the greater the resonant spectrum, the better!

9-WEEK SELF-STUDY

As you continue your journey with your own voice, we provide you with a curated selection of some of the most interesting and important videos on the internet. These will guarantee to keep you inspired in your own practise and deepen your understanding. (Primarily English – Mandarin may not be available.)

Optional: organise your own online or in-person gatherings to learn with/from each other, discuss videos, etc..

SAPIENTIA (Guangfu) March 18 – 21 (4 days fulltime) 2027

During this second get-together, Mark and his teaching assistants will build upon the results from the previous 4-day immersive workshop and your personal journey over the past 9 weeks. Much time is spent on technical work, which will be diversified to cater for different types of students and their needs.

The basis of resonance is concentrated voice/body work, balance of body-mind exercise and good overtone singing skills. During these four days, each student will have a one-on-one private session with Mark to erase stumbleblocks. We also work in small groups, and collectively on pieces that we learn or to create new work. After this weekend, you will know your strengths and which direction to go. On the second afternoon students collaborate to create final pieces to round off their  R E S O N A N C E  retreat..

SESSION TIMES SAPIENTIA 

same as the part 1 workshop, please see above

ABOUT SAPIENTIA RESORT | GUANGFU, HUALIEN

For the sixth year, stylish Sapientia is the ‘home’ of the  R E S O N A N C E  retreat. We are happy to return to this wonderful place. The two-story building with Japanese garden-style architecture features a classroom with floor-to-ceiling windows, offering views on an expansive forest garden. The chorus of frogs, insects and birds are an exquisite setting to awaken your auditory senses. Host Peter brews different flavours of specialty coffee in his cosy coffee corner every day; hostess Ping serves delicious home-made breakfast for every guest. The guesthouse offers 7 uniquely designed rooms with comfortable large beds and Japanese-style tatami floors.

Unwind at Sapientia while enjoying our Sound Resonance Workshop experience!

LANGUAGE

The course will be conducted in English. Our interpreter Haopin WU will be present to summarise or translate entire parts of the course into Mandarin, depending on the needs.

FOR WHOM?

No previous musical experience is required. All levels welcome.

We’ve had office workers, people with speech problems, poets, singing bowl players, linguists, sanyassins, professional singers, dancers, academics and more in previous  R E S O N A N C E  courses. Anyone who is curious about developing her or his voice potential, whether professional or amateur or non-singer, will benefit from these lessons.

PRICING

Full Price 72.500 NT$

Up to 16 September 2026:

Early Bird / 15% off NT$ 61.625

After 17 September 2026

Full price NT$ 72.500

TOSA members  / 15% off  NT$ 61.625

Bring a friend :  – NT$ 2.500

Included:

• Tuition
• Guangfu lodging in shared rooms (a private room if available).
• Guangfu Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Coffee and snacks

Not included:

• Transport to the retreat in Hualien.

If possible, bring an instrument of your own. It is also possible to pre-order a shruti box from Mark to help your own practice during and after the workshop. For pre-orders, discounts apply: inquire for the details (depending on availability).

REGISTER

We reserve the right to change program time and contents.

Please sign up through this form: https://forms.gle/dcFHhmGyB9uN2WFD8

Let us know if you need help!

OUR TEAM

This workshop is brought to you by Jackal Mei, Yvonne Chichen Lee, Haopin Wu, Hsi-Yin Chang and Mark van Tongeren.

Mark van Tongeren 

Mark is a sound explorer with a deep interest in the synergy of arts, sciences and contemplative traditions. Mark has over 30 years of experience in theatre, music and dance productions and holds a PhD from Leiden University’s Academy of Creative of Performing Arts. In his work he combines all kinds of voice/music/performance, sometimes overlapping with contemplative practices (meditation, pranayama, yoga).

Watch this teaser from the online module showing the 7 basic techniques of overtone singing.

To get an idea of what this workshop is about, listen to Mark’s TEDx talk about listening and singing overtones.

Jackal Mei

An overtone singing / jaw harp enthusiast since 2019, Jackal is deeply involved with the Taiwan Overtone Singing Association and the Taiwan World Jaw Harp Culture Association. He is a member of IUooUI and Inner Galactic Wanderers. Jackal is also a passionate lover of dessert baking and coffee.

Haopin Wu

Haopin has been studying resonance and overtone singing for more than five years. He quickly comprehends what beginners need when learning overtone singing from various viewpoints. He holds a Ph.D. in mathematical sciences.

Yvonne Chichen Lee

Passionate for all ways of singing with instruments across traditions. Interpreter for Mark’s first R E S O N A N C E course in 2014 and again in 2026. Now a performer at times, singing, playing, or moving.

Hsi-Yin Chang

An intuitive singer and sound healing practitioner now living in Germany. She was trained in sound therapy since 2021 and is now dedicating her work to healing music and sound journeys.

CONTACT INFO

For any questions about the contents in English ask Mark, in Chinese, ask Jackal Mei.

For registration ask Hsi-Yin, for lodging and food details ask Jackal.

Jackal Mei (Organizer)

Phone: 0936-596-910

Mail: jackallala@gmail.com

Line ID: jackallala

Mark van Tongeren (Course facilitator)

mark@fusica.nl

Phone: 0910382749

LINE: 091038274

Hsi-Yin Chang (administration assistant)

hsiyin724@gmail.com

PAYMENT

Payment upon registration by bank or Paypal.

Bank code: 808

Name of bank: E.SUN Commercial Bank

Beneficiary: Van Tongeren Mark Christiaan

Account number: 0314-979-191796

Make sure to send an email after your payment with the last few digits of your bank account.

CANCELLATION

We try to keep prices reasonable. We will return 90% of the fee if you cancel 60+ days prior to the workshop.

We will return 80% of the fee if you cancel 45 – 59 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 50% of the fee if you cancel 30 – 44 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 30% of the fee if you cancel 15 – 29 days prior to the workshop.

We will return 10% of the fee if you cancel 1 – 14 days prior to the workshop.

If you find a substitute for your spot, we will only keep 10% of the administration fee.

© Mark van Tongeren 2026

© Photos Jackal Mei

OTHER UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2026:

December 19-22 at Dulan

PLEASE ALSO CHECK OUT:

TOSA https://www.facebook.com/overtonesingingtw

R E S O N A N C E   X I I

will take place in early 2028

The post R E S O N A N C E   XI (11) – 2026-2027 appeared first on Fusica.

Concerts, workshops and other upcoming events.

Details below

Early October

Premiere of the concert recording of

the Superstringtrio: Incignito Ergo Sum.

Online presentation live with Mark van Tongeren and Rollin Rachele

Sunday December 13, 2026

10 AM – 5 PM.

Taipei, place tbc

Member Day, Taiwan Overtone Singing Association.

More about the association here.

More about some of our activities here.

Go to R E S O N A N C E   XI (11) – 2026-2027

Voice Yoga Winter Solstice Retreat 2026

Not found what you are looking for?

Tell us so we can help you.

The post Autumn Program 2026 appeared first on Fusica.

FRIDAY AUGUST 14: CONCERT

SATURDAY AUGUST 15: WORKSHOP

SUNDAY TOSA AUGUST 16: TOSA GATHERING

The post 3-Day Kaohsiung Program appeared first on Fusica.

With three Study Groups, the size of the symposium was huge, with hundreds of papers proposed, of which many were presented. Chulalongkorn University, Chiang Mai University and other parties from Bangkok and Chiang Mai were joined by our Study Group co-organisers to make the whole thing happen. Here are some impressions:

There were many parallel sessions and I arrived only on Day 3, so I missed several things I had wanted to see and hear. Some of the talks that struck me: a paper on Buddhist palm leaf recitation by Jarun Kanchanapradit (Khon Kaen University), with intriguing findings about drum sounds which are rendered or inserted in Buddhist texts, not as onomatopoeia, but as containers of dharma teachings.

There was a very moving commemoration of Dutch ethnomusicologist Wim van Zanten, with singing and flute playing and an overview of his work in numerous capacities with the ICTM and UNESCO, by Svanibor Pettan, Tan Sooi Beng, Made Hood and a vocalist with a wonderful voice reciting traditional poetry of respect.

Made Hood who was playing flute in fact has one of the best voices I know. Not only that, he also manages to calmly steer you through his powerpoint with a whole set of ideas that would quickly become overwhelming. Interesting subject and well-spoken (thought I still had questions too, of course, as this theme is close to my heart). (by the way, both Made and the above-mentioned Jarun agreed to record a nokyo for me, to be released on a future album – so nice!)

Presenter Haozhe Zhang (Central Conservatory of Music, China) seemed to struggle a bit with finding the right tone of voice. He talked about an entertainment act from Russia called Otyken that presents touristy-showy music and faux indigenous Siberian ritual on national and international stages. He did ask some of the right questions, and also began answering them. But he did not manage to push through with a clear conclusion about the problematic nature of such acts. 

After years of correspondence I finally met Bernhard Bleibinger (we were supposed to have our own panel about mouth bows at the 2024 Taiwan symposium, but he could not make it). What a lovely chap and challenging story: why not put Bavaria at the center of your research, instead of the usual South African musics? His story was convincing as an applied ethnomusicological research case and even – according to a member from the audience, as a case of ‘indigenous music and dance’!

Victoria Vorreiter’s photographs, exhibition of instruments, textiles and weaving, and her books – absolutely splendid. Amazing one person can do all of that, though of course with the help of many. Her “turning photorack” will be a hit in exhibition centers around the world, I bet (see the video above)!

For the very time I learnt about India’s smallest minority, the Toto from West Bengal, in the only online presentation I saw, by Bisakha Goswami (Rabindra Bharati University). Though under pressure and counting only about 1400 people, the group still retains several traditions of music and ritual.

There were too many good papers, and certainly some mediocre ones, but these were also among those to remember.

We are truly thankful to the chairs of the three Study Groups (Made Hood, Huib Schippers, Yuh-Fen Tseng) and the Thai hosts who put together such a great program (esp. Nattapol Wisuttipat, Kumkom Pornprasit and Paphutson Koong Wongratapitak) and others assisting the Program Committee and Local Arrangements Commitee, as well as the previous and current president of the ICTMD (Svanibor Pettan and Tan Sooi Beng).

This event was in fact the first time the current Committee of our IMD Study Group got together in person: (photo below, from left to right) chair Yuh-Fen Tseng 曾毓芬, secretaries Xinjie Chen 陳心傑 and Shuo Niki Yang 楊爍, and me as vice-chair. Thanks Svanibor Pettan for capturing this moment.

Our ICTMD-IMD website with lots of presentations of previous Symposia, an interactive map with performances etc. etc.

https://ictmindsg.openmuseum.tw/

Do check out the video with some of the musical moments in Chiang Mai.

The post Impressions from a triple ICTMD Symposium in Chiang Mai appeared first on Fusica.

Recently I received my book Overtone Singing, translated into Japanese. What a nice surprise! I was not aware that my publisher was contacted by a Japanese agent shortly after the book came out in 2022. But recently it came to my attention, with no further details and no updates.

It is a neat, small-sized and quite thick book. Well-designed, beautiful typographic cover.
Including all the original illustrations, as far as I can see.

Translated by Ohkita Yoshiyuki and published by Hikaruland Publishing Co. Ltd.

A dream come true!

Link to Amazon Japan.

One of my first sources about Mongolian throat singing was a book and album devoted to a symposium held in Japan in the late 1970s. It contained articles and recordings, and the main source was the famous Sundui. Such a mystery still at that time! This was the very early 1990s. Then in 1993 I went to Tuva and met Japanese scholars and singers, and again in 1995. At that big symposium there were several important Japanese delegates: Makigami Koichi and Leo Tadagawa.

Makigami Koichi and Leo Tadagawa, 2nd and 3rd from left. International visitors at the Khöömei Festival, Kyzyl, Tuva, Russian Federation, 1995.

There is a strong connection with Central Asia, in particular Tuva and Mongolia, but also the Altay, Khakassiya. One of the very early movers in this area was Makigami Koichi, who set up a Tuva – Japan friendship association and kept on (and keeps on) coming back to Tuva and inviting musicians to Japan – also from Altay, like Bolot Bairyshev.  Makigami and his company also organised tours and published albums of musicians from South Siberia, nearly always related to throat singing. I met Makigami-san again and again: first in Tuva, then in Germany where we performed with Alexander Lauterwasser’s device to transform sound into visuals (cymatics), later in New York City with Jong Zorn after we both performed there. Of course in the Netherlands, where he was a guest with our band Oorbeek at the International Jew’s Harp Festival in 2006 and in recent years several times in Taiwan.

When I was at another festival in Tuva in the year 2000, there were many young Japanese throat singers. They formed a group called Vions (which translates as ‘overtones’) and worked independently in different fields of art and performance. Another early adopter of many things Tuvan was Todoriki Masahiko: he spent lots of time travelling through Tuva to observe flora and fauna, collect pictures for his postcard editions, learn the language and collect songs and lyrics, and learn throat singing. He also came to Taipei to teach and perform.

So far, most Japanese I met and heard were interested in, or based on, the traditional forms from Mongolia and Tuva. There have been several throat singing festivals in Japan, starting already in the early 2000s: a testament to their dedication to the original masters. Non-Japanese have often thought the Japanese have some kind of overtone singing of their own: indeed, the range of vocal styles and techniques is enormous. Among the very skilled voice types we find, for example, the (Buddhist) Shomyo chants of the Tendaï sect, which I always play for my R E S O N A N C E  students. You can hear the overtones even when they do not make a conscious effort to sing them. (Michael Vetter confirmed this during his long-term stay in Japan from 1973-1983.)

Not many young people seemed to be interested in learning the non-guttural styles. But every once in a while I learnt about performers and composers who did extraordianry things with timbre, guttural sounds and/or overtones. Ken Ueno (not a Japanese citizen, I know) and Fuyuki Yamakawa belong in this category. I also consider the work Mandara Trilogy by  Somei Satoh an exploration of vocal overtones, though it is not the main material.

In recent years, I started hearing a bit more from people interested in non-traditional overtone singing, but there must be much more than I know.

Link to Amazon Japan.

The post A Japanese translation of Overtone Singing 『オーバートーン・シンギング』 appeared first on Fusica.

Here is a video in which I explain some of the things that are essential for those who start on the path of learning to sing overtones. Enjoy!

The post How to hear your own overtones? appeared first on Fusica.

A few hours after landing in Taipei I made it to the final rehearsal of the Bon-Po concert we present this Sunday in Taipei. The group sounded great – better than ever, I dare say – during our last complete rehearsal some weeks ago. A good thing, because some Bon-Po chants and instrumental parts are not exactly easy to play. We will have to pay close attention to some of the difficult parts.

We will play in the intimate space of the wonderful Gallery Sun. It has a nice natural reverberation, which will help us to be on guard about all the tiny details. If you didn’t yet, register a seat, it is getting quite full!

5/24 Sunday 15:33 (doors open 3 PM)
Between Voice and Breath / Tibetan Bön
Chanting Group
5/24 週日下午三點，

2026.5.24 ( Sun. ) 3:33 pm
聲氣之間|西藏苯教唱誦共學團分享會
地點：尚畫廊 Gallery Sun
Facilitators 帶領人 ：
西藏音樂專家 Ricardo Canzio 康嘉鐸 與
民族音樂家 Mark van Tongeren 溫馬克
#按報名順序安排座位；超過47座的8位朋友可享席地而坐；超過55位，可享前方民榮公園野餐的陽光、涼風和雨水的潤澤。

Event page https://www.facebook.com/events/2536792183445693/

The post Concert Tibetan Bön Chanting Group: Between Voice and Breath appeared first on Fusica.

I have seen and heard quite a few installations centred on vibrational phenomena, and have sometimes worked with them myself. Visually, we are familiar with well-known patterns such as those created by Chladni and Lissajous, as well as moiré effects, and in music, polyrhythms such as those found in African music, phase differences as in Steve Reich’s music, and of course the more subtle work with overtones (or sine waves in electronic music). But what I have now seen surpasses them all. This installation by Philip Vermeulen is based on 2 x 2 rotating elastic bands, each about 10 metres long. It brings a great deal of stuff together:

• first, the combination of image and sound: the visualisation of simple and somewhat more complex wave phenomena and the audible dimension of these same vibrating sources
• second, the actual, direct connection between visual moiré and auditory interference effects and phase differences
• third, the gradual changes in smaller increments, and the abrupt transition to new phases
• fourth, quite delightfully, the deliberate intertwining of the two moving bands, making it seem as though things are going wrong
• fifth, and perhaps most importantly, the dramatic, almost terrifying tangibility of the swaying ribbons when they gain speed; for they whistle and whoosh like the wind and sometimes howl like a violent storm
• added to that is the consideration of what would happen if the whole thing were to snap, for there is clearly enormous pressure on the process and you can feel the wind blowing in the small room
• then there are the beautiful more-than-stereo effects of the whooshing sounds, which you can perceive at different distances from the ribbons when sitting in the centre (sometimes in several places at once)
• moreover (and then I’ll stop), the duration of the piece and the fact that it is an actual composition makes that your eyes and ears keep wanting to shift between picking out details and zooming out again; you want to experience the whole development of those 7+ minutes all over again.

Photographs really cannot render what you experience, so here are some of those moments. If you have a chance, I urge you to go and see and hear it! More about Vermeulen:

Artist YT channel

Artist website.

Exhibition Silence in the Storm, Museum Voorlinden, Netherlands.

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