Yesterday I went to the beach nearby my bungalow to enjoy the evening and take a few shots with my camera. Upon sunset I notice a group with varying instruments playing something - that I quickly reckoned to be improvised - followed with an incremental gathering of people around them.
After observing for a while, I notice that one guy is doing throat/overtone singing into the mix. Having the ability in throat singing myself, I ask the guy: "Can I come and throat sing with ya?" He was more than happy to have an extra voice.
Turns out the guy was an actual Tuvan to whom throat singing is basically part of their identity. You can hear some of his singing in the video, but I was mesmerized especially by his overtone singing. I'm mostly competent just with the deep low frequency style (kargyraa), but those whistling overtones I can't quite do. Maybe soon though, because the quy actually invited me to his throat singing workshop the next day (which is the day I'm writing this post). I'm not bragging (maybe just a little), but he said he was quite impressed by my abilities - didn't expect a pale Finnish guy, who sticks out like a Moomin in a coffee bean bath, to be able to do that stuff.
He even gave away some Mongolian notes as souvenirs.
You know, I was a bit uncertain of my travel decisions, but now that I've sang together with a native Tovan, I have no regrets on arriving to Koh Phangan. It is quite of an hippie island, but I like how there can be just a semi-spontaneous music impro by the beach with people dancing around. Creatively very open place, I like it.
By the way, it's so easy to hitchhike here: I hitched to the workshop today and didn't have to walk even a minute before this Welsh Jimmy-guy picked me up and took me already half way to my destination. Easier than calling a taxi, just stick your thumb out. Had so much time before the workshop I went for a dip into the ocean by the beach that's located in the north side of the island.
Here's a few photos I bothered to snap with my phone.
