In Tuva, a republic within the Russian Federation, shamanic practice is distinguished by a lack of trance and a heavy reliance on sound and music. The organizational structure of the sound unit used in throat singing, based on an overtone-rich timbre system, provides a wider framework of thought and behavior that underlies the organization of shamanic rituals. Sounds are not only integral to shamans' communications with spirits but also serve as an analytical lens for understanding shamanic practice and sociocosmic interactions in Tuva.
The author recounts his first exposure to Tuvan music at the 1991 International Congress of Jew's Harp Music in Yakutia, where a Tuvan band distinguished itself through distinctive khomus (Jew's harp) playing and throat singing. Gennadii Chash later taught the author throat singing during visits to Tuva, where he met musicians and ethnomusicologists, attended music symposia, researched Tuvan khomus techniques, and co-produced a CD of recordings (2013). The author focuses on khomus techniques in shamanic practice, drawing on Sevyan Vainshtein's studies of shamanic rituals, ethnographic videos, and his own observations.