Yodeling
 

Yodeling is so much more than just a way of singing. I heard once that it first evolved from a way of communicating between mountaintops. Aside from music, you can use it to stop traffic, as a repellent for most kinds of large mammals or - possibly with enough skill, you could use it to strip old paint off buildings.

Yodeling is typically thought of as folk music from the alps, but several cultures have yodeling or something that resembles yodeling in their music. It's also become popular in some cultures it is not endemic too such as american country and bluegrass.

So do you have a favourite yodeler?

I do, the amazing Franzl Lang from Bavaria :D Here he is performing the classic appenzeller yodel (mein Vater ist ein Appenzeller = my father is an apple-salesman).




Listen to this and be honest. Does it not make you want to strap on some lederhosen, drink massive amounts of beer from mugs with lids on them and gorge on bratwurst?

That is pretty outstanding. Yodeling is the theme song for having a good time.

All my experience with Yodeling comes from watching "The Price is Right"!

Haha, my thoughts exactly.

My only experience comes from my childhood and a man we called "the yodeller" (for obvious reasons).
The story went that his wife had drowned in the canal and that he'd had some kind of breakdown and thereafter solemnly walked the towpath yodelling. He was good at it too.
He could be heard from a good distance and it was years before I actually got to see him.

Wow, if that is stereotyping German people, if that was said about any other group of people that would be totally inappropriate. Don't worry it doesn't phase me in the least. I'm not offended. But because you said that, I'm a little confused whether you are really interested in yodelling or this is a joke thread.

Just in case you are serious about yodelling, I'll mention Slim Whitman. I don't know how serious other people take him as an artist, his music is old, but I like Old Country music over the newer junk. I really don't like American Country Music that much except for a few artist and he's one of my exceptions.
He has an amazing voice imo, he's the first singer who I began to appreciate a type of yodelling.

The tale of the lone yodeler .. You're joking, right? Either way, that's a pretty good story. :p:

I have a lot of genuine fascination and respect for the german bavarian culture, but at the same time I have to admit that there are certain aspects of it that I find slightly comical. That's probably why it's a bit hard to tell wether or not I'm serious about yodeling. Don't worry though, I've got plenty of genuine admiration. :)

I haev quite a few german friends and some of them don't like Bavaria much and seem to think of it as an embarassment, which I think is sad. I consider the old bavarian culture colourful, warm, friendly and - okay, a bit funny. Been wanting to vacate to there for years now!

Thanks for sharing Slim Whitman's country yodel! I've yet to appreciate american yodel, but I thought the song was good. Since we got some american yodel here, I'll add some more variety by adding some australian yodeling.

Mary Schneider still has an alpish style and is quite known for yodeling to pieces by classical composers. I find that more comical than good and her songs are definetly funny, but what the heck. I couldn't find my favourite song from hers on youtube, but this one is good even if he doesn't showcase her talent that well.

Someone should get a comp together... I'm too lazy to look for good yodelers.

I'm glad you like the Slim Whitman video, here's another one of Slim's called "Cattle Call."


Most of what I know of German music comes from youtube. I actually joined MB to start with the intention of starting a German music thread, but I never got around to it.

About a year ago while searching youtube I came across Gitti und Erika. It was love at first site. (I have a crush on Gitti.) They are sisters from Bavaria, and (one of) their first hits was the theme to "Heidi" there's a nice yodel in it. They do different genres of German music like Sclager Volkstümliche Musik, and Pop. (some of it's kinda silly - like you saidslightly comical.) I watch every video I could find of them.

I've never really paid much attention to yodeling, I actually assumed most of it sounded pretty terrible. The closest I've ever come to yodeling is listening to Dolores O'Riordan, who isn't even really a 'yodeler.' Anyway, some of those vids are actually pretty impressive - especially the Gitti & Erica ones. Quite pretty!

Oh, I didn't much care for Gitti & Erica to be honest. We can't all like the same though.

Here's the rather awful but hilarious "Tritsch Tratsch Polka Yodel" I was looking for earlier but couldn't find. If you want to try a yodeling experiment, try waking your spouse by putting this on the stereo and see what happens. :p:

I think I first encountered yodeling on an old record (yes, one of those large, flat, dark round objects) of the story of "Heidi" complete with lovely songs that I listened to when I was a child.

The only other encounter I've had with yodeling (other than in this thread and an occasional song heard here or there) is through the watered-down yodeling song, "The Lonely Goatherd," from the musical The Sound of Music:



I've always thought yodeling was *supposed* to sound amusing because it has such unusual pitch changes compared to regular speaking, so I've never felt bad about feeling this form of singing (which isn't easy to do well, I feel) is funny and intended to get people to smile. The sound change is unexpected, and often unexpected (but unharmful) things strike people as amusing, like seeing a very tall person and a very short person who just happen to be standing right next to each other. So, I think yodeling sounds funnier when a man does it, because the shift from the more typical low male voice to a very high voice is more startling compared to when a woman with a higher voice to start with suddenly goes up to a higher note.

Their singing is quite pretty. Hehe...I'm wondering, Neapolitan, what draws you to Gitti as opposed to Erica, since to me they look almost completely alike? I must say I find myself feeling a preference for Erica. I don't know why.
--Erica

English band Adam & The Ants also used some watered down yodeling, at least in the B-side from their "Stand and Deliver" single which was "Beat My Guest" (very clever pun there).



(It's a fan vid of course)

The yodeling isn't impressive but I actually like the song. :p:

Hey, I liked Adam and the Ants a lot back in the 70's and 80's...but I didn't remember this song. Thanks for sharing it! The song *is* a good example of the quirky feeling that watered-down yodeling offers to New Wave music, in this case. It is nice to hear yodeling used outside its original yodeling genre. Ah, the 80's! I am now feeling nostalgia for the music of that era...sigh.

Here's another Adam and the Ants song, "Stand and Deliver," that has a tiny bit of yodeling in it, I'd say. I like almost all Adam and the Ants' songs because they are so playfully risque and quirky (such that a little yodeling fits right in yet, I feel, sounds cool). An aside: doesn't "Adam" look like Johnny Depp's Captain Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies?

He has some longer demonstrations than this but this'll give you an idea of his vocal ability.

Fun and entertaining yodeling is.

Indeed complex and rewarding.

I feel that Jimmie Rodgers needs a mention in this thread. Jimmie was a pioneer, and pretty good. Sadly he died before he was forty from TB. I would link you to some of his songs, but due to my post count I don't have that ability. Most of you have probably heard of him, but for those of you that haven't, I suggest looking some of his songs up on Youtube.