Yodeling

Yodeling (also spelled jodeling or yodelling) is a singing style built on quick, repeated shifts between a singer’s lower chest voice and their higher head voice or falsetto. The English term comes from the German *jodeln*, which means “to utter the syllable *jo*” (pronounced “yo”). This vocal technique appears in many cultures around the world. Recent scientific studies of yodeling and non-Western music suggest that both speech and music may have developed from a common early form of vocal expression.

Alpine yodeling was originally a rural tradition in Europe. It gained popularity as stage entertainment in theaters and music halls during the 1830s. Today, yodeling remains a key part of folk music (Volksmusik) in Switzerland, Austria, southern Germany, the eastern French regions of Alsace and Savoy, and the northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It can still be heard in many contemporary folk songs, which are regularly broadcast on television.

**History of Alpine yodeling**

Most experts agree that yodeling was first used in the Central Alps by herders calling their livestock or communicating between mountain villages. This multi-pitched yelling eventually became part of the region’s traditional lore and musical expression. The earliest known record of a yodel dates to 1545, described as “the call of a cowherd from Appenzell.” Music historian Timothy Wise notes that from its earliest appearances in European music, yodeling was linked to nature, instinct, wilderness, pre-industrial and pastoral life. It continues to be associated with rural and folk music, or to suggest those ideas in other contexts. Because of this folk origin, yodeling remained tied to the outdoors, rustic rather than sophisticated personas, and particular emotional or psychological states.

British stage performances by yodelers were common in the 19th century. Sir Walter Scott wrote in his journal on June 4, 1830, that “Anne wants me to go hear the Tyrolese Minstrels but … I cannot but think their yodeling … is a variation upon the tones of a jackass.” In Europe, yodeling still plays a major role in folk music from Switzerland, Austria, and southern Germany. The Swiss Amish in the United States also continue the practice today. In 2025, Switzerland’s yodeling was recognized as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO.

**Yodeling around the world**

Beyond the Alps, yodeling appears in the Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Madagascar, the United States, Romania, Bulgaria, and Africa. Although it is strongly associated with the Swiss Alps and Austrian Tyrol, ethnomusicologists believe the practice may have originated tens of thousands of years ago among ancient African nomadic hunter-gatherers.

In Scandinavian folk music, the oral-song tradition *kulning* (also called *laling* or *huving*) is a form of signal song used to make oneself known over long distances, especially in the mountains. It is linked to a transhumance tradition. Each cry could be individually designed, serving not only as a contact call but also as a way to identify the singer. The cry may include text or be wordless. *Laling* is related to yodeling in Switzerland and Austria, and the overture *Hjalarljod* draws on this phenomenon. It is a mix of yelling and singing, closely related to *lokk*. *Huving* was used in woods and mountains to call animals, contact other shepherds or people on neighboring mountain farms, and send messages over long distances.

In Persian classical music, singers often use *tahrir* (meaning “tremolo” in English), a yodeling technique that oscillates between neighboring tones. It resembles Swiss yodeling and is used as an ornament or trill in phrases with long syllables, typically at the end of a phrase. *Tahrir* is also common in Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Turkish, Armenian, Afghan, and Central Asian musical traditions, and to a lesser extent in Pakistani and some Indian music. Among the Kurdish people of the central Zagros region in Iran, there is an ancient vocal style called *hooreh*, based on imitating bird sounds like those of quail or partridge, mostly among the Ghalkhani and Kalhor tribes. This style is much closer to technically correct yodeling.

In Georgian traditional music, yodeling takes the form of the *krimanchuli* technique, used as the top part in three- or four-part polyphony. Yodel-like shamanistic traditions are also found among the Turkic Sakha people of Siberia, the Inuit of Greenland’s Arctic regions, and the Saami of Scandinavia. Hints of yodeling-like sounds appear in Irish and Scottish traditions. In Sakha Yakutian, yodeling plays a vital role in addressing nature and pleading for the continuance of life.

In Central Africa, Pygmy singers use yodels within their elaborate polyphonic singing. The Shona people of Zimbabwe sometimes yodel while playing the mbira. The Mbuti of the Congo incorporate distinctive whistles and yodels into their songs. As hunter-gatherers, they sing hunting and harvest songs and use yodeling to call each other. In 1952, ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey recorded their songs, which have since been released on compact discs.

In Romanian traditional folk music, yodeling appears as *hăulit* and *horea cu noduri* (“knots singing style”). *Horea cu noduri* is mostly used to express sorrow. It is a particular way of interpreting the *doina*, achieved through a guttural vocal technique where the “knots” are strikes of the glottis produced by contracting the neck muscles. Many Hawaiian songs feature falsetto. In the Hawaiian-style falsetto called *ka leo kiʻekiʻe*, the singer—usually male—emphasizes the break between registers.