What is Yodeling, and Why Would You Yodel?

 Today, Professor has asked us:

"What is the purpose of yodeling?"

To start, we should ask "What is yodeling?"

We see a great example of yodeling in The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer:

However, according to Maria von Trapp, this is not authentic Austrian yodeling.

In this article, however, we're going to be talking about American yodeling--usually associated with cowboys. Yodeling is a kind of singing, in a way. It is a certain way that one's voice slides from their chest register to head register, with a little pop (made from the place where your voice flips into the head register) in-between. Often, a word (usually "yodel-ay") is sung in the chest voice, and on the vowel the person would slide into a falsetto head voice.

(the video below is set at 0:29 when the yodeling begins)

You may hear stories about how shepherds (or goatherds) used to call to their sheep, or even to their friends across the mountains with yodeling. This, then, would appear to be the first purpose of yodeling, but now singers incorporate it in songs.

Yodeling takes a little while to learn and get the knack of but once mastered, it is a fun, cheerful, and creative way to use your voice.

It is also a fun challenge to take on, and you get a very rewarding feeling of accomplishment once you can yodel.

Even if you don't want to learn how to yodel, it is still nice to listen to.

Yodeling can be used in various ways, fitting the tunes and rhythms of the songs, and a song with a nice, bouncy chorus made up of yodeling will be sure to bring smiles!