There are lots of music blogs but I couldn’t find any dedicated to yodel. So, I decided to accumulate all my finds here. You can expect the usual alpine and american yodels but also the odd ones from all over the world. And sometimes, I’ll propose other special voices or sounds like throat singing and whistling.
And no, I’m not crazy, and no I’m not an old lady living in the country ! I’m just Daisy Montana, and I have this strange kitschy taste for good yodels.
I find the information in cd booklets, on the internet and in books, but the “bible” is Bart Plantenga‘s book, Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo: the Secret History of Yodeling Around the World. I suppose I’ve fallen into yodel around the same time as him, in the mid-nineties, but only found out of his book two years ago.
I’ll try to post every week, maybe more if I have the time. I have so many yodels I want to share !
All music on this site is available for a limited time and is for illustrating purposes only. There’s no intention to make profit or to violate copyright. If you like the tracks, go buy them ! And if you have any requests or comments about the songs or photos posted on this blog, please contact me (mademoisellemontana at gmail dot com).
I made a survey in a post, but since posts become archives very quickly, I’ll repeat it here:
After five months and thirty posts (and not a lot of comments… yet), I was wondering who is reading me. Here are some questions about you and about the blog, I’m impatient to read your answers in the comments !
- How did you discover my blog ?
- What kind of other musical style are you into ?
- Do you even like yodel, if yes why ?
- Is there any kind of yodel you’re eager to discover: American yodels, Swiss yodels, yodels from odd countries, yodels in rock, in country, in children’s music, in jazz, in blues, in classical music, yodels in movies, yodels in commercials, others ?
- Do you want other eerie things like throat singing or whistling ?
- Do you have great yodels you’d like to share ?
- Would you be interested to write guest posts ?
Thanks for your answers, any suggestions are welcome !
Yodelingly yours, Daisy Montana
Mademoiselle Montana's Yodel Heaven 
mm,
thanx so much for the mention of my book and cd!! i am embarkng on volume 2 called YODEL IN HI FI as i write this. i am also working on 2 cd compilations: BLACK & BLUE YODELIN [black yodeling] and AVANT LE VOIX: HUMAN EXPERIMENTS WITH THE YODEL.
i thank you for posting the Rain video. i had heard about him/it but hadn’t seen it. i – as opposed to others in the ethnomusicological field – have no trouble with Rain’s yodel or for that mater Gwen Stefani’s appropriation in Wind it Up.
maybe we can trade some yodels or at least a list of yodels… hope to hear back.
bart plantenga
Thanks for the message ! I have lots of other yodels to post, just not enough time…
Hi Daisy
I just found your site through a link on All music – all blogs. I became aware of the joy of yodel after hearing Pharoah Sanders, and I think it is Leon Thomas who yodels on a number of albums with him.
Looking forward to exploring your past posts and following the new ones.
bothygollach
Thanks for your interest !
I’ve never heard the yodels of Leon Thomas and Pharoah Sanders but I will do it some day !
Hello Daisy,
I’m into tribal and ritual music of the world. So that’s how I found your blog. Very cool one must say. You are also invited to visit mine @
http://earthmusic.wordpress.com/
Voices of Forgotten Worlds: Traditional Music of Indigenous Peoples
Welcome!
hi, we met when I spoke in Brussels in October. You had asked if I had any old records of yodelling. Well, I finally tranferred eight sides, all Swiss, 1926-ca. 1949. If you’ll let me know your email address, I’ll get them to you by sendspace. bests,
Ian
Daisy,
Are you related to Patsy Montana? If so, my mothers cousins sang with Patsy in the late 30s
Oh no, I’m not ! I just thought it was a nice name…
hi daisy
La montañesa – Leda moreno
a mexican popsong with yodel for you at youtube. it seems she yodels only in this song. more information to her you will find:
http://musicapopularlatinoamericana.blogspot.com/search/label/Leda%20Moreno
Thanks for the info !
WoW! It’s amazing to find someone so singularly committed to yodelin. ME TOO! Visit my website to know how much! Thanks for your great information. Please share any new yodeling info you come across!
Terry
Great site ! Thanks !
Hi,
Thanks for this great blog!! I am an ethnomusicologist and while my specialty is in Latin American music, particularly the Dominican Republic, I yodel in my spare time as much as possible. I live in Berlin and have been studying with an Austrian teacher for a year and a half, have also taken Swiss “Naturjodel” workshops. I’ll be attending some German yodel competitions this summer just to check them out. Next year when I return to the US to teach, I’d love to start a yodel group! I also hope to do some more yodel-related research in the future. I love what you’re doing so please keep it up. Maybe you also want to include something about Mexican huapango singing, which is where most Mexican yodeling happens. It’s related to cowboy yodeling.
Best wishes,
Sydney
Thank you ! It feels great to be read by an ethnomusicologist ! This would be my dream job…
Sometimes, I wish I could yodel… but for the moment, I’m not taking lessons.
I’ll write something about huapango one day, thanks for the info.
Hi!
Just checking in after a spell. I see you are in the same situation as most of us. I’m trying to update my site also and keep getting sidetracked.
I do have a question. I search for yodels almost everyday and have well over 2,000 audio and video selections,yet you have so many unique yodels that I’ve never come across. Do you have some secrets for searching that you are willing to share?
I’m also very curious to know what lured you to this love of yodeling. I have some thoughts as to why I am so obsessed but can only find relatively few people who share that passion. Most people I know hardly know what yodeling is. Those that “love” it, don’t usually dwell on the reasons and are mostly caught up in the novelty. I suspect that few people have the collections of yodels that you and I have (with the exception of Bart).
I know that you are busy with many things, but would love to have a response when you have time.
I, too, find that my site does not attract a lot of comments. The visits are increasing slowly, but even with several media focuses on yodeling in the last few years, it’s still not something that has people scrambling for information. I think it will always take a back seat to current trends and remain a “Novelty” for most people.
I, for one, find a deep connection with the universe when I yodel or listen to yodeling…not necessarily the song that contains yodeling…but the yodeling itself. I’ve yet to be able to articulate that feeling but I equate it to a Zen-like experience.
As a side note, You may have Kerry Christensen somewhere on your site but I didn’t see him. I highly recommend him as a contemporary yodeler. He’s very approachable and he actually called me when he found my site to talk about his yodeling. He’s definately a showman and plays to the crowd but he also has some absolutely sublime yodels that are superior. (He chose to do his Chicken Yodel for America’s got Talent and, not surprisingly, got zapped right away. He told me he was going to do that and I told him “that is a brave thing to do”. I, personally love that yodel and it was my goal to be able to do it when I started learning how to yodel. Unfortunately, it was not the one for AMGT)
Also, do you have Randy Erwin on your list? I can’t remember. But if you don’t please consider him. His yodel is the sweetest cowboy sound you will hear today. (Incidently, both he and Kerry provided the yodeling for the (in my opinion) very dissapointing Disney film HOME ON THE RANGE. Their yodeling was the hilight of the film and there was not enough of it.)
Thanks for your consideration and particular thanks for all of the many unique yodels that you’ve posted. I am particularly enthralled with the Hawaiian and Croation selections.
Best Regards.
Terry
Also, you might be interested in this site:
http://www.heidiland.kr/
Our artist Mike Johnson has been yodeling over 40 years. He has also written more yodeling songs than anyone. You also can see him and a couple dozen of his yodeling friends on his youtube site. Janet McBridge, McDonald Craig, Greta Elkin, Joyce Leonard, to mention a few.
http://www.youtube.com/BY1NO1
Hi Daisy,
Just discovered your wonderful site (linked to it by googling yodel.) Lots of delightful surprises here! I love world music and have been interested in yodel for a long time, although friends think I’m crazy. Glad to put a name to the Cambodian yodeler finally. Do you know about the Schönbächler Sisters? They are from Switz near Lucerne and do a very polished roots style yodel in 3 part harmony, but not kitschy or commercial at all. If you like I can send you file or two. Other wise I really love Elton Britt and the deZurick Sisters (you don’t have any of them posted but I assume you know them.) and all of it really! Another yodel style that you could post is the Persian classical singing technique called tahrir. Very beautiful and profound.
thanks for your endeavors!
I want to yodel
my stomach out from my chest voice to head voice break my voice WHG
found your site through this http://music-favourites.blogspot.com/
Hi Daisy
I’ve been a fan of the yodel since I was little. My sister and I are heading to Interlaken next weekend (17-19 June) for a large yodelling exhibition/competition. Is there anybody there who you think we should look out for or seek out? I’m a journo and although I don’t have a commission to write a story about the Jodlerfest (yet) I’m keen to track down the most interesting or brilliant participants!
Cheers, Yolanda – own blog http://morethanskiing.wordpress.com
[…] yodels (even I admit there is such a thing as a dud). This is the address for the info page https://mademoisellemontana.wordpress.com/about/ The writer hasn’t posted for a couple of years but check out the archive – especially […]
Hi Daisy on the 12th august have included you in my post about yodelling..love your blog
[…] I also found a blog dedicated to yodelling which is a real treat! Madamoiselle Montana’s yodelling blog yodelling blog […]
Hi Daisy, I am from Austria, I have a question: my friend wants to start a Yodel Group to teach People how to yodel. Am I allowed to use your Foto from Minna Reverelli for a Logo? Thanks for answering!
Simone