Do Germans yodel

Answer 1

The Germans don't yodel at all. it is the Swiss and sometimes the austrians that yodel.

They could if they wanted to.

On the contrary, Bavaria is home to some of the best yodellers in the world. Traditionally. yodelling is a means of communication that developed in the alpine regions of Austria, Switzerland, Germany and even parts of France and Italy.

It became part of alpine folk songs and over the years evolved into a musical art form in its own right. Contrary to popular belief, it is the Bavarians that tend more to the spectacular speed and trick yodelling styles rather than the Swiss, where they favour a more gentle but difficult and beautiful choral approach. Just listen to Franzl Lang or Thomas Scholl from Munich and then try to believe that Germans don't yodel!!

Amongst the Swiss, there are some who have ventured into the complex speed yodelling. An excellent example is Peter Hinnen.

Yodelling is also found in Country Music and in Hawaiian music. There are many influences that caused this but at the root of it all are the European settlers who travelled to America in the early days and who often appeared on the travelling vaudeville and medicine shows. The influence they had on local rural singers, coupled with the influence of black blues and minstrel traditions, led to the emergence of The Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers who introduced the concept of the "Blue Yodel" - blues songs sung with a yodel between stanzas - which inspired many to ensure that the yodel had a place in country music for ever more. One such artiste was Gene Autry who started out as a Blue Yodeller in Rodgers style but later became a silver screen singing cowboy and created a place for the yodel in cowboy music!

Yodelling is also popular in New Zealand and Australia - largely due to the influence of Jimmie Rodgers, Gene autry and the English yodeller Harry Torrani. They influenced the great Kiwi, Tex Morton who then inspired a genre that now thrives as Australasian country music

Sadly, most people assume that yodelling is a freak novelty. How wrong they are - and how much beautiful music they miss as a result. It is understandable in a way - there are many terrible yodellers and radio often won't even air the good ones. but there are also countless examples of excellence. Listen to a good yodeller and they can arouse more emotion in a song than any amount of singing.

Try listening to the likes of Elton Britt or Slim Whitman - then mock if you still feel able. also, seek out Mary Schneider - a classically trained Australian of Bavarian lineage who has recorded two albums of Classical Music with yodelling. If you want to go back to the Blue Yodel revolution of the 20s and 30s, seek out Jasmine Records' 2CD set "You And My Old Guitar" which features Jiommie Rodgers originals on one CD and covers of the same songs on the other (www.jasmine-records.co.UK)