Customer Reviews

How to Yodel: Lessons to Tickle Your Tonsils and Funnybone

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I'm a big fan of yodeling and new yodeling recordings are relatively hard to find. "How to yodel" recordings are even more rare. I was thrilled when I saw that Wylie Gustafson was releasing an instruction cd on how to yodel. I preordered right away.

After hearing the CD, I declared it a winner. Wylie is a superior cowboy yodeler and I've always enjoyed his sassy yodel sound. Wylie keeps things simple and provides both instructional yodels and sing along tracks so you can practice the songs once you learn the basics. He includes one lesson that other yodeling instructions often leave out. That is, how to find the break in your voice.

I like Wylie's technique for learning the voice break a lot and think it's one of the most effective tricks I'ver heard. It consists of "toggling" between your chest voice and your head voice. I think anyone could find the break if they use this technique.

I particularly enjoyed the little book that comes with the CD and it is very humorous. It contains some history and is a general reference guide for all things "yodel". I loved Robert Payne's very skillfull and funny illustrations that permeate the pages of the book.

Wylie is up front about this being an introductory level effort and that his aim was to keep it simple. I found myself wishing for more though. But, I'm a more advanced amateur yodeler and pretty much have all of the Wylie's yodels covered. This isn't meant to detract from the very fun instructions that Wylie has provided and beginners should buy it right away.

I still favor Kerry Christensen's "U 2 Can Yodel" (but, I favor alpine yodeling) as the best yodeling instruction CD out there. Having said that, I highly recommend Wylie Gustafson's HOW TO YODEL as a terrific, fun, approach to learning the art of yodeling.

"How to Yodel" is everything you'd want in an introduction to yodelling. The book itself is short, direct, informative. It's a simple and quick read that's not overly technical.

The "How to Yodel" CD that comes with the book is the real gem. "I'll do my best to keep things simple and easy to understand," Wylie says in the introduction, and he keeps to his promise. Wylie's instructions are easy going, friendly, and presented with a dash of goofy humor. ("Well be doin' a lotta weird soundin' stuff so make sure that you are alone and out of earshot of anyone sensitive to otherworldly sounds and/or general cacophony.") You'd have to be completely vocally challenged to not learn at least the most basic yodelling technique from Wylie.

"How to Yodel" would be an excellent (and unusual) gift for anyone who likes to sing along with traditional western music. If that singing someone happens to be you it's a great way to put some shine on skills you probably already have.

This is a great book and a really good CD that comes with it. When I ordered it I didn't know I was getting a CD with the book. A good CD and book. I've already learned a lot and only had this book and CD about three weeks. It diffinately gets a five star rating. Thanks Amazon.

I decided I wanted to learn to Yodel so I ordered this CD from the Best Yodeler I knew.

It's just what I wanted and I have learned to Yodel.

This is a well done CD.

Wylie's simple lessons had me yodeling in two weeks and when my 5 yr old granddaughter came back from holidays she could do a good yodel in one day! What a fantastic Xmas present. The book and CD are really helpful and kind. He teaches in a very helpful and friendly way. I am 70 and and it has been uplifting and great fun.

We live in Auckland New Zealand and the delivery was earlier than expected. An added bonus Grateful thanks all round.