Khoomei is both the general name given to all kinds of throat singing, as well as a specific style of it. This style involves a fundamental note within the mid- to low range of the singer's voice, combined with soft and clearly-diffused harmonics, often with two or more notes discernible.
Kargyraa is broken into two main styles --- Mountain (or dag) and Steppe (or xovu) ---Kargyraa consists of multiple harmonics to produce a powerful croaking or growling tone. This style makes use especially of the manipulation of vowel sounds, and is a cousin of Tibetan harmonic chanting.
Sygyt involves a fundamental note in the singer's mid-range, and is characterized by strong, piercing notes reminiscent of a flute or of whistling. The word "sygyt" literally means "whistle."
Borbangnadyr and Ezengileer are considered by some to be distinct styles while others feel they are simply ornaments or affectations of Khoomei, Kargyraa, and Sygyt. Borbangnadyr involves precise bird-like warbles and trills to achieve its effect. It is most often applied to Sygyt, though it also works well with lower-pitched styles. Ezengileer derives from a word meaning "stirrup," and attempts to mimic the gallop of a horse. It consists of rhythmic and pulsating oscillations between harmonics.
Unlike Tuvan varieties, Inuit throat singing is performed almost exclusively by women, and often with two or more singers. Inuit women used the song to entertain themselves while the men were away hunting, as well as to sing children to sleep. The style is characterized by short, sharp inhalations and exhalations. Many ethnomusicologists describe the Inuit method not as song so much as a sort of vocal or breathing game, due to the use of the singer's regular voice as well as the throat. Performances often take the form of contests, with two women trying to harmonize with and complement each other's song while showing off their own skills. The first singer to fall behind pace or run out of breath is the loser.
Indigenous to southeast South Africa, Xhosa singing (also known as "eefing") is performed for parties and dances as well as group call and response performances. It is accomplished by singing two notes one tone apart, over which higher tones are interspersed and amplified.
Performed by the Ainu people of northern Japan, Rekuhkara was performed by two women. Facing each other, one would make a tube with her hands and chant into her partner's mouth, essentially "giving" her the sound. The "receiver" would then modulate and adapt the sound by holding her glottis closed and manipulating the tone with her own vocal chords. The last known practitioner died in 1976.