Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Have you heard of hollering? Hollering is any call, cry or phrase that’s used to self-express or communicate across long distances. Hollering used to be incredibly common in urban and rural places- it was a way for people to check in with one another, call to their animals, ask for help, or simply express how their day was going. The key with this practice was to just use vocables instead of words- that is, to use sounds and melodic patterns people would recognize, instead of trying to yell out words that would get muffled or distorted over distances. People often had signature hollers that were recognizable to others.
Hollering sounds vary quite a bit from place to place. In some of the few traditions recorded in the U.S., intentional vocal breaks (that flipping or popping sound you’re hearing me do) were very common.
Hollering was practical, but it was also self-expressive. People would holler off their back porches or in the fields about their joys and sorrows. This holler is a mourning holler I made up to express grief.
In my upcoming virtual offering “The Unquiet Grave,” we’re going to be exploring various sounds and songs for grief and mourning, including hollering traditions. Learn more by going to the lynk on my channel page!
Have you heard of hollering? Hollering is any call, cry or phrase that’s used to self-express or communicate across long distances. Hollering used to be incredibly common in urban and rural places- it was a way for people to check in with one another, call to their animals, ask for help, or simply express how their day was going. The key with this practice was to just use vocables instead of words- that is, to use sounds and melodic patterns people would recognize, instead of trying to yell out words that would get muffled or distorted over distances. People often had signature hollers that were recognizable to others.
Hollering sounds vary quite a bit from place to place. In some of the few traditions recorded in the U.S., intentional vocal breaks (that flipping or popping sound you’re hearing me do) were very common.
Hollering was practical, but it was also self-expressive. People would holler off their back porches or in the fields about their joys and sorrows. This holler is a mourning holler I made up to express grief.
In my upcoming virtual offering “The Unquiet Grave,” we’re going to be exploring various sounds and songs for grief and mourning, including hollering traditions. Learn more by going to the lynk on my channel page!
