Do you know what Yodeler or Iodelei is? It is a very famous form of singing in the Alps region (Germany, Austria) that uses phonetic syllables to create a sound that changes rapidly and repeatedly. It is also heavily known as Tyrolean singing.
Yodelling involves using the chest voice and then a high pitch or falsetto. This vocal technique is not only used in Europe but in cultures all over the world.
This type of music is appreciated by many Japanese, so much so that if you go to see videos of singers like King of Iodelei Franzi Lang you will find many Japanese reviews.
In this article, we are going to see an example of a Japanese who appreciated this music art and managed to achieve success singing alongside the King of Iodelei.
The story of the Japanese yodeler Takeo Ischi
Takeo Ishii was born and raised in Tokyo Japan. In high school he was lonely and started listening to the radio a lot. Following his father Takeo went to the university of mechanical engineering, and in his spare time he learned to play the zither and dulcimer (harp-like instruments).
He followed the King of Yodelay and started singing on Japanese television. Takeo Ishii went to study in Germany and during his time he went to Switzerland and sang in a brewery in Zurich. Soon he started making money from it, he sang in front of the king and idol Franzi Lang. In time Lang took Takeo under his wing and he became famous and known as the Japanese Yodeler.
In Europe Takeo started to be called Takeo Ischi (instead of Ishii) and soon met his wife Henriette in 1981, making his proposal in a Onsen from Japan and getting married in 1985. They had five children named Maximilian, Michael, Andreas, Lukas and Julia.
He became famous for the song of the New Bibi-Hendl chickens:
Now I want to understand why I like this song... It's very hilarious and contagious, they even made a mocking video about the chickens:
Some say it was because of him that KFC began to dominate the fast food.
What did you think of the Japanese Yodeler? If you liked it, share it with your friends and leave your comments.
