Yodel Backstory

A couple of weeks ago, I tooled into Burgenland to investigate a bunch of yodelers.

That's right. For the Christian Science Monitor I was in hot pursuit of yodelers. And you wonder why budgets for foreign correspondents have been slashed.

What I found was music emanating from the grounds of the old castle at Lockenhaus, which is nestled in hillside greenery.

It was a folk music camp going on the whole week, and a few were there to also provide a bit of schooling in yodeling.

Austrians yodel. Generally, it's a tradition more for the western than the eastern part of the country, but they do yodel. On the one hand, they are embarrassed by the caricature of the lederhosened fella hollerin' out a yodel. I guess the American counterpart would be banjos in West Virginia (I love the banjo, by the way).

And at heart, Austrians love the yodel. And they should: watch the video to see an impromptu session, in which the instructor is working with an orchestra, showing them a simple yodel to help loosen them up.

You can read my article here.

View Lockenhaus, Austria in a larger map