[opening theme music] [footsteps] [train engines roaring] [car engine whirring] [door slams] [environmental noises] [background chatter] - So what do you think happens when a German airline pilot, [chuckles] a Swiss-Italian investment banker, and a Nashville musician take a ride in a convertible 1963 Pontiac Bonneville restored by Paul, a harmonica player and Swiss machinist- and we're on our way to a gig [laughter] at a Mexican restaurant in Sins, Switzerland?

- Oh, look tough, how are you?

- Well, apparently what happens, things quickly evolve into a black and white Italian movie.

- What do you think, Ricardo?

Is this like a Fellini movie yet?

Gotta work on in.

- Oh yeah, it looks... - Now it feels like a Fellini movie.

[drum beats] - Oh yeah.

All good.

[drum beats] [parade music] [parade music] - I'm Mark Allen, a singer-songwriter with a guitar on my back.

Connecting with people one musical conversation at a time.

♪ Traveling down this open road ♪ ♪ Seeing you and the Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ I hear the call ♪ ♪ We're getting close ♪ ♪ Around the bend there's a signpost ♪ ♪ To places, faces, to the moon and it's phases ♪ ♪ This melody keeps us alive ♪ ♪ Have guitar, will travel ♪ ♪ Have guitar, will travel ♪ ♪ Oh-de-oh, oh-de-oh, oh-de-oh ♪ ♪ I have guitar, will travel ♪ [upbeat music] - Funding for Have Guitar, Will Travel World is provided by: [mellow music] - Travel is, after all, about exploration, and for me, about leaving assumptions behind.

The more I travel, the more I find that what we see isn't always what we expected to see.

And that was certainly the case in Switzerland.

I'd landed with a guitar and a backpack full of expectations.

And as I unpack those notions about Switzerland, I found a few surprises amid the clichés.

I had arrived in a heavenly little town, ironically named Sins.

In a region that felt both elegant and timeless, I often wasn't sure what century I was in.

This small village had a lot to teach me.

Switzerland certainly has a unique cultural identity, despite its international diversity.

The country has four official languages, German, French, Italian, and Romansh.

In fact, my introduction to Sins was by invitation from Ricardo, a Swiss Italian banker with ties to Nashville.

Joined by his German friend and airline pilot, Malty, and by Paul, the village's local machinist.

If English hadn't been our common language, music certainly was.

Their interest in Americana music brought me to Switzerland to record and play a few gigs with them.

And the subject matter of the song I came to produce seemed to be perfectly suited to the journey we were on.

Yeah, sure, things felt familiar, yet they were becoming more surreal the more time I spent here.

♪ In the long road ♪ ♪ Mississippi River ♪ ♪ To the cross ♪ ♪ And then angel light ♪ ♪ Came down love ♪ ♪ Carried through ♪ ♪ The long road ♪ [gentle music] - And about that backpack of clichés, well, I did find them, but not in a way I ever expected.

[choir singing] - As my friend Lance brought me to a local hockey game in the nearby town, Zug.

I quickly realized it featured a pregame event unlike anything I'd ever seen, except, of course, maybe, a team mascot, who was named Mr. Money.

I saw a jaw-dropping display of Swiss music tradition, yodeling, actually three different choirs of yodellers, a whole ensemble of gigantic alpine horns, and flag waving.

Actually, it's a Swiss national sport called Fahnenschwingen.

I'd seen flag waving in America, but not like this.

[alpine horns blowing] So it seems, I really was hearing Swiss culture through its music.

Outside in the freezing cold at a hockey game.

[alpine horns blowing] [background chatter] [accordion music] And later, at yet another hockey event, a fundraiser in the local town hall, I was surrounded by families crowded around bubbling cheesy pots of fondue.

There I met Oskar, an accordion player, over the din of a raffle, auction, and all that fondue, Oskar paused to introduce me to his bandmates.

He also invited me over to his house the next day to meet with him and his sister, Edith, so I could learn more about the origins of traditional Swiss music.

As I left the town hall, I was struck by the beauty and spirit of this late afternoon golden hour here in Zug.

From the joyful fondue-eating families to the young guys playing soccer, all surrounded by iconic Swiss architecture and quirky humor.

And, yes, I did forget to feed the cat, but no, I don't have a cat.

Makes perfect sense, right?

I couldn't help but feel the passion for living in this place, and also definitely felt and heard a passion for music in Oskar.

When someone drops everything to talk about music and invite you over to connect, well, that's a devotion to music I recognize.

And that devotion is literally woven into the fabric of those iconic blue shirts called Edelweiss shirts.

The Edelweiss is the Swiss national flower and a symbol for devotion because it grows in some of the toughest alpine conditions in the world and yet, it thrives.

But as with everything here, there's so much more than meets the eye.

I was about to learn just how much as I was arriving at Oskar's place the next day.

- Hello.

- Hi!

Oskar and his sister Edith are both accomplished musicians and have been playing from an early age.

Besides working full time, giving music lessons, and raising families, they find themselves gigging almost every weekend.

So sitting around the kitchen table, I got not only a private concert, but a lesson in the history of the Schwyzerörgeli, the button accordion.

- Schwyzerörgeli.

Did I say that correctly?

- Uh, huh - Okay.

- Perfect!

[laughter] - It's not an accordion, it's Schwyzerörgeli.

- So, and it's because it's from the county Schwyz?

- Yeah.

- Schwyz.

There's another translation because it's the name of the canton, so, it's Schwyz, it's not "Swiss" because Schweiz is Swiss - Swiss, right.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Or Switzerland.

[laughs] - Switzerland is actually, a confederation of states, each with their own government, called a canton.

In fact, the country's name, flag and iconic knives, all come from the same canton, as well as the Schwyzerörgeli.

- Because in Switzerland, we have, uh, 26, uh, different areas, Kantone, Canton.

- Right.

- A canton.

- A canton, yes.

[all talking] And every canton has a, uh, little bit of dif- , uh, different, um, style to-to play, ah, örgeli.

And we have a lot of, um-um, songs from the inner Schweiz from the Canton, Schwyz.

This song, th-this song when-, this-one... - Play now.

- Yeah, play now.

It's called "Örgelihuus."

Örgeli-huus.

And, um, ah, the people, the fans, when they come to our gigs, [giggles] they sing.

[all talking] - Yeah, they sing this song from themselves.

- All right, [all taking] let's make some noise.

[lively accordion music] [yodeling] [accordion music] - So, when you play this, it means, uh, sit down.

- Yeah.

[laughter] - I gotta learn that!

[laughter] [accordion music] - Or you can make it... [plays accordion notes] And then it's time to sit down.

- I'm gonna remember that.

- It's time to drink.

- To drink!

- It's time to drink.

- Or to eat something.

[laughter] - That's so funny.

- What is...

The greatest thing is when you, um, come to a party and you have this Örgeli with you, it-it-it starts a party.

- So yes, the Schwyzerörgeli definitely gets the party started in Switzerland.

But also, I couldn't help but think of the Edelweiss flower and its symbolism at this moment, thriving despite some considerable challenges.

- How old were you when you first played together?

Were you like...?

- I was 12 years.

- And I was 15.

- And then everybody says, " Oh, [foreign word]."

[laughter] And now, we have to play it perfect because nobody says, "[foreign word]."

[laughter] And also, it's great because, um, ah, I mean, Oskar is blind and I am almost.

- Yeah.

- So it's something that we can give, um, to-to other people.

- Sure.

- And it's great.

It's-it's our parents, ah, did a good decision [laughter] - Yeah.

to say that we should, ah, play an instrument - Oh, yeah.

So that's something that we can give, ah, the others.

- So despite dealing with a disease that left them both nearly blind since birth, they certainly hadn't been robbed of their sense of joy or their sense of humor.

- Well, there's no oppression at the moment.

So, we have to live.

[laughter] [all talking] - We have to wait, right?

- Yes.

[laughter] Drink tea and bread.

- Yeah.

- Drink beer.

- Drink beer and wine.

[laughter] - Drink wine and bread.

[laughs] - I was left humbled with the idea that their frankness about their situation was a lesson for all of us about how to take nothing for granted and to always choose joy and gratitude for every moment we're given.

- I, uh, yeah...

I love to play some more with you guys.

- Yeah, okay.

- Let's play then.

- Let's do it then.

[lively accordion music] [applause and cheers] - That's awesome.

[giggles] - How can you not feel happy, you know?

- Yes, yes.

- You know, it's so great.

- Come on.

- It's so great.

- I was starting to wonder if the Swiss knew anything but happy and joyful tunes.

Oskar and Edith were certainly hard pressed to find any, and even if there were sad songs, there was always something hopeful to look out for.

Was it because Swiss music and the Schwyzerörgeli don't even use minor chords?

- We got also, tears, um.

- Yeah.

when-when you play and... - That's why I love music so much.

- Mm-hmm.

- You know.

[foreign words] - Mm-hmm.

- We have this music in, ah, our hearts.

- Yeah.

- Uh-um.

- Well, so tell me about the instruments.

- Yeah, this- This ones are Ott Örgeli, so they're from [foreign word].

[foreign word] The Ferrari from the Örgeli.

[laughter] - I'd love to.

- I can give it.

- Can I try?

- Yes.

- Ahh.

- Go, yeah, here.

- Your call.

[all talking] - You can play with Edith.

- Okay.

- And I go to the restaurant.

- Okay.

[laughter] - Grandmother sleeps.

[accordion tuning] [laughter] - How do you pull it out?

- A little, little bit.

- Oh, oh!

- Play that.

- This one, yes.

- Oh.

- Sorry.

[laughs] - Okay.

[accordion plays] [laughter] - Very good!

- No.

[laughter] No, very bad.

- You can actually warm up.

[accordion plays] - Wow!

[accordion plays] This is cool!

[accordion plays] I want one.

[accordion plays] [laughs] [accordion plays] - I need to drink.

[accordion plays] [laughter] [all talking] - I know of a while ago.

I'm like... Yeah, how much is this worth?

Would this... - Yeah, from 2,000 to.

- To 15,000 - 11, 000.

- Wow.

So this is the Ferrari.

So this is more like what?

- It's 10,000.

- Yeah.

[accordion tuning] [air pumping sound] [laughter] - It's really friendly to [inaudible].

- For sure.

- Grandmother sleeps!

[laughs] [accordion plays] - I've never felt so dumb in my life.

This is great.

- So, after all of this research, someone finally showed up to show me how to properly play the Schwyzerörgeli.

[accordion plays] And now that I had a taste of making music the Swiss style, I felt ready to up my game.

And I was looking forward to yodeling practice, the very next night.

[choir yodeling] [choir yodeling] - So what exactly is yodeling?

Yodeling originated as a kind of call, using both the voice from your chest that's ♪ normally used for singing ♪ and what's called, ♪ your head voice ♪ ♪ that's also known as the falsetto ♪ These sounds can actually travel great distances, so alpine herders have used the yodel since the Stone Age, or so the story goes, as a handy way to communicate from mountaintop to mountaintop, or even just to bring the cows home.

What we've come to recognize as yodeling is the fast transition, a kind of singing with repeated changes in pitch, without using words that mean anything.

So without the limitation of language, the art of yodeling has spread worldwide to fans and cowboys everywhere.

Swiss yodeling didn't develop into song until the 19th century, when it began to use two, three, and even four-part harmony.

Maybe not surprisingly, yodel songs typically express a love for mountains, nature, and home.

So, at the invitation of Oskar and Edith, I went along to yodeling choir practice with their cousin and my new friend, Eveline, [choir yodeling] to learn more about how to truly yodel, Swiss style.

The Yodel Club here in Sins is the Jodlerklub Club Heimelig Sins, with Heimelig meaning cozy or comfortable.

And these guys definitely made me feel right at home in this concrete high school music room.

They are directed by, Rene Arnold, who actually directs a number of local choirs in the area.

Each one is made up of regular folks with a passion for singing.

They come from all walks of life.

Farmers, businessmen, craftsmen, teachers, homemakers, and even more farmers.

[choir yodeling] Rene comes from a family of enthusiastic yodelers.

His father used to direct the Sins Choir, and his brother is the vice president of the club.

Within all these choirs, this enthusiasm can be seen in the hard work and fun these folks put into everything they do.

In fact, as I was sitting there with Rene, Roger, and Edith, I was learning about what makes this singing style so beautiful and so unique.

[choir yodels] [choir yodels] [applause] [speaking in foreign language] [laughter] - I had so many questions, especially about things I should have paid more attention to studying voice in college.

- Especially about the technique of the singing.

- Th-the style is-is meant to switch between head and chest a lot, right?

So, are there, are there specific practice techniques that you teach... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- ...to-to address that?

- Breathing is first.

- Right.

- That's the most important thing.

And, ah, this challenge you to train it with sets before.

[vocalizing] That the voice is in the front of the mouth, not in the neck or... - Right.

- This first, and-and then, ah, the voice change from the head to the... - Yes!

Yes!

- Yes.

[vocalizing] - Without pressure.

[vocalizing] - Yeah, yeah.

[yodeling] - Without pressure.

- Don't have pressure.

If you have some pressure, you-you kill your voice.

[vocalizing] - That's dangerous.

- Yeah, no, I know.

In-in my blend, it's like, you know, I'm still trying to get that in shape after 30 years, you know.

- Yeah.

[laughter] That's painful.

[vocalizing] - I know.

- And-and so, you can also train, you sing through the nose.

[vocalizing] - Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah, I got you.

- Without, without pressure.

- Yeah, I know.

- It has to be totally... - Yeah, It's not rock and roll.

- No, no.

[laughter] - We like it.

- We say... - Yah, yah, yeah, you like.

- Yeah, yeah.

Of-of course, it's obvious if you think about it.

But, you know, when you're just listening, you're not really thinking about, you know- You just hear the finished product.

"Oh, it's so wonderful, I can do that too."

No, you can't.

[laughter] - Now, we sing is three using three, three voices.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- And, and in the group, we sing six to eight... - Right.

- ...different voices.

- So your program will include th-this too?

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- And, and how long is the program?

- Ah, we have about one hour and then after, with theater.

- Oh wow.

[choir yodeling] - So whether they're a trio or a whole choir, they practice year round, giving seasonal concerts and also, competing in both local and regional festivals.

But the talent and joy of this yodel choir always spills over into the local beer hall just down the road to celebrate a song well sung.

- Yeah, this is th-the reward for, when you work hard.

- And I was very glad to tag along with Evelyn and meet the choir for some post-rehearsal rejuvenation juice in the form of a nice frothy mug of Swiss beer.

[choir yodeling] And although less common than in days past, there are still regions in Switzerland where you can find people sitting in a restaurant, when suddenly, somebody starts to sing and then everybody joins in.

[choir yodels] And Sins is one such place.

[choir yodels] [cheers and applause] [yodeling] [laughter] - And while I don't speak Swiss German, [speaking foreign language] I suppose you could say that yodeling is a language we all can understand anywhere in the world.

[jazzy music playing] - What happens in Switzerland when the trains don't run on time?

Or the ski resorts don't get any snowfall?

Do the Swiss think, "Did we do something wrong?"

"Is God punishing us?"

"Does it mean we all have to pay for our sins?"

Well, actually, here in Switzerland, living in Sins has nothing to do with judgment.

In a country known as the crossroads of Europe, Switzerland's ancient trails and trade routes tell a story as old as the Bronze Age.

And having seen it all over the millennia, it's got quite a story to tell.

And here in Sins, the origin of the name of this town is not what you think it is.

My musical friend, guide, and Swiss native, Paul Bachmann, knows a lot about that history, and everybody seems to know Paul.

As he and I took a drive up to the Ibergeregg Pass for some lunch, we spoke about that.

- It means the way.

Because things, you know, now- now we have these, ah, motorways and everything, - Right.

- But I still remember where all these tunnels haven't existed.

But somebody wander from, if someone decided for example, from Oslo to go to Italy.

He had to go through Sins.

- Oh, wow.

- It's this way from the north to the south.

- But everybody knows you follow me.

[laughs] - It seems that way.

[laughs] - This journey included anyone wanting to get from the North Sea to Rome and back, traveling the long roads across its valleys and Alps, and all had to come through Sins along the way.

Step by step and mile by mile, Switzerland's culture has been formed by travel to and from distant horizons.

And this culture absorbs all that change into its fondue pot of an identity, melting into something uniquely Swiss.

A blend of tradition, cooperation, change, and sharing innovation from pharmaceuticals, to particle accelerators, and even Velcro.

[velcro tearing sound] As we drove up to the pass, I saw firsthand the effects of another radical change, climate change, and the increasing unpredictability of snowfall.

This is not the kind of melting anyone wants this time of year.

- Well, this breach, and I feel a little bit iffy.

- Oh.

- Because the ski lift is not running.

- Ahh.

- Normally, everything full here, everybody skiing... - Yeah.

- ...at this time.

- And this would be... - And right now, no snow.

- No snow, you know, that's crazy.

- Yeah.

Regularly, that would be, one, two meters high... - Wow.

[speaking foreign language] - The landlady was noting that here at the top of Ibergeregg Pass, the Hotel Passhöhe or Pass Height, has been operating since 1932.

And only in the last few years have there been periods of little snow like this.

In this place, you could literally feel and hear the past echoing around this beautiful setting.

[gentle faint music] And yet, even as we experience radical change in the world around us, the Swiss seem to have an unwavering faith in their ability to adapt.

[gentle faint music] So what were the Swiss doing?

At nearby Gasthaus Oberberg, people were gathering together over an afternoon meal, thankful for the sun.

We joined in celebrating the gorgeous alpine day, along with a great lunch, Swiss beer and a bit of music.

And as far as that Swiss ability to adapt goes, it seems to have a lot to do with being present and thankful for every moment.

In this culture that embraces harmony as much as in their politics as in their music, I realize that connecting is simply what the Swiss do, bridging borders, political differences, language and cultures.

My journey through Swiss music, traditions, and history, shows me that the only true constant is change.

And as the Swiss have learned, on this long road, together we are better.

♪ In the long road ♪ - Music has always been a bridge to new people and places and discovering that musical bond is what drives me.

Every culture has a voice and music lets us hear it.

So my guitar and I set out to the next bright light on the horizon.

Letting the musical conversation be our guide.

♪ Long road ♪ - Funding provided by: [outro theme music]