Acoustics

Vocal Science and Vocal Art, Part One: In Search of Common Ground (Article)
The author provides a comprehensive, historical review of contributions to voice science and pedagogy. The article explores the relationship between science and art through its history, its current state, and the new field of cognitive science to which voice pedagogy could look for a rapprochement between these two modes of understanding and the teaching of singing. (posted 5:44 PM, November 20, 2016)

Vocal Tract Model Synthesis (Article)
Vowels are synthesized using vocal tract solid models, demonstrating functions of the vocal tract and vocal cords waves. The models were shaped based on 3D MRI and stereolithography (Rapid Prototyping), and glottal waves are generated using Rosenberg-Klatt waveform with 1/f fluctuation of its cycle. Male and female models are used to produce vowels. Voice qualities are well enough to identify the persons whom MR images were taken from. (posted 9:11 PM, February 9, 2015)

The Role of the First Formant in Training the Male Singing Voice (Article)
Awareness of the acoustic registration events caused by changing interactions between the lower harmonics of the voice source and the first formant of the vocal tract can assist both teacher and student in working out a smooth, comfortable transition through the passaggio into the upper range of the male voice. This paper explains how knowledge and anticipation of these events, and of the passive vowel modifications that accompany them, can form the basis for effective pedagogic strategies. A relatively stable tube (vocal tract) length is necessary for timbral consistency and balance across the fundamental frequency range, since this can stabilize the general location of all formants and especially the singer’s formant cluster. However, upon ascending the scale, untrained males instinctively tend to activate muscles that shorten the tube in order to preserve the strong first formant/second harmonic (F1/H2) acoustic coupling of open timbre, resulting in “yell” timbre. If tube length and shape are kept stable during pitch ascent, the yell can be avoided by allowing the second harmonic to pass through and above the first formant. This results in the timbral shift referred to as covering or “turning over,” a shift which enables avoidance of the laryngeal muscular adjustments associated with pressed phonation. The variety of first formant locations, vowel by vowel, where these shifts occur creates opportunities for developing effective strategies for training the male passaggio. (posted 5:31 PM, November 2, 2014)

What Makes a Voice Acoustically Strong? (Article)
A voice is acoustically strong if the glottal flow can be reduced from a high value to a low value in a short time interval. The total collapse of flow per second is called the maximum flow declination rate. It can be increased by increasing lung pressure, by increasing vibration at the bottom of the vocal fold, or by narrowing the acoustic tube immediately above the vocal folds. In practice, a combination of these control strategies is probably utilized by singers. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

Resurrection from the Coffin (Article)
The author suggests that the Favorable Vowel Chart included in the writings of Berton Coffin over thirty years ago, needs to be resurrected, employing new theories of vowel modification and voice registers. (posted 2:34 PM, August 27, 2014)

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